In the spring of 1999 we were invited to take part in exhibition AERO-99 in Fridrichschafen (Germany) from April 21 till April 25 1999. The famous international exhibition of general-purpose aircraft AERO is carried out one time in two years in Fridrichschafen - a small town in the south of Germany. Designers and pilots, sellers and buyers, professionals and the amateurs who are interested in various airtechnics from paramotors up to jet administrative planes are gathering here.
Three our club' Yak-18T planes №01005, №02015 and №02016 participated in air flight for participation in air show AERO-99 organized by aeroclub "Aist-M".
Flight passed on a route:
Moscow (Myachkovo) - Vitebsk - Kaunas - Vilnius - Gdansk - Neubrandenburg - О.-Schlotheim - Fridrichschafen.
The "Lufthansa Consulting" representative Mr. Barakling Hans Joahim who is a member of our aeroclub carried out the leading functions at flight in air space of Baltic, Poland and Germany.
In contrast to MAKS where the technique is exposed along a long runway on some kilometers, on AERO-99 the majority of planes and helicopters are placed on parking lengthways fancifully coiling path reminding an autodrome for go-cart racing. An abundance of snow-white tents and marquees. Europeans who store the aircraft technique in hangars and not in a field today cannot simply expose it on open parking. Therefore cabins of two and four-seat planes with open lanterns and cowls were in a shadow of spacious tents.
Fridrichschafen is famous not only for a soft climate and one of the most representative European air shows that is spent one time in two years, but for count Zeppelin, who built his well-known dirigibles exactly in Fridrichschafen. And now, 100 years later they are under construction here with the use of the advanced technologies.
Pavilions of an air show are made out traditionally for similar exhibitions. In expositions of many firms the big panels creating an original background on which planes are looked more effectively are used. Some devices are suspended or fixed on special pylons, that create sensation of movement, dynamics at the spectator. Bright planes painting, high surface quality, pleasant green or dark blue carpet of floors coverings, various nuances of appearance of expositions create celebratory mood. The attention of visitors is involved with an exposition devoted to Mathias Rust landing on the Red Square in 1986. In a corner of the big hall behind a grid of a protection two walls and a floor are painted: on one side is Rust' plane ("Cessna-172") represented in flight, on another - the Kremlin wall with towers is.
A lot of aviation technique is exposed. Bright red An-2 looks effectively. "Red Bull", lots of various biplanes, jet "Vampir", one of first KVP planes "Storch" and other old planes and perfectly constructed oldies pleased an eye of aircraft fans. It was pleasant to see redstars Yaks: Yak-18A, Yak-52, Yak-55 in video recording.
But, with all respect to a history, "AERO" is an air show of modern planes. To list everything that was collected in Fridrichschafen is impossible. On open parking it was possible to find production of practically all firms that are letting out technique for general-purpose aircraft: "Cessna", "Piper", "Beachcraft", "Mooney", "Aerocommander", "Aerospatiale", "Robin", "Pilatus", "GROB", "Extra", "Dimona aircraft", "Zlin", PZL, "Ilyushin", "Technoavia", "Beriev". Ultralights, deltaplanes, paramotors and aeronautic technique were placed in pavilions.
