2013 Air-Art Highlights subjectively!
Polska wersja - kliknij TUTAJ

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Quickly translated by Jacek Siminski (jsiminski@gmail.com). Might contain some linguistic slips due to the tempo it was done.

When I finished the processing of the last Axalp pictures my photo-aviation 2013 came to an end. It was a weird year. It was a busy y­ear, so busy I had no time to create usual air show reports I used to write in the past. Not only was this year richer in terms of the airshows than its predecessor, I also managed to publish the second edition of Odloty Hesji (Hesja's Highs) photo album! In 2013 I took 21 aviation-photo trips, and I covered a distance of 27 000 km! I am disappointed I did not write any report. I decided to make up for it. There is no use writing raw reports from each and every event, long time after they have ended. The idea is to describe the most interesting moments of 2013 aviation journeys, and to create a subjective ranking, including categories like photo-friendliness, number of aviation highlights, the weather, atmosphere of each and every event and last but not least: the WOW-factor. Let's have a look:)

Mar. 6. Nikon Academy – Krzesiny.
I started my photo aviation year on Mar. 6. during the Nikon Academy event. This year's first edition took place in Krzesiny AB, near Poznan. The workshop was focused on the students' overall satisfaction. I was less concerned with having fun. Nevertheless the aviation was there. We had our beautiful F-16's both static, and during the take-offs and landing. At every go even several of them took off, so it was a lot! But, as usually at Krzesiny AB, we had only an opportunity to take photos of the Vipers from a huge distance from the runway. And we were noticed we were too close every now and then. What's important – the weather was great. It was sunny, but there was no mirage. In the afternoon there were some clouds in the sky,  but the weather was still beautiful. All these elements made the event cool, but a bit boring – we were shooting only take-offs and landings of a single type of aircraft. It could have been worse! :)
Rating: Place 3; Highlights 5; Weather 7; Atmosphere 4; WOW 3; Total 22

Gallery: AN Krzesiny

Apr. 18. Minsk Mazowiecki and beautiful lighting conditions.
he day before we visited the base the sunset was amazing. We had wished it looked the same during our visit. We succeeded. Apr. 18. brought a beautiful sky and a handful of highlights! Kuman was on his trainings for the airshow season, we could take photos of him standing right in the middle of the airfield. A beautiful MiG-29 maneuvering using full afterburner is a beautiful phenomenon that always sends chills down your spine! Add some low passes and afterburner night – flight take-offs – and we were fully satisfied!
Place 8; Highlights 8; Weather 10; Atmosphere 8; WOW 7; Total 41

Gallery: EPMM kwiecień

Apr. 19. Malbork – meeting the Eurofighters.
On the next day we went to Malbork, to take some photos of RAF Typhoons visiting Poland during these days. It seemed to be a purely spotting event, but I hoped I would get some interesting shots. I always admired the Typhoon – they are technically advanced, and reportedly the only that are able to match the Raptor. :) Early morning in Malbork. We were welcomed by a beautiful weather and a sight of 4 guests who came from across the Channel. The jets were ready for us to take photos of them. After that it was time for flying. Unfortunately the weather got worse, and the fighters, both Typhoons as well as MiG-29's, took-off without the afterburners – this lowered the aviation-photo adrenaline level. Almost all of the fighters, since Złoty could not resist using the additional kick – we have photo evidence of that:) The emotions were still intense long after we left the Base! We have discovered an incredible place – Gothic restaurant, led by master Gałązka and located within the Malbork castle. Great place, great food, great person! It was a feast, for body and soul, and it was a great way to end that incredible day!
Place 5; Highlights 6; Weather 4; Atmosphere 7; WOW 3; TOTAL 25

Gallery: EPMB i EF2000

Apr 24. Świdwin – sentimental journey.
Thanks to the great light conditions and beautiful spring weather we went to Świdwin. It was sentimental, I used to work in Świdwin AB for a year and I knew it very well – also its photo spots. The plan was to use the unique position of the sun and to take pictures of Su-22's taxing for their night flights, with sun setting in the background. The weather was awesome. We started our visit talking to the base commander. We handed him a few photos taken during our last visit. Then we headed towards the airfield. I also visited my colleagues from the Technical Squadron. Almost everybody I wanted to meet was there! What a meeting! It was the first time we met each other since 20 years! There was no time for talking, as we heard the familiar noise of the Su-22 engines. After the control tower briefing we went photo-hunting to the other side of the runway. Su-22 is an old plane, but it is wonderful and it looks great on the photos! Afterburner take-off seen directly is mind-blowing! The Sukhois went up and landed. The sun was getting lower and lower over the horizon, and its warm light covered our noisy models. Just before the sunset we moved to a place where, years ago, I shot a film during night flights. And this time it was not so much different. Taxing Su-22's and a sunset – it makes your heartbeat faster! And after taxing – take-offs straight into the redness of the western sky – mind blown! :)
Place 10; Highlights 7; Weather 10; Atmosphere 9; WOW 8; Total 44

Gallery: EPSN kwiecień

May 6-8. Nadarzyce Range.
These days, as my job, I had a pleasure to take part in new Mi-17 armament tests. Many great moments, not only photo opportunities. A sight of a chopper making a low-pass, directly overhead – priceless! I hope I will be able to publish some photos (and movies) from that event. Here's one, 'without' some elements, but it lets you feel the atmosphere ;)
Place 10; Highlights 7; Weather 6; Atmosphere 3; WOW 4;  Total 30

 

May 18-19. „Airfield closer to the City” Aviation Fest, Michałków.
My first 2013 Air Show, my first time in Michałków. I was shy to go there. The main goal was to meet my friends from Air-Action. The show was beyond my expectations. The weather was beautiful. And there were many aviation highlights in the air! The photographers were placed in front of the audience – we did not like it, hence we had other place from which we could take photos. The atmosphere during the show and at the hotel was great! We missed each other as much as we missed the air shows...Season 2013 began!
Place 6; Highlights 5; Weather 9; Atmosphere 8; WOW 5; Total 33

Gallery: Michałków

May 25. Mińsk Mazowiecki – The Base Anniversary.
I decided to take Maya (daughter) with me to the celebration that took place at 23. AB in Minsk. I still don't know whether it was a good idea, it was cold and rainy. Maya got cold, but with the support of my friends and additional layers of clothing we managed to go through it. Fortunately the weather got better during the air show. Main highlights – two shows of our MiG-29's. It was the first time I saw our Fulcrums with flares this year.  The show was great, but the background was quite dull. Unfortunately.
Place 5; Highlights 5; Weather 3; Atmosphere 3; WOW 3; Total 19

Gallery: EPMM - Święto Bazy

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Jun. 8-9. Göteborg Aero Show.
We decided to visit some exotic air show. Last year's visit to Norway made us miss Scandinavia, so we went to Göteborg! The main aim was to take some shots of SAABs in their own nests, especially the Draken. Unfortunately, just before the show it turned out that Draken, as well as some other highlights, wouldn’t be there. But we had our tickets bought and our rooms reserved – we went there anyway. We decided to have fun. I was curious how the Air Shows in Sweden look like. The show was small, but the weather was good, and the atmosphere was even better! Photographs had a place on a rocky hill, near the aircraft parking zone, with a beautiful view :) Viggen made some beautiful flights, and it even exhibited some beautiful vortexes. I never saw similar shots of Viggen! It made the trip worth it. We also had a look at the underground museum with some Swedish fighters inside, where we took photos of them up close and personal. It was a superb show!
Place 6; Highlights 7; Weather 7; Atmosphere 8; WOW 6; Total 34

 

Gallery: Göteborg

 
Jun 13-15. Luchtmachtdagen Volkel Open Days RNLAF 2013.
And it happened – it was the first time I went to Luchtmachtdagen! Thanks to kich we managed not only to visit the airshow but also the  Spotter Day, just before the main event. I have heard of Luchtmachtdagen before, but I was astonished with the spectacular appearance of this Dutch Air Show. I liked the French Mirage show the most, along with the dutch DEMO AH-64 and F-16 teams or flare show of the Danish C-130 – I have almost no shots of this show, I was so amazed watching it! The great idea was to present the RNLAF. It made the Dutch proud of their aviation during the show. I would be proud if I were in their shoes :) 10 F-16, after afterburner take-offs, strafed the airfield with flares, and at the same time, directly over the airfield some Apaches and Chinooks appeared. So much happened, that I did not know what photos I should take. At the end of the show, a Dutch Boeing 737-800 with a hundred of terminally ill children on board, assisted by 10 F-16, made a spectacular fly-by! It was very impressive! A great show! I had some luck during the show of an F-16 from Belgium. It almost „crashed” into a jetliner, somewhere high above the airfield, right after the Falcon has launched a salvo of flares! It is a nice shot :) I liked the way the photographers were treated. The organizers provided a great platform for photographers. This is when I came across an idea that could be seen in Radom, later that year. Three days of taking photos, from many places, a lot of aircraft and a great Polish-Dutch atmosphere. I could finally meet some Dutch Aviation Photography masters, and show them some of our traditional, Polish hospitality. I reckon they liked it! Luchtmachtdagen? YES, YES, YES!
Place 7; Highlights 10; Weather 7; Atmosphere 10; WOW 8; Total 42

Gallery: Luchtmachtdagen

Jun 28-29. Airpower Zeltweg.
Airpower has always been a mighty show, you just had to be there. Spotter Pack distribution always starts much earlier before the show programme is announced. Maniacs buy it anyway. And they are always satisfied. Until this year! Airpower was not Airpower. It was rather Airweakness. Everybody who bought the Spotter Pack were surprised with an uninteresting show schedule, that was getting worse and worse, the closer the show was! What could we do – we bought the tickets, hence we had to go there. The weather also was not going to be stunning. I hoped that something will happen and that it will all turn out to be an illusion. It did not happen. The show was good just in three aspects in my humble opinion. Firstly – an incredible show by Austrian Eurofighters, secondly – a show by Turkish Stars, thirdly – the atmosphere created by my friends – we were all smiling all the time :) And one more thing – a thing I saw for the first time – amazing smoke trail behind the Hawker Sea Fury. The smoke danced behind the aircraft, creating beautiful circles and other interesting shapes. Add a plane into the equation and you get a magnificent sight!
Place 8; Highlights 4; Weather 4; Atmosphere 7; WOW 4; Total 27

Gallery: Airpower

Jul. 19-21. “Awesome” Royal International Air Tattoo!
„Awesome” RIAT – the word „awesome” was our main theme of this airshow, ever since we came to the hotel. We dubbed the show Rafale International Air Tattoo. Either way, Air Tattoo is one of my favorite shows every year. In 2012 the number of incredible shows in the air was mind-bending. We had expected that 2013 would not be as spectacular. And it was not. It really was not. Nevertheless, Rafale was the main highlight! Its dynamic show, right above our heads with many breaks and beautiful iridescence will be a long-lasting memory. Rafale was the main highlight for me, but not the only one of course. The static display was also amazing. The queen of static display – Lockheed Constellation, dubbed Connie, was the main attraction. And the Typhoons placed in a line looked uniquely powerful. Air Tattoo is also (or maybe above all) the incredible atmosphere, created by people who are true aviation freaks. This applies to organizers and visitors from all around the world. Our photo-shoots were interrupted with many casual chats. We had a lot of fun, even though it was just me and kich :) Thanks to the Air Tattoo organizers we got PRESS photo passes, what allowed us to enter most of the zones of the airfield! It was really nice, and it definitely made me feel special :) We spent one day on the airfield and the remaining two days seen us stay on the Rhymes Farm area. Weather varied. The first day was hot and sunny, frying us on the airfield, while the next two days were cloudy in the morning and slightly sunnier in the afternoons. I took many photos and relaxed. The latter thing does not apply to my liver ;)
Place 9; Highlights 7; Weather 8; Atmosphere 10; WOW 8; Total 42

Gallery: Air Tattoo

Jul. 22. Radom Orliks.
Right after we came back from Air Tattoo I went to Radom, invited by our Orlik Aerobatic Team. They were in the process of preparing themselves for a few important air shows and needed some photos, both from trainings, as well as photos of the pilots for the brochures. It was a really superb day. Beautiful weather, freedom of choice when it came to photo spots and two trainings of the team. I took some shots from the end of the runway and some shots of the pilots. What is more, a Discovery Channel film crew worked with us, recording some documentary. It was very, very nice! :)
Place 10; Highlights 5; Weather 8; Atmosphere 5; WOW 4; Total 32

Gallery: Orliki

Aug 2-4 . Hot Kecskemét International Air Show.
When the hot weather struck Europe we decided to go to an air show in the hottest European region! Hungary was the warmest country of our continent in the early August. The temperatures were to reach 40 degrees centigrade! I was curious, whether we would survive this, standing in the middle of a flat surface. It turned out to be tough.. We did not resign from our traditional ColaL, add the temperatures and you get a task only for tough men! We managed to get through, but it was the hottest photo-shoot I have ever survived. I never knew I could drink so much water during a single day. What's interesting, the air was quite clear and there were no blurry mirages in the air that would prevent us from taking photos. Speaking of the air, aviation-wise it was not very spectacular. The main highlight was the show by Vityazi Group flying their old Flankers. Old – I had an occasion to see them up close, and some new paint job would not hurt them. :) It was an unforgettable experience to hear their engines start and watch them taxi. This show also had good spots to take photos from, at the ends of the audience zone, we could take pictures from both sides. During the trainings we took some photos standing outside the fence – we were almost fully satisfied with the place :)
Place 8; Highlights 6; Weather 7; Atmosphere 6; WOW 6; Total 33

Gallery: Kecskemet

Aug. 6. Cumulation in Łask!
This was one of my photo fantasies – to take photos of our beautiful F-16's trailing behind each others back on a taxi way. They usually get prepared for the flight in the nest, to taxi directly to the runway afterwards. Last summer most of Krzesinian F-16's were stationed in Łask. It was a rich static display, since the Falcons from Poznan were at CPPS. And twice as much aircraft in the air! It was not only us who wanted to visit Łask, so we had to wait until Aug 6. - when the media and Generals had enough visits there. On Aug 6. the airfield was empty in respect of the people, but full in respect of the planes. The weather was beautiful, with the right direction of the landings and take-offs and night flights added we got a perfect opportunity to take amazing pictures. We were quite lucky. Everything went well. The atmosphere was great, and I was directly greeted from the cockpit by Mahb, one of the pilots!  It felt awesome. We had fun traveling to Łask, we did a great photo-shoot of Krzesinians taxing, we had a great photo-shoot during Last Chance and during the mass recovery of the Falcons. Add a photo-shoot along a line of F-16 during the sunset, couple of photos taken during the night take-offs, great road back to Warsaw – all of the above will be lasting long in my memory! :)
Place 9; Highlights 9; Weather 9; Atmosphere 10; WOW 8; Total 45

Gallery: EPLK - sierpień

 
Aug. 22-25. Radom Airshow!
All of the airshows this year were important, but this one was our priority! The Radom Air Show. It was our air show, we all wanted it to turn out as good as possible. For the sake of ourselves, and for the sake of the foreign visitors. The air show, and everything around it, was extremely successful! It was brilliant in every aspect that was connected with a successful event. The list of aviation highlights was very rich, with many jet fighters – the thing I love the most! Beautiful shows were created both by the foreign visitors as well as by our local aviators. The weather was perfect, up until the very end of the show. The evenings were beautiful and the shows lasted even after the sunset. It also was the first time in Radom, when we could take photos from so many spots. Skaryszewska street known from  the earlier editions has been complemented with a photo platform, located near the taxiway. It was spacious and comfortable, and we had nothing to worry about in front of the foreign visitors, who are used to such photo spots. It all made the great atmosphere among us even better during the show in Radom! Similarly to 2011 we had a  SPFL Camp behind the airfield. It was a brilliant idea, taking the beautiful weather into account. It was great to have some parties under the sky, together with guests, including our best pilots! We had some music, we had some ColaL, it was so good that we didn't even want to attend the air show! Fortunately the Camp was located on Skaryszewska street, so on Friday and Sunday we went to take photos together – in a camper van :) Unique moments, unique fun! The best event of 2013! I am writing this not only because I am Polish, but also because I am a photographer and an aviation freak :)
Place 10; Highlights 10; Weather 10; Atmosphere 10; WOW 10; TOTAL 50

Gallery: Radom AIR-SHOW

Aug 27. – Sep 1. MAKS to the max!
Right after the Radom Air Show we were headed East. We were flying to attend the International Aviation and Space Fair which is organized in Zhukovsky, near Moscow. The event was not new to us. And we do love MAKS! We went too see the full show and we managed to rent some house, nearby Zhukovsky. We lived together with the owner, who was a highlight himself. Especially when he was drunk. :) We learnt how ordinary Russians live – not a very positive image. We started MAKS by visiting the airfield to see what will be so special about the 2013 edition.  We did not have so much fun as we did back in 2011, but it was OK. The weather was beautiful, light was nice, so we used it to take some photos on the static display and during the dynamic shows. I missed the Russian splendor! Highlights that sent shivers down my spine? A co-show by Strizhi and Vityazi and show by three PAK-FA T-50 fighters. The emotions were intense also on static display – Tu-144 or A380 during the sunset – tasty shots! Next days were not as good weather-wise. We spent this time beyond the fence of the airfield. The weather got worse and worse, and it was worst on Saturday. It was a historic sight to see people wading through the city flooded in water. We also suffered. It was OK though. For the first time we took some photos from a platform on the airfield. But it was cold and wet! :) On the last day of the show we were beyond the fence. It was not clear whether anything would fly that day. But the Russian never disappoint you. Low shows of nearly every aircraft in line-up!  I love the Russians for that, we have some unique shots. It's a pity next MAKS will be organized in two years :(
Place 10;  Highlights 10; Weather 5; Atmosphere 9; WOW 10; Total 44

Gallery: MAKS

Sep 10-11. Nikon Academy in Minsk.
Aviation Photography Workshop organized by Nikon Academy is always nerve-wrecking experience for me. I am not worried about me and the syllabus, I'm, worried about the weather and organization of the event. We had always been successful – this time was no different. Many people came to the workshop and we had to do some good time management. The weather forecast for the second day was not very optimistic, I managed to get us inside the base on the first day as well. It was not easy, some VIPs visited the airfield that day...but we have seen some incredible show! We had an opportunity to see full show on Fulcrum by Kuman. Together with flares! I was not expecting that, I was happy as a child when I saw this beautiful aircraft right above our heads. The second day was not so good weather-wise. MiGs were grounded, but Iskras from Dęblin, stationed in Minsk at the time, were flying! I haven't got many shots of TS-11 in my collections. The workshop was great. Next one will take place in March 2014!
Place 7; Highlights 7; Weather 3; Atmosphere 4; WOW 5; Total 26

Gallery: AN - Mińsk

Sep 13. „Happy New Year!”, Sanicole Sunset Airshow.
Let's continue the September marathon. I had no chance to get all the photos on my hard drive and I was already flying to Berlin (with not-kind regards to Airberlin and Berlin - Tegel!) to get to Dusseldorf. Kichu and Wilk were already there, and we went to a show by a car. Weather was not stunning. Thick cloud cover and rain were the main problems. We did not care, we had fun. We also met MarS and our Dutch friends on the airfield...and then we started to take some photos! Sunset Airshow is an evening appetizer, which complements the Sanicole Airshow that takes place annually in Belgium. It was my first time there. It is a small show, similar to our local shows on general aviation airfields, but it had many highlights! Shiny highlights! Fireworks, flares, afterburners – all that was a feast for our senses. It's a pity the weather was not so good. Rafale, in its beautiful yellow paint scheme, was barely visible! But the Dutch Apache, Belgian F-16 or the Swip Team – they did their jobs well. Firework show at the end made us feel a bit like during the New Year's Eve. It was beautiful. We have to go there again! :) After the show we went back to the hotel, to return...to Poland. We had some more attractions scheduled for us over there!
Place 7; Highlights 8; Weather 3; Atmosphere 8; WOW 7; Total 33

Gallery: Sanicole

Sep. 14-15. 2nd aviation SPFL Air-Action Meet – Żar 2013!
At 10 o'clock I was back in Warsaw, and an hour later I was on my way to Międzybrodzie Żywieckie, to the second autumn meeting of SPFL, near Mt. Żar! This year Artur Kielak was our special guest and a star! It took some time before we managed to coordinate all the dates, and up until the last moments it was not clear whether the plan would succeed...but when I saw the  XA-41 silhouette on Sunday, coming directly from Bemowo show I knew that nothing can get in the way! Since the first meeting with Żelazny team, we have known where we should stand to take great photos. And Artur provided the content for these. We had brilliant fun, but the weather could have been better. It is fantastic view – an aerobatic plane right above us with a surface of water or mountains in the background. I also had my first glider flight that day! It was intense! :))
Place 10; Highlights  7; Weather 5; Atmosphere 9; WOW 4; Total 35

Artur Kielak na 2 Zlocie Lotniczym SPFL Air Action - Żar 2013 from Przemek Szynkora on Vimeo.

­­Gallery: Żar

 
Sep. 21-22. NATO DAYS!
Definitely, our favorite show. Ostrava NATO Days had its crisis in 2013. In a similar way Airpower12 did. Until the last moments we waited for some unique planes to come. We were disappointed, in the same way, we were disappointed with Airpower. The main highlights included the Turkish Stars, Dutch F-16 or Swedish Viggen, and the latter had some technical problems on that day. The weather was also quite disappointing. I was also not allowed to take photos from my favorite field, but the spot we used in Ostrava was OK – I planned to go there this year :) Our team had fun, as usually. It was crowdy, and we had fun. We had so much fun we missed the morning Eurofighter show on Sunday, we overslept! It happens :)
Place 8; Highlights 4; Weather 3; Atmosphere 7; WOW 4; Total 26

Gallery: NATO Days

 
Sep 24. Fly Film Festival & Hesja's Highs in LOT HQ!
Speaking of 2013 I cannot forget about my Hesja's Highs project. In 2013 I published the second edition of the album! (see  www.odlotyhesji.pl for more details ). 2013 also has seen many great exhibitions of Hesja's Highs 2! The one that has brought the album the most publicity took place during the aviation movies Fly Film Festival. It all happened in the HQ of Lot Polish Airlines! From the very beginning the idea seemed interesting. I thought that my exhibit would be only a part of the opening, but the event also featured a special presentation of Hesja's Highs 2. It was special due to the way it was organized. The organizers took care of every detail, including guests. Number of them was mind-blowing! The exhibit also featured  Anna Jurksztowicz concert, together with Krzesimir Dębski, and my photos were admired by LOT,  Supreme Audit Office or Polish Aeroclub CEOs, along with Polish Air Force generals and famous pilots and many famous people known from TV. My boss from Air Force Institute of Technology was also there...as well as SPFL buddies! It was a great event. So many handshakes, so many conversations, so many surprises (I was called an official Ambassador of the Festival!). Yes, I'm going to remember this evening for a long time!
 

Gallery: "Odloty hesji 2" w PLL LOT

Oct. 7-11. Axalp!
Traditionally, the 2013 air show season ended in Axalp. I have written so much about this air show that there is no use to say the same things over and over again. I miss Axalp the whole year after the previous edition ends. Whole year of waiting for these days. I treat this event not only as a unique photo-aviation-tourist trip, but also as a well-deserved rest in the mountains. It always gives me a lot of positive energy! Planes, mountains aside, it's the people who create the amazing atmosphere. The people I spend time with in Axalp is of utmost importance to me. Even the most beautiful place in the world would be nothing, without my team! This year was perfect. We had a house hired together with Asia, deoc, kopeniek and mariorz and…it was so much fun being together that we did not even want to go out! On the first day our team was joined by Zdzisław the Clock, who lived in the mountain house. We decided to show him the Alps, and carried him around everywhere! He was our analogue exif, who appeared on many pictures :P We had fun, the weather was a bit worse than we expected. The aviation highlights were a bit worse, mainly due to the nature. We have seen only the trainings on Monday and Tuesday, and the Monday ones were a bit tough, due to the party the day before. On Tuesday though the light conditions were awesome. We took many unique pictures. This motivated us to go to Wildgarst. We reached the summit quite quickly, and even I was there quite fast, thanks to my friends' help! The emotions on the top were ambivalent! On one hand, we reached the top, and the view was magnificent. And on the flip-side, weather down there, in the valley was poor, hence the show and flights were called off! We were confused with the beauty of the surroundings and bad news from the base. But we decided to delight ourselves with these beautiful moments on the top of the Alps! We decided to stay on top instead of going back to rainy Axalp. It was awesome. Laying in the sun we organized our own Wildgarst Spa & Wellness 2013. On Thursday we took some photos in the Meiringen base, which looks like a fairy-tale! On Friday it was time to go back to Poland. Sadly, in 2014 Axalp won't happen.
Place 10; Highlights 7; Weather 5; Atmosphere 10; WOW 10; Total 42

Gallery: Axalp

Below you will find the summary of my 2013 aviation events ranking.  Radom AIR-SHOW was the best event in 2013! Łask or Świdwin were as attractive as MAKS! Weather in Moscow was not as good as we wanted it to be.  Axalp, Luchtmatdagen and RIAT – these are in my opinion quite equal. The fantastic April visit in EPMM was almost as good as the big shows! Żar? Great emotions and lots of fun! Had the Sanicole weather been better it would be much higher. Airpower and NATO Days – a big dissapointment. The Nikon Academy had a totally different purpose. The 23. AB holiday was killed by the weather.

SUBJECTIVE RANKING OF MY AVIATION EVENTS A.D. 2013!

Place	Points	Event Short Name
1	50	Radom Airshow
2	45	EPLK - August
3	44	MAKS
3	44	EPSN - April
4	42	Axalp
4	42	Luchtmachtdagen
4	42	RIAT
5	41	EPMM – April
6	35	Żar
7	34	Göteborg
8	33	Kecskemét
8	33	Sanicole
8	33	Michałków
9	32	Orliks
10	30	Nadarzyce
11	27	Airpower
12	26	NATO Days
12	26	AN - Mińsk
13	25	EPMB - EF2000
14	22	AN - Krzesiny
15	19	EPMM – Base Holiday

2013 was rich in events and sensations! I wish 2014 was at least comparable! We'll see :)