Sunday 16 August 2009

Frecce Tricolori over Warsaw

I'd read on a Polish aviation website that the Italian aerobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori, would be paying a visit to Warsaw airport on their way to Moscow. The wind being from the south today (a sure sign in summer of fine weather), they approached Okęcie from the north west. But they took off over our house.

I was on my bike, some 15 km south-east of the airport, on the other side of Konstancin. I knew that the Frecce were due to take off some time after 14:00 local time, so when I heard the almighty roar of 11 jet engines in the sky, I knew it would be them! With the 80-400mm lens ready and extended, I caught the team, in formation, heading out towards Moscow. By now they were at several thousand feet, but with an adequate lens, two reasonable pics (top one shot into the light a bit flary, the lower one cropped too tight so I lost one aircraft).

A propos, I've not seen the US Navy's Blue Angels, but I have seen most of the European teams, and for my money, the very best is the RAF's Red Arrows. Here's a pic I took at the Radom Air Show four years ago; the Reds will be back in Radom this month for the Air Show on 29-30 August.

1 comment:

Wade said...

We've had the Red Arrows over our house a couple of times since moving back to the UK. It's certainly an upside to living near an RAF base!