Caslav air base Open Day 2023
The 21st Tactical Air Force Base in Caslav will open to the public again on Saturday, May 20, 2023. It will be after four long years. The traditional Open Door Day is held every two years, but the last time the event was disrupted by the coronavirus measures. Entry to the event is free.
The event is aimed at presenting not only the Caslav base but also other participating units of the Czech Armed Forces. Dynamic aircraft demonstrations are going to be an unforgettable part of the event and the organizers have prepared a very rich program both in the air and on the ground.
Certainly, the highlight of the show will be the aerial refuelling demo by the US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker and the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. This will be the Czech Airshow debut for the American F-22 all-weather tactical stealth fighter aircraft. Recently, however, a pair of these machines showed off in a flyover over Pilsen as part of the Freedom Celebrations to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II.
There will also be a rich program of ground demonstrations and presentations of the units of the 21st Airbase. Among others, the static demonstrations on the ground will be supplemented by, for example, the Belgian Air Force F-16.
The organizers have prepared a range of transport options to the gates of the base, in cooperation with the Central Bohemian Region and the city of Caslav, including free shuttle transport by train from the Caslav railway station. So far, the last year of the event in 2019 was visited by over 50,000 spectators.
Hind & Hip at the Caslav Air Base Open Day in 2017
Program
This year’s Open Day will focus on the history of the Czech Air Force and a number of historic aircraft will take part in the flying and static displays such as the LET C-11, a Czechoslovak-manufactured Yakovlev Yak-11 trainer, produced under licence in LET Kunovice factory between 1953 and 1956. Or the Aero CS-102, a Mig-15UTI made under license in Aero Vodochody in 1955.
Another Czechoslovakian jet that will take part in the flying displays will be the Aero L-29 Delfín, an aircraft that was selected to become the standard trainer for the air forces of Warsaw Pact nations, for which it was delivered from the 1960s onwards. The successor to the Delfín the Aero L-39 Albatros from the Centrum Leteckého Výcviku (CLV), Flight Training Centre will also be flying at the show. AERO Vodochody will also present a flight demonstration of its latest L-39NG aircraft the successor to the Albatros which will soon also become part of the Flight Training Center (CLV) in Pardubice.
The Caslav Air Base will present the decommissioned aircraft associated with the history of the base such as the Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter-A swept wing, supersonic fighter aircraft and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft.
Unsurprisingly the Czech Air Force will showcase most of its inventory at the show with a number of different aircraft including the largest aircraft in the Czech Air Force service the CASA C-295M medium tactical transport aircraft that will be on the static display. Fighter jet fans will also not be disappointed as Cpt. Ondrej „Probe“ Spanko will bring some noise over the airfield during his spectacular solo display on the Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter aircraft, there will also be an airfield attack demo by two Aero L-159 ALCA subsonic light combat aircraft. A number of helicopters will also take part in the flying displays such as the PZL W-3 Sokol which will perform the impressive Search and Rescue demo, there will also be the crowd’s favourite combat search and rescue demo by Mi-24/35 Hind and Mi-171Sh Baikal. This will be the last Open Day for the Hind as the type is due to retire at the end of this year.
Crowds attending the Caslav Air Base Open Day in 2017
Besides the aircraft from Czechia there will also be a number of aircraft from other NATO countries such as Slovakia, the Slovak Air Force will send one of its newest helicopters to the show, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that will perform a dynamic demonstration. The Belgian Air Force will also take part with a single General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon on the static display. However, undoubtedly the stars of the show will be coming from the United States with the aerial refuelling demo by the US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker military aerial refuelling tanker and the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather tactical stealth fighter aircraft.
The former pilot of the base a very accomplished aerobatic pilot and winner of the Red Bull Air Race series Martin Sonka will also perform at the show firstly on his brand new Extra NG aerobatic aircraft and then on the Zlín Z 142 from CLV.
No airshow in Czechia would be complete without the Flying Bulls aerobatic team so it’s not a surprise that the team of four XtremeAir Sbach 342 aerobatic aircraft will once perform at Caslav.
Click here for more details about the open day
