delfin_driver(at)yahoo.co
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 Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:58 pm Post subject: No Title |
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Hey Guys ! I thought I would share some observations with everyone.
Well its August, summer is winding down and time for my annual trek to Eastern Europe, ending at the Czech International Air Show in Brno (CIAF). I've been going to this part of the world for about 9 years and as an aviation enthusiast, I try to find every air park, gate guard and air museum possible to visit between my stops at actual air bases. When I first visted former eastern block airbases they were busy, bustling with action, multiple daily sorties and lots of people. Not uncommon to see our wonderful little L-29 jet flying young anxious cadets around Bulgaria , Romania , Czech Republic etc. Each eager to graduate and move on to the "heavy iron". Each year I see less aircraft flying, less aircrafts stored in the old style concrete camo bunkers, and less students flying. All flying in the L-29 has stopped with the exception of Egypt. What a pity.
Over these years, our beloved and faithful L-29''s are resting on the ramp waiting for a new life and a new home. Today, those L-29's are in America, South Africa and around the world in the hands of civilians hoping to again fly them. Others have suffered the fate of junk yards, aluminum crushers, and abandonment. So sad for the trusty little Delfin. What do I see now? Empty aircraft bunkers, abandoned or re-rented to civilian industry. Control towers abandoned with only graffiti and an occasional remnant of its previous occupant nearby. Bustling pilot housing, empty, water leaking in and only occupied by birds and mice. Again, what a pity. As I drive across the former airbase, I feel the souls of the cold war pilots hurrying to the aircraft for a practice alert. Their families living nearby and their lives revolving around those base activities. Now, for the most part, gone are the little L-29's, gone are the hundreds of young men learning to fly, and gone are the airbases hidden in the fields near towns and villages bearing their names.
For today there is no real enemy for most of these small countries. Yes there are a couple of squadrons of modernized Migs or imported F16 A and B, or some British trainer. But gone are the big cold war bases, the 6 or 8 squadrons of L29's and L-39s and hundreds of Mig 21 ready at a moments notice. Gone too are their pilots, their mechanics and technicians and with them died the knowledge, experience, and the memories. Maybe in a small pub in Hredec Kralove or Pardubice a story or two still gets told over a Starobrno beer about those great days flying that trusty little Delfin
Safe Flying- Best to All
Bob Schwartz
A Delfin Driver
Ready for the edge of youom/">Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV. [quote][b]
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