AirVenture-reporter on the spot : Hartmut
Seidel - Translation by Brigitte Reinert
After the visit of
the very impressing Belgian Helidays 2002 all helicopter-fans had to wait for a year
looking forward to the next Belgian Helidays. It really was worth waiting ! On May 31 and
June 1, 2003, the Belgian Helidays 2003 took place at the Belgian Army Light Aviation
Airbase situated at the military part of the airport Lüttich-Bierset ( Liège-Bierset ).
A huge Static Display, a very good flight program and excellent weather conditions made of
this event a real Highlight for every helicopter-fan !
Part 3 : Static Display ( B ) and
other Highlights !
The flight program always started with a
very interesting presentation of a helicopter type Agusta A 109 of the Belgian Army.
At the Belgian Helidays 2003 they
had a presentation of rescue-flights with winch-equipped helicopters - presented by
a Westland Sea King helicopter of Belgian Air Force.
A very special gem of the Belgian
Helidays 2003 were the presentations of this helicopter type Aérospatiale SA 321
Super Frelon of French Navy. The Super Frelon is a real rarety as it was made only in very
small number of peaces. Moreover, only a few of them are still in action.
With the Sea King also parachutists of
the Para Commando Brigade had been dropped.
The Super Frelon is a versatile
helicopter, which can be used for submarine-hunting and ship-warfare as well as for
transport purposes. Moreover, it can be used for rescue as well. This photo shows the
saving of an injured person (lying on a stretcher) with a winch-equipped helicopter
Members of German Air Force took part in
the Belgian Helidays 2003 with this helicopter type Bell UH-1D -a helicopter of Air
Transport Squadron 61 stationed at Landsberg/Lech, Germany.
The crew of the Super Frelon always
finished their very impressing presentations with a dipping of the flag towards the
Belgian Audience !
Another helicopter of the French Navy, an
Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin 2 was shown in the Airshow of Belgian Helidays 2003 zu sehen.
The Dauphin 2 is equipped with winches for rescue-purposes.
At Belgian Helidays 2002 the new British
/ Italian helicopter type EH 101 Merlin (helicopter in the transport-variant of the
Royal Air Force) having been presented. At. Belgian Helidays 2003 the navy-variant
of the Merlin was shown in action. The Royal Navy uses the Merlin mainly for ASW (Anti-Submarine-Warfare).
The navy-variant of the Merlin differs from the transport-variant inter alia by the Radom
(at the front, below the fuselage, where the search-radar is situated).
Another special highlight of the
Belgian Helidays 2003: the very impressing airshow of the Russian fighter Mil Mi-24, also
known as "Hind" (Nato-codename). Helicopters of this type have been built in
high number of peaces and are well-known from TV-reports about their actions in the
Afghanistan war - in service of the former Sowjet Union. But at airshows they are shown
rarely. The Mil Mi-24 on this photo belongs to the Slovakian Air Force.
Top-class presentations have also been
shown by wo British Westland Lynx helicopters of the Naval Air Squadron 702 of Royal Navy.
Fast serial manoeuvre and an absolute precise formation flying filled the audience with
enthusiasm ! During the breathtaking presentations of these teams everybody could
enjoy the real good sound of the two Lynx-helicopters ! A pleasure for one's eyes and ears
!
A real helicopter-fan could not see
enough of the brawny Mil Mi-24 ! How great that besides this Slovakian Mi-24 also a
Mil Mi-24 of the Czech Air Force has been shown in the airshow "
