Founded in 1926, the Lufthansa group continues to develop into the last quarter of 2015, with some 540 subsidiaries forming the world’s largest aviation group. The group’s offerings include several airlines, maintenance repairs, , flight training, catering, and many more industry leading services.
Every September at Malta International Airport (Luqa), the International Air Show is held, and Pixelsnipers visited the island in 2015 to see how this show is building a strong reputation as a ‘must go’ for aviation enthusiasts around Europe.
The Malta Aviation Society have been the organisers for the show since it first appeared on the airshow calendar in 1993, when it was originally held over
Marsamxetto Harbour. It now has over 200 volunteers working together to make what is now one of the biggest outdoor events in Malta, as well as its most
photographed.
The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) have a dedicated training wing based at Kalamata Air Base (AB) that was established in 1970 and provides training to pilots undertaking flight and ground training. When the training facility was started in 1970, the aircraft of choice was the Lockheed T-33A, but within a year this was augmented with the T-37C which was used until the introduction of the T-6A Texan II in 2002. The T-33’s were replace by the T-2 Buckeye in 1976, and are still in use today.
The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) Elefsis air base , located 15 kilometres west of Athens, is home to the 112 Ptergia Mahkis (112 Combat Wing) under the Diikissi Aeroporikion Mataforn (Air Transport Command) and is the largest ( by manning levels) and most diverse airfield in the HAF.
Pixelsnipers recently had the opportunity to visit B flight of 22 Squadron SAR (Search & Rescue) at Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk, and spent an afternoon on base to find out more about them, their mission and the venerable Sea King platform they use on a daily basis.
Gando air base on the holiday island of Gran Canaria is the venue for the annual Dissimilar Air Combat Training undertaken by the Spanish Air Force ( Ejercito del Aire). Pixelsnipers travelled to Gando in February to witness the 2015 exercise and report on why the Spanish Air Force puts such importance on DACT and how the goals set out for the participating units are achieved.
Base Aerea de Gando hosted the 2017 Dissimilar Air Combat Training Exercise (DACT) for the Ejercito del Aire –EdA (Spanish Air Force) during January 2017. Pixelsnipers attended the media day on the 24th January to discover first-hand about the exercise and the participating units and air arms.
On February 9th 2015 the United States Air Force (USAF) deployed twelve Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft to the 52nd Fighter Wing (FW) at Spangdahlem Air Force Base (AFB) in Germany in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Pilatus Aircraft Limited was formed just after the start of the Second World War in December 1939, and even though the country was neutral for the duration of the war, the Swiss Government identified a need for training and maintenance of indigenous aircraft. The site chosen was an existing maintenance facility in the heart of Switzerland at Stans, in the region of Nidwalden close to its namesake Mount Pilatus.
Who and or what are RUAG? The name is derived from Rüstungs Unternhmen Aktiengesellschaft or in plain English, Joint Defence Stock Company.
RUAG was formed in 1998 and is currently Headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. Globally there is approximately 8,000 staff at production sites in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, France, Austria, Hungary, Australia and the USA.
