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by Gary Parsons Part two: Stars on parade Undisputed star of the event was the B2A Spirit 'Stealth Bomber', arriving in style on Friday morning by performing a long, curving almost-ninety-degree pass before landing on runway two-seven. Originally two had been promised, one for static and one for the flying, but this always seemed rather optimistic, given the type's security status and operational commitments. Nevertheless, 'Spirit of Indiana' managed both tasks admirably, by being located in the static park at the western end of the airfield and joining in the flying displays on both days, operating from runway zero-nine. A large area of the airfield was cordoned off to accommodate the beast, a double security fence proving to be a frustration to many photographers. Bubble wrap covered the engine outlets whilst in the static, to stop prying cameras taking note, but had to come off for the flying, so one wonders exactly what was achieved. A 'stealth park' was created around the pan, as the Spirit was joined by an F117A and U2S.
Literal 'star' of the static was German
Tornado 45+79 from JbG31, which sported an overall dark blue
scheme embellished with a constellation of stars, celebrating 40 years of the squadron
last year. Although an 'old' scheme, it was glorious to behold, and probably very
effective at night! Similarly adorned was Starfighter If there had been a prize for the most colourful aircraft, the two Alpha Jets from the Belgian Air Force would surely have scooped it, one picked out in blue with the other in an eye-catching red and white scheme. Not just celebrating 50 years of NATO, the Belgians are also commemorating 20 years of the Franco-German trainer, a theme that will be heavily emphasised at the forthcoming airshow at Beauvechain in September. Running the jets a close second was US Coast Guard Hercules 1713, looking immaculate amongst the line of otherwise mainly grey military heavies. Not quite so colourful, but welcome nevertheless, was artwork on the tail AMX MM7189 from 51 Stormo of the Italian Air Force, in the form of a Red Indian. Noseart was
evident amongst the American aircraft, although not quite on the scale seen at the base
during the recent operations against Kosovo. No less than three In terms of rare and interesting aircraft for the enthusiast, of note were the Polish M28 Bryza 1R, at least almost pronounceable, the Ukrainian two-seat Su27UB Flanker which unfortunately sat northside for the weekend, and a pair of AV8Bs from HMM365 of the US Marine Corps. Overall, the weather and the colour schemes provided a haven for the serious photographer, although RIAT is always a challenge with the trade stands, stalls, cones and barriers that are as much a part of the scene as the aircraft. But, it doesn't stop you getting pictures like above, so use your imagination! Part three: The flying displays.
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