The international championship in aerial acrobatics in the Emirate of Al Ain, held annually this year, was held from January 26 to 30, under the traditional patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Alnakhayn, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of the UAE and the Department of Tourism of Abu dhabi in collaboration with the UAE air force. The small and quiet garden city of Al Ain for five days has become the center of the universe, both for residents and guests of the Emirates, and for fans of aerial acrobatics. Russian pilots, as always, were the best.
Episode number 1. "Swifts"
Airbase Kubinka - Astrakhan - Tehran - Al Ain. 6 MiG-29 combat vehicles arrived on the Emirate’s land in full combat readiness, as required from a team so titled. Their performances were waiting. And not only Russians. When the "Swifts" appeared in the field of view of the stands, we took our breath away. This is power! Vertically soaring upwards, building in line horizontally, converging and diverging against the blue sky, the “Swifts” held together so perfectly that it seemed that what was happening was simply unrealistic. However, the skill of our pilots, acting under the guidance of the guard of Colonel Nikolai Dyatl, marveled primarily professionals: in the pilots section, almost no one spoke during the Swifts' performance, everyone looked into the sky. Spellbound.
Any professional could understand: "Swifts" is a unique aerobatic team. The peculiarity of the "Swifts" is not only and not so much that they fly on MiG-29 fighters, designed for conducting air battles and intercepts. The peculiarity of the "Swifts" is that the flights are performed in the true manner of this combat aircraft. High speeds, overloads, abrupt transitions from maneuver to maneuver - this does not make life easier for pilots, but forms the style of the Swifts, their style. The MiG-29 group flies in the style of a single aircraft: a minimum of smoothness, a maximum of maneuver and swiftness. This is what brought the Russians to the category of favorites of world air shows, apparently despite a small number of aircraft and a not very difficult flight program.
What could be more impressive than the simultaneous simultaneous movement of several winged cars? Obeying the will of the pilots, they seem to be connected by invisible threads. Threads are experience, skill and relentless training.
Episode number 2. Russian beauty
Russian woman, a fragile beauty with steel will and soft, soft voice, multiple world champion Svetlana Kapanina once again put male pilots in her belt, becoming the absolute winner in individual competitions.
Refereeing the air show, announcing the results yesterday, clearly recognized that the Russian athlete Kapanina was already the best in the qualification round. Two competitive days only confirmed its advantage.
The beautiful instructor of the Sukhoi Battery Joint-Stock Company had to compete with world-class aerobatics: German Klaus Schrodt, Lithuanian Jurgis Kairis, Japanese Yoshi Muraya, Hungarian Zoltan Veres and Russian colleague Viktor Chmal.
But it was not in vain that Svetlana bears the almost official title of “pilot-phenomenon”: her victory in al-Ain sky was recognized unanimously and irrevocably. Silver was won by 60-year-old German Klaus Schrodt. In third place is the Russian
Episode number 3. Our
The Russian delegation in Al Ain took numbers, ranks and titles. On the opening day, there were no empty seats in the Russian sector: shoulder straps with "stars", stripes with famous names, faces that used to be seen only on TV were constantly flashing before your eyes. One square meter of a spacious Russian pavilion accounted for at least one big name.
Colonel-General Anatoly Ignatievich Mazurkevich, Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, arrived in the Emirates specifically for negotiations with local senior military officials on the development of bilateral relations, primarily in the aviation sector; the supply to the UAE of Russian-made weapons and spare parts for them, the training of local military personnel, including in Russia. Representatives of Russian companies from the defense industries also participated in the negotiations. The Emirate side reacted with great interest to the proposals of the Russians.
Representatives of the Russian Embassy in the UAE, led by Ambassador Andrei Mikhailovich Zakharov, arrived from Abu Dhabi. Dozens of Russian-speaking residents of the Emirates sat in the stands and cheered for ours. In the days of the competition, Russian was heard everywhere.
Episode number 4. Museum
Cosmonautics Museum of the Cosmonaut Training Center. Yu.A. Gagarina placed his unique exposition in a spacious tent on the street. Here we came face to face with the real astronaut - Hero of the Russian Federation Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko, who flew 320 days 1 hour 20 minutes 39 seconds in total for two flights into space. In addition to the opportunity to admire the attributes of cosmic realities, selected visitors managed to “swim” in zero gravity: along with the “Swifts”, IL-76 flew to Al Ain, used to train astronauts. Only five places a day, strict medical control, and only the lucky ones managed to visit artificial space, saving a year of waiting and $ 10,000.
Episode number 5. "Jordanian Falcons"
The Royal Jordanian Falcons team, whose name translates as “Royal Falcons of Jordan”, is considered one of the best in the world. It was created back in 1976 by the late King of Jordan, His Highness Hussein bin Talal, who through the art of aerobatics wanted to convey to people a message about peace and friendship, values that are so important for the Jordanian royal family. Over the past thirty years, “Falcons” from “chicks” have turned from aces. The Falcons are performing on Extra 300 aircraft with a 300 horsepower Texton lycoming Engine. Manufactured in Germany, the Extra 300 is considered one of the best for aerial acrobatics. The team acts in a layout for 4 aircraft, but has in reserve and individual programs. All pilots are personnel officers of the Jordanian Air Force: each contract is designed for 3-4 years, after which they return to their combat units.
Episode 6. World record
The famous pilot Zlotan Veres arrived at an air show accompanied by his beloved Extra 300s. The 43-year-old Hungarian, who has more than 11,000 flying hours behind him, has already tested the strength of more than 100 types of aircraft - from a single training aircraft to an ultra-modern passenger Boeing. In Al Ain, he distinguished himself again: in front of thousands of spectators, unceasingly unscrewing 408 “barrels”, which set a new world record.
Episode number 7. Saudi hawks
Each pilot of the Saudi Hawks group, established in 1999, has a working name, the Arabic equivalent of words such as speed, power, courage. Saudi pilots tried their best, showing a very spectacular show with "highlights". In addition to surprisingly beautiful and even hearts, the Saudi “hawks” managed to bring out the emblem of their native kingdom in the sky - a palm tree and two swords crossing it under the crown. However, judge for yourself ...
Episode number 8. "Dynamite Show"
The championship organizers once again intrigued the audience: for the first time outside the United States, honest people were invited to watch the unique "Dynamite Show" created by the famous aerobatics aces - Lithuanian Jurgis Cairis and American Jim Le Roy. According to many, the "Dynamite Show" is the best by far in the international arsenal of air acrobats. The two planes came together in a staged aerial battle just before sunset. Dynamite burst in the sky, spitting fire tongues on the ground. It was simply impossible to look away: the pilots worked to the brink. It seemed that the planes were about to hurt each other and something terrible would happen. Did not happen. only the adrenaline level in the blood of the audience soared under the clouds.
Episode number 9. "Fun show"
Designed for kids, a comedy show in the faces, played by the team of the American pilot Roger Buis, appealed to everyone, young and old. In the solo part of the program called OTTO, a helicopter with beautiful, large eyes skillfully flirted with the audience, performing the most incredible maneuvers. In the second part of the performance, a light glider joined him, thus creating the only pair of helicopters in the world - a glider performing in world shows.
Anastasia Zorina
