FighterControl

On the Thursday of our week in Poland, we heard no MiGs were due up from Malbork so decided to go on a bit of an adventure and crossed Poland by train (surprisingly cheap and easy!)

Upon arrival we saw the 302 Sqn Anniversary jet depart so we were looking forwards to its arrival, and within a few minutes the first pair broke into the circuit which included a jet in the Tiger Demo Team scheme

4046 | F-16C | 31. BLT Polish Air Force | EPKS by Olie Myburgh, on Flickr

4052 | F-16C | 31. BLT Polish Air Force | EPKS by Olie Myburgh, on Flickr

Followed by a single twin stick

4077 | F-16D | 31. BLT Polish Air Force | EPKS by Olie Myburgh, on Flickr

And then a pair called for low key, one of which was the 302 Sqn jet, their first approach was quite high but on the second circuit the special brought it round nice and tight

4077 | F-16C | 31. BLT Polish Air Force | EPKS by Olie Myburgh, on Flickr

4048 | F-16C | 31. BLT Polish Air Force | EPKS by Olie Myburgh, on Flickr

And then another solitary twin stick, this time with a Dorsal Spine, which was interesting to see

4083 | F-16D | 31. BLT Polish Air Force | EPKS by Olie Myburgh, on Flickr

A pair then went out in the afternoon, but the sun had gone in when they arrived and we'd shot both jets in the morning so didn't really look at the shots

Certainly an enjoyable day, hope you all enjoy.

Lovely selection there, Olie

Smashing

Poland by train brilliant!

How did you get to the fence - bus , hire car , taxi or shank's pony?

Excellent...I used to go spotting by train across Europe in the late 80s.....a real adventure in those days armed with just a paper Michelin map

Thanks for sharing these, some great shots there. I too used to go on spotting trips around Europe by train, amazing how many bases would have some small station within 10 minutes walk of a suitable viewing location.

slogen51 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 07, 2023 12:08 pm

Smashing

Poland by train brilliant!

How did you get to the fence - bus , hire car , taxi or shank's pony?

Our general routine was to get a train to the nearest town and then take a taxi. In Poznan this was very easy as 'Bolt' taxis were available which are very cheap and can be ordered on a mobile app so not much language is required (In Poznan the Bolt from the city centre cost us 15zl each way - about 3 pounds!)

In most parts of Poland, where bolt taxis are generally not available, my ability to speak Polish was quite useful - I'd usually find a taxi at the station and then speak to the driver and ask fore their number so we could call at the end of the day to be picked up)

Interesting

I really should join Uber - but there is not much demand for Uber in Norfolk as far as I know

From what I have heard Uber is the way to go in a big city - wonder if uber is an option in las Vegas rather than hiring a car for nellis etc who knows?

Hi Olie.
There are 2 100th Anniversary 302 sqn jets 4047 WX the other one being 4050 QH .
I take it that you were at the Western end of the airfield for these shots on the track that runs past the fence.
I had been after a decent shot of these 2 for a couple of years but was very luck late November last year on a bright sunny day with an Easterly breeze i heard multiple jets depart . The first 2 of the 10 to return were 4047 & 4050..
They tend to do 2 missions 4 hours apart , but do tend to change times of first mission day to day.
Easy to get to the Western end by public transport ...There is a regular bus service 194 and the stop of LYSOGORSKA is near the HAS 's This bus is from the small bus station just to the south of STAROLEKA railway station .
As the Polish display jet is from this base it's a pity they haven't sent either of these Anniversary jets for static display.

M

I'm in awe of your dedication to reaching these locations, but speaking the local language is a distinct advantage.
Seems you got lucky with capturing these great shots & well deserved too. Just for your records, the appended detail to the 4047 jet is noted as 4077! (copy-paste from shot above?)
We've all done it.

BIFFOVSKI wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:56 pm

Hi Olie.
There are 2 100th Anniversary 302 sqn jets 4047 WX the other one being 4050 QH .
I take it that you were at the Western end of the airfield for these shots on the track that runs past the fence.
I had been after a decent shot of these 2 for a couple of years but was very luck late November last year on a bright sunny day with an Easterly breeze i heard multiple jets depart . The first 2 of the 10 to return were 4047 & 4050..
They tend to do 2 missions 4 hours apart , but do tend to change times of first mission day to day.
Easy to get to the Western end by public transport ...There is a regular bus service 194 and the stop of LYSOGORSKA is near the HAS 's This bus is from the small bus station just to the south of STAROLEKA railway station .
As the Polish display jet is from this base it's a pity they haven't sent either of these Anniversary jets for static display.

M

This was indeed at the western end (11 approach) in the morning, very lucky you got both specials in a day! It’s nice how easy to get around in the area

Supra wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 09, 2023 9:44 pm

I'm in awe of your dedication to reaching these locations, but speaking the local language is a distinct advantage.
Seems you got lucky with capturing these great shots & well deserved too. Just for your records, the appended detail to the 4047 jet is noted as 4077! (copy-paste from shot above?)
We've all done it.

Thanks! All the travelling was tiring but a lot of fun, thanks for the heads up, i’ll get that changed