Tag: civilian aircraft

Pardubice Aviation Fair, 2023

Posted on by Kevan V

The 2023 edition of the Pardubice Aviation Fair took place on May 27 and 28. The show is a primarily civilian show with a strong focus on vintage aircraft.

This year’s show was to the usual high standard and the weather was sunny all day. Photography was a challenge due to the sun travelling parallel to the runway and being overhead all day. It caused a lot of photos to be backlit and heat distortion played havoc with distance shots on the ground.

However, I managed a good set of shots that gives a taste of the event:

Čáslav Base Open Day – 2023

Posted on by Kevan V

On May 20 of 2023, the Czech air force base at Čáslav hosted an open day.

It was the base’s first open day in four years, and it was very much worth the wait.

The weather was fantastic for the most part and the program was pleasantly varied.

Here’s a taste of what was there:

The Golden Hour

Posted on by Kevan V

The “golden hour” is that small window of time at sunrise or sunset, where the sun is at just the right spot to cast a warm golden hue over everything it touches. It adds an ethereal feel that is much sought after by many photographers.

Today, it was my good fortune to be taking my afternoon walk to Brno’s Medlánky airport as the “golden hour” struck while this Socata Rallye was heading out.

Have a good weekend everyone, I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

Douglas DC-6 at 77!

Posted on by Kevan V

February 15 of 1946, 77 years ago today, the Douglas DC-6 took to the air for the first time.

The DC-6 is considerd by many to be the pinnacle of propliner aircraft. The last of the piston engine driven airliners before turboprop and jet airliners took over. Even after its days as an airliner were finished, the DC-6 soldiered on for many more years as a freighter and even a firefighting aircraft.

A small handful of DC-6s are still flying today, including the immacualtely maintained example owned by Red bull in the photos below:

To learn more about this legendary propliner, visit my Douglas DC-6 article.

Rudolf the Red nosed Airplane – 2022 Edition

Posted on by Kevan V

December is upon us and Christmas not too far away. For those of you who have followed Pickled Wings for a few years, you’ll know I have a Christmas tradition of posting a gallery of aircraft with red noses or significant red trim in the nose area.

Over the last couple of years, due to COVID restrictions, opportunities to photograph aircraft up close were reduced and I had to improvise a bit to create decent sized galleries. That included flexing for noses in the darker end of the orange range as well as a retrospective gallery with photos covering several years.

Happily, 2022 was a different story and I can give you a gallery of proper red noses all taken in 2022.

Some of these aircraft will be familiar, as I’ve shown photos of them before, but others were new to me.

At that, sit back and enjoy this year’s selection of Rudolfs:

Medlánky Oldtimers Weekend – 2022 Edition

Posted on by Kevan V

September 10 and 11 of 2022 saw the annual Oldtimers Weekend event take place at the Medlánky airport in the northern reaches of Brno,Czech Republic.

The event was a mix of some familiar gliders, both contemporary and vintage that belong to the Medlánky Aeroklub, and visiting aircraft. The 2022 edition of the event had a surprize in the form of a Czech air force Mil Mi-35 helicopter on September 10, this was a very unusul aircraft to have on hand as the event is typically a fully civillian affair.

The weather forecast for the weekend was not particulary good, but the event went on anyway. I took these pictures during a practice for the event on September 9 and a window of reasonably clear weather on the afternoon of September 10.

Airpower 2022 – Zeltweg, Austria

Posted on by Kevan V

Airpower is the largest airshow in Europe and takes place on a roughly tri-annual cycle at the Austrian air force base at Zeltweg, located in the state of Styria. On September 2 of 2022, I attended the Airpower show for the first time since the 2013 edition of it.

It was a well balanced show between military and civilian aviation and a very well run show in all aspects. It’s a show I would definitely recommend attending if you have the opportunity.

As it’s a big show, I’m giving it a larger than normal gallery. Fix a beverage of your choice, take your time and enjoy:

A Grand Old Horse – The Antonov An-2 “Colt” turns 75!

Posted on by Kevan V

On August 31 of 1947, the prototype of Antonov’s An-2 took to the air for the first time. An instantly recognisable aircraft, the An-2 was given the name “Colt” in NATO’s code naming system for Soviet military aircraft during the Cold War.

Holding the distinction of being the largest single engine biplane ever to be put in production, the aircraft was in production from 1947 to 2001; an astoundingly long period for any aircraft.

Over 18,000 examples of the type are known to have been built between production lines in the former Soviet Union, Poland and China.

Here’s a selection of pictures I’ve taken of An-2s at various times and locations:

Air Day 2022 – Břeclav, Czech Republic

Posted on by Kevan V

On July 2 of 2022, I travelled to Břeclav, in the south east of the Czech Republic, to visit the open day at the town’s airport. It was my first time at the event and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

It was a solidy civilian affair with a friendly atmosphere at a grass strip airfield nestled in the Czech wine country.

Overall, it was something between a fly-in event and an aerobatics show.

A very enjoyable event and one I’d definitely visit again.