AVIATION CALENDAR 2022

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My 2022 Aviation Calendar is unique not only because of the vertical layout that I used in the calendar for the first time. It is unique because it contains unique photos which, due to their vertical orientation, had to wait quite a long time for their proper publication. I believe that a good photo, not only an aviation one, must always have three dimensions. The first two are, of course, width and height. The third "dimension" is the importance of the experiences that accompanied the taking of the photo. When choosing photos for the calendar, I took your votes into account (thank You!), but also the size of this third, in my opinion, the most important "dimension". If it was just about the photos themselves, then what's the point of all this? I will try to justify my choices in a few words (in the descriptions of individual photos).

 

COVER

Why is this cover photo? Because it's not obvious? Because there are rectangular "eyes" of my aviation love, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor? Because the photo was taken during an incredible maneuver performed by this space machine? Because everything happened at powerful airshow in Australia, which is distant and exotic for us? Because then there was a wonderful atmosphere with my foreign friends? I don't think I need to explain anymore :)
Aaaaa and this is my smartphone wallpaper for over 2 years :)
More about this escapade

 

 

JANUARY

Beautiful break of a pair of Polish Lockheed Martin F-16 Jastrząb aircraft from the 31st Tactical Air Base taking part in Baltic Air Policing over Lithuania. The difficulty of this maneuver is proved by the fact that not all pilots undertook it then. The formation of our F-16s was flying inside a tight turn and from that position they made a break. The third dimension of the photo is magnified by the fact that it was taken at a temperature of about minus 30 degrees Celsius, while two weeks earlier I was in Australia, where temperatures were above 40 degrees with  a plus. We were given a hard time over Lithuania, but I will remember this session for a long time due to the incredible conditions that prevailed there and the wonderful cooperation with the pilots of the contingent, especially with its commander (in the photo).
More from this session

 

 

FEBRUARY

I took this picture of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning on May 27, 2018 during the Air & Sea Show in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. That was very special airshow. When flying to Miami, we expected wonderful sunny weather and heat on the famous beach in Miami Beach. Instead, we had to face a hurricane raging over Florida, which caused massive wind and rain during all three days of the show. Non-stop except ... just one moment on Sunday. We made the most of this moment! This is one of the photos taken during this break. Despite the unfavorable conditions, we had great fun and I have great memories of this trip.
You can read more about it here

 

 

MARCH

It was one of the most important photo shoots in my life. Thanks to the cooperation with many wonderful people, both on the part of Aeropact (the organizer of LOTOS Gdynia Aerobaltic) and on the side of the 831 Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, we managed to make the first session from the ramp with the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. Pilot Yuri Bulavka, apart from being a great pilot, also turned out to be an open-minded and very communicative person. Yes, this is one of my greatest session!
You can find more photos here

 

 

APRIL

On August 18, 2020, we managed to organize a session that probably no one had ever done before. The models were the XtremeAir XA41 and MiG-29. The session was attended by my close aviation friends and it is no wonder that the atmosphere was amazing. I was and I am very proud of the fact that I was able to run this photo session.
More about this unique event

 

 

MAY

Yes, this photo did not get as many votes as the others, which unfortunately are not on the calendar list, but ...? But there are so many arguments behind this photo that it was not possible to run out of it on the calendar. First of all, the amazing pilots of the White and Red Sparks Team, thanks to whom I could take part in this session before the NATO Days 2018 airshow in Ostrava, Czech Republic. As the only pilots of any military aerobatic team flying on jet-propelled planes made during the session such formations as I wanted, not only what they "know". Believe me - other teams fly ONLY learned patterns during the sessions. And here? Gentlemen, will you make a stack down formation? And why not?! And despite the difference in speeds of our Skyvan and TS-11 aircraft in such a numerous formation - they did it! Another argument is that, unfortunately, this photo cannot be repeated. TS-11 Iskra planes have already left service. There are single aircraft left in the White and Red Sparks. Why this photo in May? Because on the second of May we celebrate the Polish Flag Day! Will the white and red colors in such an edition not match the wall?
More photos from this session

 

 

JUNE

It was one of those sessions that you will remember for a long time. Although one of the many sessions made in 2017 for the 100th anniversary of Polish military aviation, it was during its duration that I fell in love with the Hel Peninsula, the Puck Bay and the entire Gdańsk Bay. These shallow spots seen from above in good light have made an amazing impression on me. This is the best background for photos in Poland. And since the background is one of the most important elements of the photo, it is difficult to take an uninteresting photo with such a background. I must also admit that it was this photo that for several years "persuaded" me to make a calendar in a vertical layout. Apart from Viper, you can see a large part of the Hel Peninsula with my favorite places: Kuźnica and Jastarnia.
More photos from that day

 

 

JULY

An air-to-air session with the Su-22 is a great rarity and a special rarity! It is even more rare to make a session with the Su-22 over the beautiful Baltic coast near Kołobrzeg! What to say about such a session with as many as four machines of this type? :) The importance of the third dimension of this photo is added by the fact that in my old days in the army I was trained on the Su-22 and I worked in the base in Świdwin in the technical squadron for a year.
More photos from this session can be found here

 

 

AUGUST

The calendar could not be missing photos with civil aviation, photos from our Sulejowski Reservoir, photos with the setting sun, photos from our ATAMs in Piotrków Trybunalski. All aspects are perfectly represented by the photo of the phenomenal Firebirds group, in which only professors of formation flying fly on Extra 300 planes. I love doing sessions with them. They are precise like no other group! :)
More photos from ATAM #6

 

 

SEPTEMBER

This is one of my favorite photos taken in vertical orientation. Probably not only mine, because it is the most downloaded wallpaper for smartphones! The photo was taken during the unique Nikon Academy classes at the 23rd Air Base in Mińsk Mazowiecki, during which there was only one take-off! The photo proves that you don't need twenty take-offs and the same number of landings to take a good photo. One take-off is enough, but ... with unique and exceptional machine! This is how unique photos are made! :)
More photos from that day

 

 

OCTOBER

It was another of those sessions that you remember for a very long time. A session with a F-16 Tiger with bombs and missiles equipped like a Christmas tree from the 31st Tactical Air Base in Krzesiny with an amazing pilot at the controls who not only felt his Viper, but also an aviation photography. The text on the radio: "CASA let's jump one floor higher - we'll pet the clouds", I will remember for a long time. Like the amazing conditions during this session. One session and so many brilliant photos were created. Album covers, calendar covers, spreads in aviation magazines. It's time for October in my aviation calendar. Why not the cover? [this was the idea] Because this photo must hang on our walls for at least 30 days! Why is October so explosive? Guess it. 12 in October in my calendars is always red :)
More photos from this session can be found here

 

 

NOVEMBER

One of the most hardcore low-pass in my life. A few seconds after the photo was taken, this helicopter, the Mi-17-1V, flew over me, almost hooking the front wheel on my head. However, I was calm, because at the controls was an incredibly gifted and highly experienced pilot. Commander of an interesting squadron. It was also not an ordinary helicopter. See the two M134 Minigun machine guns on the sides? The third one was in the back. Powerful firepower and ... the power of memories of those tests at the training range in Nadarzyce in 2013.
More photos can be found here

 

 

DECEMBER

As many of you wrote on Fanpage - there must be fireworks in December! And they will be! Once upon a time, like in 2013, at the MAKS aviation salon in Russia, there was a massive shooting of flares. The biggest experience in my life was made by four Su-27 planes from the amazing group of Falcons of Russia, which in my opinion always makes the best fuss in the sky. Finally, this vertical photo could appear in my aviation calendar! :)
More photos from MAKS 2013

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