A quick look back & full steam ahead for the 2016 edition!

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A quick look back & full steam ahead for the 2016 edition!

26.01.2016, 14:30

The month of January has not ended yet and here we are in full swing already preparing the upcoming September NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days 2016. Just to remind – this year is a special one, since the show celebrates its 15^th anniversary, coming all this long way from a first-year modest presentation at the downtown Ostrava fairground in October 2001.

Although, despite our best efforts, we were not able to offer any jet aerobatic team last year, the 15^th edition of NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days set the new one-day attendance record on Saturday, reaching the unbelievable 155,000 spectators!

“The clash of dates with the Sanicole Airshow in Belgium that had moved to “our traditional” (third September) weekend in 2015 was the reason why we did not get an aerobatic team on jet aircraft,” explains Zbyněk Pavlačík, head of Jagello 2000, main organizing agency of NATO Days. “Based on this experience, we have set and coordinated our dates for the next three years so that we minimize risks of similar clashes with major European airshows as much as possible.”

The 2015 edition was marked by the gathering of true giants, in an unprecedented display feast in the Czech Republic to date. Leading the way was the Royal Netherlands Air Force KDC-10 flying tanker. Another welcome mammoth was the US Air Force’s B-52H, returning to the show after the three years’ absence. In fact, in 2015, it was the only public presentation of the B-52 in the whole of Europe! A rare appearance was the C-17 of the multinational Strategic Airlift Capability programme, deployed by Sweden as a member of this international consortium. This already remarkable static presentation was further complemented by the top star from 2014 – the CV-22B Osprey and by the public premiere of the new Aero L-39NG demonstrator.

Sweden, as the historically second Special Partner Nation, has written history of the show since it was for the first time when an exhibiting country used a means of strategic airlift to bring along some of its heavy ground equipment. A treat to remember was also the final break of the 4 historic Swedish aircraft (Tunnan, Saab 105, Draken, Viggen) with the Czech Air Force Gripen. We have used this rare sight as the motive for our PF2016.

On the ground, in what was the premiere participation of an Arab country, Jordan presented its female strike Army unit. The Jordanian warriors worked together with the Czech Army elite unit from Prostějov.

We have hosted some very distinguished international guests, too. They were, most notably, Swedish Defence minister Peter Hultqvist and the new NATO Military Committee Chairman, Czech Gen. Petr Pavel as the historically highest NATO representative to attend the show in what was his first-time appearance in his new function in the Czech Republic.

“Since the very beginning 15 years ago, our strategy has been to present a truly operational equipment, especially the-so called ”big statics” that has become so attractive for our visitors, and we hope we have been successful in this,” says Pavlačík. “A certain downside of this approach has been a danger of losing some announced demonstrations at the very last minute due to their unforeseen operational deployments because they are not a display equipment, in the first place. Last year, this was the case of the static displays of the NATO’s E-3A AWACS, Norwegian P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft and also much unexpected withdrawal of the US Apache helicopter.”

We can inform today, that two more crowd-pullers were endangered for operational reasons, too – the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft has been first confirmed and then cancelled, as well as the C-17 Globemaster III. “We have learned about the high probability of losing the Globemaster at the Swedish Defence Ministry at the end of August and it was a real shock for us,” recalls Pavlačík. Organizers then pulled every string possible to keep these aircraft alive for the show, as well as to be able to announce the B-52 and the KDC-10. “We have not experienced anything like this before, but our efforts were rewarded. Yet, there is a high possibility that these situations will repeat, this is the reality.”

As of today, we already have some first confirmed participants for the 2016 edition. While we are discussing some fine details, our fans can expect the announcements in early February. Keep your fingers crossed!