Military Jets Photography: 2009 06 26 Airpower09

For two days, the air base of Zeltweg was the location for the Airpower 2009. With highlights such as the first Austrian Eurofighter and demo flights of participants from over 19 different countries, it promised to be an amazing air show.
The main purpose of the Airpower 2009 at Zeltweg was to show the Austrian Air Force with its material and its tasks in daily life. The equipment which was shown was quite diverse like several fighter aircraft, helicopters, trainers and transpoprt aircraft. Besides constant training, the Austrian Air Force has also a number of tasks in peace time such as guarding the Austrian airspace, medical flights and help during floods after heavy rainfall in the country full of mountains.
At half past nine the airshow was opened with the launch of three Saab 105 jet trainers. These three jets flew in a tight formation along the public. After the grand opening an Alouette III and an AB-206 Jet Ranger performed a short demo. This was a nice preview of what was coming up next during the show. The next demos would be some of the faster jets like e.g. the Dutch demo F-16 and a Hungarian Gripen. When the violence of those jets stopped the moment was there; a whole group of helicopters started up on the other side of the base and was ready for take-off. Eventually four S-70 Blackhawks, six Augusta Bell AB212 and four OH-58 Kiowa Warriors went airborne in a big mass formation of helicopters. After the take-off of all those helicopters the Austrian airpower demo could start. The Blackhawks and AB212s came in to drop some ground troops during the demo. The Kiowa's were flying around continuously to secure the landing zone where the Blackhawks and the AB212 just had landed.
The newest member of the Austrian Air Force took off immediately behind the demo of the Austrian helicopters, the Eurofighter Typhoon went airborne with full afterburner. These two aircraft were intercepting the Hercules which was already in the air. They would intercept it right above the base, so spectators could see how this was performed. The Typhoons forced the Hercules to land when the interception was performed. The two Typhoons would give a very spectacular demo, with much noise they showed the maneuverability of the aircraft. It really was a spectacular demo when they performed a few low level high speed passes over the main runway.
International participants were also numerous at Zeltweg. These included both teams such as the Patrouille Suisse, Turkish Stars and Wings of Storm as solo displays like the Hungarian Gripen, Belgian and Dutch F-16 and the Italian Eurofighter. There were also some noteworthy civilian displays like the Dornier 24ATT and of course also the Red Bull collection.
Airpower09 was again a huge success after a four year absence. The surrounding, the free entrance and a varied program makes this show a must to visit.