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#Helicopers

A helicopter, or chopper, is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically

Royal International Air Tattoo 2024

This year RIAT celebrates the 50th anniversary of the F-16 Fighter Falcon with an impressive line-up of 20+ different F-16s. The biggest military air show in the world held at RAF Fairford on 20 – 21 July had some special visitors again. Highlights included first F-16 visits from Jordan, Romania and Morocco. But also two Qatari F-15QA and a Saudi F-15SA.

RIAT 2023 Departure

Traditionally most of the Royal International Air Tattoo participant’s head home on Monday after the show. Like every year this event can be witnessed with special tickets from two sides of the runway.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2023

July 15-16, 2023, RAF Fairford hosted the annual Royal International Air Tattoo. With over 250 aircraft participating, it's one of the biggest military air shows in the world. This year we saw a huge Italian contribution as the 100th anniversary of the Italian Air Force was celebrated. Another highlight was the return of the Me-262 to UK skies, for the first time since World War II. Other highlights included AV-8s from the Spanish and Italian Navy.

RIAT 2022 Departure

Traditionally most of the Royal International Air Tattoo participant’s head home on Monday after the show. Like every year this event can be witnessed with special tickets from two sides of the runway.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2022

After an absence of two years due to the COVID pandemic, the Royal International Air Tattoo, opened its doors again on 16-17 July 2022 at RAF Fairford for Europe’s biggest air show. Highlights on this sold out event included the E-4B, the Republic of Korea display team Black Eagles, flying the KAI T-50B, a Bahrain C-130J, first RIAT visit of the KC-46, Top Aces A-4N and Swedish Air Force History Flight including a Viggen, Dragen and Lancer. Civil highlights included the Oil Spill Response classic Boeing 727.

USS Intrepid

When visiting Manhattan, New York, be sure to stop by the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Located at Pier 86, World War II and Vietnam veteran carrier is home to a collection of over 30 aircraft displayed on the flight deck and inside the hangar. Latest addition to the exhibition is the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

Air Force Days 2019

After an absence of two year the Royal Netherlands Air Force Days are back. This two day event, at 14 and 15 July was held at Volkel Air Base and attracting some 430.000 visitors. A nice variety of aircraft were present at the Static and Air show, with the Air Power demo highlighting the flying program. Especially for this event, two Dutch F-35s flew over from the US, with the latest, F-008, being on Dutch soil for the first time.

RIAT 2019 Departure

Traditionally most of the Royal International Air Tattoo participant’s head home on Monday after the show. Like every year this event can be witnessed with special tickets from two sides of the runway.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2019

245 aircraft from 25 countries participated in this years Royal International Air Tattoo, held 19-21 July at RAF Fairford. This is noticeably less than previous years. Also, this year the air show on Sunday was less attractive compared to Saturday, which was disappointing. But still lots of good stuff like the flying demo’s from the Romanian MiG-21 and Spanish Armada EAV-8 Harrier. Highlight of Mondays departures was definitely the B-52.

BAF Days 2018

The BAF Days, also known as the Belgium Air Force Days were held at Kleine-Brogel Airbase located near the Belgium, Dutch border. As always the Belgians were able to attract some interesting visitors, with the first abroad visit of an Italian F-35, and the presence of two Ukrainian Flankers.

RIAT 2018 Departure

Traditionally most of the participant’s head home on Monday after the show. Like every year this event can be witnessed with special tickets on two sides of the runway.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2018

For the 2018 edition of the world’s biggest military airshow we celebrate 100 years RAF. The Royal International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford on the weekend of 14-15 July, and was blessed with beautiful weather. Over 300 aircraft on display with some special visitors. A big contribution from Canada and the Ukraine was back. Also a first European visit for the JASDF Kawasaki C-2.

RIAT 2017 Departure

Traditionally most of the participant’s head home on Monday after the show. Like every year this event can be witnessed with special tickets on two sides of the runway. With pilots asked to keep it low, the day resulted in some great take off pictures.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2017

This year’s Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford celebrated the USAF 70th anniversary. Stars of the show The Thunderbirds, with a special surprise on Sunday. Aviamagazine was present on Sunday, the last show day, and departure on Monday.

Paris Air Show 2017

19 June, Aviamagazine attended the Salon International de l’aeronautique at Paris Le Bourget, better known as the Paris Air Show. The 52nd edition of this bi-annual trade show featured a lot of debuting aircraft, like the Embraer ERJ-195-E2, Mitsubishi MRJ-90, Airbus A350-1000, and Boeing 787-10 to name a few.

Taiwan Air Power

The Republic of China, better known as Taiwan is on every military spotters bucket list. The Taiwanese Air Force uses a fighter aircraft no ware to been seen except in Taiwan. The AIDC F-CK-1 was developed and build in Taiwan.

Japan 2006

Japan is well known for its spotter friendly atmosphere. Combine this with unique military aircraft, no where to be seen, and a variety of Japanese airlines, and you have one for the bucket list. Aviamagazine traveled around two of the main islands and visited the hot spots in the land of the rising sun.

BAF Days 2016

The Belgian Air Force days this year was held at Florennes air base, well known for hosting the TLP exercise in the past. Like every year the Belgians were able to attract some interesting visitors, amongst them Polish and Slovakian MiGs and Turkish Phantom’s.

RIAT 2016 Departure

Traditionally most of the participant’s head home on Monday after the show. Like every year this event can be witnessed with special tickets on two sides of the runway. With pilots asked to keep it low, the day resulted in some great take off pictures.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2016

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford would be extra special this year, with the first visit of six F-35s, including the STOVL B version and the first RAF B model. Aviamagazine was present on the last show day and departure day on Monday.

Air Force Days 2016

This edition of the Dutch Air Force Days will enter the history books as first ever public air show appearance of the F-35, formerly known as Joint Strike Fighter. A first for the Dutch a few weeks ahead of the RIAT where the Americans will show their F-35.

Alaska 2015

Thirteen years after our first visit we headed back to the upper most state of the US. In one week we would visit Alaska’s two biggest cities and biggest airports. What changed during the last decade? you wouldn’t be surprised, not very much, thankfully.

Royal International Air Tatoo 2015

Photo report of the world’s biggest air show at RAF Fairford on 18-19 July 2015. This year star attraction was Japan’s maritime patrol aircraft Kawasaki P-1. The P-1 is one of the contestants to replay’s the aging Royal Navy Nimrod.

MAKS 2015

MAKS, also known as the Moscow Air Show is held every odd year at the Zhukovskiy air force base, southeast of Moscow. MAKS is the Russian trade show counterpart of the Le Bourget Paris Air Show and the Farnborough air show.

Paris Air Show 2015

Aviamagazine attended the first of two public days at the end of a full week bi-annual Paris Air Show on Saturday June 20th. Although the weather was good, the show was somewhat disappointing.

Hermeskeil Flugausstellung

Hermeskeil Aviation Museum officially named Flugausstellung Leo and Peter Junior, has the biggest privately owned collections of military and civil aircraft in Germany. The collection with over 100 aircraft on display has some unique aircraft from the Cold War age. Lots of former East German military aircraft are on display but also Germany’s military allies during that period.

Air Force Days 2014

20, 21 June Gilze-Rijen Air Base hosted this year’s Royal Air Force Days. This year’s theme was operation air support and showed the capabilities of today’s Air Force. 245.000 visitors saw modern equipment, but there was also time to look back, for instance to celebrate 50 years of Alouette III service in the RNLAF.

Nuclear Security Summit 2014

24 and 25 March, the Netherlands will host the Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague. 57 countries will attend with lots of world leaders visiting through Schiphol airport.

Open door Melsbroek 2013

15 Wing organized an open door event to celebrate it’s 65th anniversary, and 40 years of C-130 operations. The whole Belgium Air Force utility, VIP fleet was present and lots of C-130s. The Federal Police which also uses Melsbroek Air Base also participated in this open door event.

Air Force Days 2013

After a year of absence, The Royal Netherlands Air Force Open Days, or Air Force Days, took place at Volkel Air Base on 14 and 15 June 2013. This year celebrating 100 years of military aviation in the Netherlands.

Canada Tour 2008

When you’re an aviation enthusiast, there are certain locations high on the bucket list, Canada certainly being one of them. Especially the Northwest Territory is interesting due to the large amount of vintage aircraft, still used in these arctic areas. The Vancouver area sees lots of float planes, combined with the beautiful scenery and wildlife this is a great combination for a road trip.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2012

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is one of the biggest military air shows in the world held at RAF Fairford. Aviamagazine’s correspondent Leo Hoogerbrugge visited this year’s show on Sunday 8 July and departure, the next day.

Moscow Tour 2011

August 2011 we headed to Moscow for an aviation tour around the city and a visit to the MAKS air show. Since Russia isn’t fully open for spotters we joined an organised tour with Aeroprints. With 15 years of experience they have lots of contacts, very useful to visit restricted areas. Although we visited both civil and military sites, the main focus of this article is on civil aviation. Separate articles on the MAKS air show and Monino air force museum can be found elsewhere on this site.

Central Air Force Museum

The largest Russian aircraft museum in the world is located on the site of the former Monino airfield east of Moscow. With over 170 aircraft, mainly from the Cold War-era, this museum is a must see! The collection has many unique (one-off) aircraft and prototypes. For example the only existing Sukhoi T-4, Myasishchev M-50 and ground effect Bartini Beriev VVA-14 can be seen here.

Marrakech Air Show 2012

AviaMagazine’s correspondent Frits Jongerman visited the 2012 Aero Expo also known as the Marrakech Air Show in Morocco. The base was visited from 5 till 7 April 2012.

China Aviation Museum

The China Aviation Museum, often referred to as Datangshan, is China’s biggest Aviation museum with a collection over 300 aircraft. The museum offers a great collection dating from the Korean- and Cold War, till current Chinese airpower. The museum is located 60 km north of Beijing, near the town of XiaoTangShan, and was once part of the Shahezhen airbase.

Air Force Days 2011

The annual open days of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, called Air Force Days were held on 16 and 17 September at Leeuwarden AB in the north of the Netherlands. Great weather on Friday made the airshow a spectacular event, especially with the use of lots of flares.

MAKS 2011 (Moscow Air Show)

MAKS, also known as the Moscow Air Show is held every odd year at the Zhukovskiy air force base, southeast of Moscow. MAKS is the Russian trade show counterpart of the Le Bourget Paris Air Show and the Farnborough air show. MAKS 2011 took place on 16-21 August 2011.

Koksijde International Airshow 2011

This year, the Belgian Air Component (COMOPSAIR), Air Force department of the Belgian military, celebrates the 65th anniversary of the Air Force. The costal airbase of Koksijde was the scene of this celebration, with special guests like the Saudi Arabian Hawks and the USAF Thunderbirds.

Nellis Aviation Nation 2010

The annual air show at Nellis AFB, Las Vegas NV, was held on 13 and 14 November 2010. Besides a favourite event in Las Vegas the Aviation Nation 2010, as the show is called, is also the official homecoming of the Thunderbirds demo team.

Farnborough Airshow 2010

Every two years one of the biggest sales driven airshow in the world is held at Farnborough, United Kingdom. The show is for both civil and military aviation and held from 19-25 July 2010.

Royal Netherlands Air Force Days 2010

The annual open days of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, now called Air Force Days were held on 18 and 19 June at Gilze-Rijen AB in the south of the Netherlands. Although the weather wasn’t great there were some interesting visitors. Aviamagazine was present on Friday 18th.

Air Force Days 2009

Volkel Air Base was host to the 2009 Royal Netherlands Air Force Days. 20 July Aviamagazine was present to see the star of the show flying again. After years of restoration, the mighty Avro Vulcan, strategic delta wing bomber, was present on the static and flew a demo during the air show.

Paris Air Show 2009

20 June 2009, Aviamagazine attended the Salon International de l’aeronautique at Paris Le Bourget, better known as the Paris Air Show. This edition of this bi-annual trade show featured the debuting Russian regional jet SSJ-100 also known as the Sukhoi Super Jet.

KLu Opendays 2008

The Annual Open Dagen (open days) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force was held on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st at Leeuwarden AB in the far north of the Netherlands. Highlights included a Canadian CP-140, the OV-10 and a flying display of the new NH-90. A first for the Netherlands was the Polish team Iskra and the historical RAF trainer Gnat.

Openhouse NAS De Kooij

Naval Air Station De Kooij, in the northern part of Holland, is home base of the Dutch Navy SH-14D Lynx helicopter. This helicopter will be replaced by the NH-90 helicopter in the very near future. There have been some delays so we will see the Lynx helicopters for some years.

SAR meeting Katwijk

Saturday Augustus 4 the Katwijkse Reddings Brigade (Rescue Brigade) organised its annual meeting ‘SAR Katwijk’. During this International Search and Rescue Event, several organisations give demonstrations.

Evreux meeting Arién 2007

On July the 8th 2007, the French air force hosted it's annual airshow, meeting Arién, at the transport base Evreux, west of Paris.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2007

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is one of the biggest military air shows in the world held at RAF Fairford, United kingdom. We were present on Saturday July 14. Highlights this year was the Indian delectation including two Su-30s and an Il-78 support tanker. Also it was the last public appearance of the F-117 on a European air show.

KLu Opendays 2007

The Annual Open Dagen (open days) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force was held on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th at Volkel AB in the south of the Netherlands. Highlights included a Hungarian Jas-39, the Turkish Stars demo team and a Polish delegation (Su-22 and An-26).

Beauvechain Airshow 2006

On Saturday, September 2nd we had the opportunity to visit the air show at Beauvechain Air Base in Belgium. Stationed are the SF-260's and CM-170 Fouga Magisters. It was the last time they were operational during a Belgian Air Show. After many years this type of aircraft will be withdrawn from service.

Cambrai meeting Arién 2006

On July the 2nd 2006, the French air force hosted it’s annual airshow, meeting Arién, at the Northern airbase Cambrai.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2006

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is one of the biggest military air shows in the world held at RAF Fairford. We were present on Saturday July 15. Highlights this year were the first apperance of the MiG-29M OVT, trust vectoring variant, and the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor of the US Marine Corps.

KLu Opendays 2006

Aircraft enthusiasts from all over Europe visited Leeuwarden AB in the Netherlands, in the weekend of 16-17 June, for the first appearance in over twelve years of the US Navy demo team The Blue Angels. On Friday there was a small incident with a blown tire during take-off of Angel number 5, which delayed the show a bid, Saturday everything wend fine including the weather.

Czech International Air Fest

The Annual Czech international air fest was held on Friday 10 and 11 September at Turany airport located just southeast of the city of Brno. What makes this show interesting is the large amount of Russian and east European air forces like Romania, Slovakia and Serbia and Montenegro.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2005

On 16 & 17 July the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the world's greatest military air show, was held at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. This year themes included 60 years United Nations, Surveillance 05 and Nato Tigers Roar 05.

Airpower 05

This years Airpower air show at Zeltweg Austria, marked the end of Draken operations with the Austrian Air Force. Like earlier editions, Red Bull, played a big part during the air show. So again a great mix between military, civil and warbird action.

KLu Open Dagen 2005

The Annual Open Dagen (open days) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force was held on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th at Gilze-Rijen AB in the south of the Netherlands. And from a spotters point of view it was a great edition. Highlights included special guests from Egypt and New Zealand.

Meeting Aerien Casaux

Sunday 12 June, the French Meeting aerien was held at Cazaux airbase, located 70 km south of Bordeaux in the South of France. What makes this place special is the 150sq from the Singapore Air Force, which is based at Cazaux with sixteen A-4 and TA-4 Skyhawks. Besides the Singapore AF, the Belgium Air Force also uses Cazaux as a training base. And last but not leased the French test squadron CEV is also based here.

Paris Air Show 2005 Le Bourget

This year, the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, France was all about one aircraft, the mother of all airliners: the Airbus A380. The double deck airbus, worlds largest passenger aircraft, made it’s first public appearance since it’s maiden flight earlier this year.

Niederrhein Flugtage

May 21 and 22, the annual Flugtage (open house) was held at Dusseldorf-Regional (Weeze) Airport, former Royal Air Force Base Laarbruch, Germany. This would be my first visit to this airfield in ten years time, curious to see how much was changed the last couple of years.

Opendays Royal Netherlands Army

May 28 and 29, the Royal Netherlands Army organized it`s annual Open Days. Host for this year event was the Airborne Brigade at former airbase Deelen, located in the center the Netherlands.

Afghanistan, Kundus province

After many years of war Afghanistan is now on it´s way to peace. Although there is a long way to go the democratic elections in October are a big step forward. To provide stability in the region, the UN send an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). ISAF forces are based in Afghanistan and their neighbouring countries and primarily work with a "Show of force" strategy.

NATO Tiger Meet (NTM) 2004

This year the Nato Tiger Meet celebrates her 40th Tiger Meet. Host is Recce Wing 51 "Immelmann" at Schleswig-Jagel Air Base in the northern part of Germany. This is the 51st Recce Wing's first ever Tiger Meet, and the first NTM in 20 years to be held in northern Germany. NTM 2004 will focus on operational flying, the foundation upon which these meets are based.

Payerne Open House

Unlike other European countries, open days in Switzerland are very rare. Reason enough for AviaMagazine.com to send a large delegation. Two teams visited Payerne Air Base to celebrate the Swiss Air Force 90th anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Patrouille de Suisse and 15 years of PC-7s.

Ronneby Airshow

This year's Swedish AF airshow was held at Ronneby airbase in the southern part of Sweden. Ronneby is home to the flottlj 17 (17th Wing) operating the JAS-39 Gripen. What makes this openday extra special is the fact the that you don´t see Swedish AF aircraft elsewhere, very often.

Wittmund Photocall

Just like previous years, JG-71 at Wittmund AB, Germany, organized a so-called photocall on Wednesday August 4th. The weather was great; lot of sunshine and photo opportunities of one of the last operational F-4 squadrons in Europe.

Air Show Koksijde

Koksijde AB (Belgium), home base of the Sea Kings and Alouette-3's of 40th Smaldeel (Squadron) held his annual open house on 3 and 4 July 2004. For the first open day on Saturday; the weather forecast was not so good; strong winds and some (thunder-)showers. The forecast for Sunday was almost the same so we decided to go on the Saturday.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2004

On 17 & 18 July the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the world's greatest military airshow, was held at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. This year themes included 50 years of the Hercules, 30 years of the Hawk and the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

KLu Opendays 2004

On Friday 18 and Saturday 19 June the annual Open Dagen of the Royal Netherlands Airforce took place at Volkel AB, Netherlands. Looking at the days with a spotters point of view, it was disappointing. 25 years F-16 with the fewest F-16 in years, no eastern Europe (new NATO members), expect the An-30 and no Migs.

ILA 2004

The tradition of the ILA dates back nearly one hundred years and reflects the development of aviation. From the outset, it was an international exhibition. The air shows were always trade fairs and at the same time a meeting place for aviation enthusiasts. First the show was held at Frankfurt and Berlin-Tempelhof. After WWII the show was relocated at the German main land. The fall of the Berlin Wall enabled the International Aerospace Exhibition to return to its original location. For the first time, ILA 1992 was held at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2003

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is one of the biggest military air shows in the world held at RAF Fairford, United kingdom. We were present on Saturday July 19th. Highlight this year was the 100 years of flight showcase, which featured some UK museum pieces on the static.

Airpower 03

The Airpower airshow at Zeltweg, Austria is one of the more interesting shows to visit, not only because of the operation Drakens, but also because of the beautiful Styrian Alps backdrops. The show is a joined venture between Defence and Red Bull, what makes this show extra interesting with the presence of all Flying Bulls.

Cambrai Meeting Arién 2003

The French airbase Cambrai combined its 2003 airshow with the end of this years Nato Tiger Meet (NTM) exercise. Although the weather on show day was bad, it attracted a nice variety of participating and visiting aircraft.

KLu Open Dagen 2003

The 2003 Klu Open Days were held at Twente Air Base 20 / 21 June 2003. This was the last airshow at Twente, before the base flying operation were closed in 2005. The static offered some great visitors, four Canadian CF-188s, Turkish NF-5s and Hungarian MiG-29. The Airpower demo, Austrian J-35O were amongst the highlights of the air show.

Royal International Air Tatoo 2002

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is one of the biggest military air shows in the world held at RAF Fairford. We were present on July 20. During the landing of the Italian G222, the forward landing gear collapsed, closing the runway for some time.

Alaska 2002

Our journey started on the 25th of May, when eight photographers gathered on Schiphol airport, Amsterdam. The first stage of this trip to Minneapolis-St. Paul airport (MN) took about eight hours. After six hours we reached our first goal for this trip, Anchorage Ted Stevens International airport, Alaska. This trip would be a unique experiment, combining lot's of airfields, civil, military and a visit to Denali National park. Hightlight of this trip, a flight in a DHC-2 Beaver Floatplain, destination: a lake in the middle of nowhere.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2001

For the second year in a row, the Royal International Air Tattoo, took place at RAF Cottesmore. The 30th anniversary of the world’s biggest military airshow couldn’t use its normal RAF Fairford location as the runway was getting a complete overhaul. Aviamagazine visited the show on Sunday 29 July 2001.

Linköping-Malmen 2001

19 May 2001, AviaMagazine was present at Linköping-Malmen Air Force Base for the Swedish Air Force flygdag. Although the weather wasn’t that good, the show was as often in Scandinavia, very interesting. This is because most of the Swedish military aviation is kept fly worthy and present at these shows. Where do you see a flying Pembroke, Vampire, Hunter, J29, J32, J35 in one show.

Royal International Air Tatoo 1996

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is one of the biggest military air shows in the world held at RAF Fairford. We were present on July 20. Highlights for this year’s event was the contribution of the Ukraine Air Force, with Flankers and a Il-76. The Russians showed there Be-200 amphibious firefighting aircraft for the first time at the RIAT. Another highlight was the presence of a Israeli Air Force KC-130.

KLu Open Dagen 1995

The 1995 KLu open days were held at Volkel Air Base 30 June and 1 July. The static featured a nice variety of Eastern and Western air forces. Highlights included the Turkish F-5Bs in desert camo and the Czech MiG-21.

IAT 1993

The International Air Tattoo 1993 is well known due to the mid-air collision between two Russian Air Force MiG-29s on Saturday. Both pilots ejected safely. We visited the show on Sunday 25 July 1993. Highlights on the static was the first visit of a Tu-95 Bear and Il-78 Midas of the Russian Air Force.

KLu Opendays 1993

3 July 1993, The for last KLu Opendays organized at Eindhoven Air Base. Stars of the show were two F-117s on deployment at nearby Gilze-Rijen Air Base. The Czech Air Force was present with a lot of different aircraft, and the RAF showed the impressive Victor bomber on the static.