Military Jets Photography: 2014 06 23 Spottersday Tigermeet Schleswig Jägel

This year Nato Tiger Meet exercise was held at Schleswig-Jagel in Northern Germany. The base was founded in 1916 and during the Second World War it was used by the German Air Force flying the Messerschmitt Me 262. Today the base is home to Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 “Immelmann” flying the Tornado ECR.
The typical program of an eight-day NATO Tiger Meet starts with the arrival of the participants and support aircraft, followed by an opening ceremony were all nations taking part flags are raised till the last day. From then on the operations start, with morning missions being flown by most participants amongst each other, while in the afternoon the friendly blue forces are flown against red forces which are usually units from the host nations country acting as enemy forces. The missions last between 60 and 90 minutes and are carefully planned, briefed, executed and debriefed and this schedule is followed for most of the flying days.
At the end of the operational week the crews relax and tighten social ties between all participating units with the Tiger Games – a mix of BBQ, sport and games. The ending of a Tiger Meet is always symbolised by the lowering of the national flags, followed by the traditional farewell party where various awards are handed out, such as best dressed, best paint scheme, and the prestigious Silver Tiger Trophy – which was won this year by 11 Staffel, Swiss Air Force.
During the NTM it has now become tradition to have Spotters days where the aviation enthusiast community can get close to the action. Spotters days are well attended with thousands travelling from across Europe and further afield to see the uniquely painted aircraft on base.
It is a well organised event, with enthusiasts being bussed to an enclosure near to the taxiways and runway’s providing the best photo opportunities to witness a 40+ aircraft launch and then have the aircraft taxi past on landing to get great close up shots. Each unit brings its own tiger branded merchandise and are sold by crews under a massive mess tent with incredibly decent prices. With bratwurst, snacks and drinks available at very reasonable prices as well, the enthusiasts are well looked after and not fleeced like at traditional airshows.
The winners of the awards are:
Tiger Games: EC 1/7 “Provence” (French Air Force)
Tiger Dress: Staffel 11 (Swiss Air Force)
Skit: 59/1 Sqn (Hungarian air Force)
Painted Tail: TaktLwG 74 (German Air Force)
Flying OPS: 6 ELT (Polish Air Force)
Tiger Spirit: TaktLwG 51 (German Air Force)
Silver Tiger: Staffel 11 (Swiss Air Force)