The ninth Czechoslovak Aircraft Gathering is over and we have no choice but to pay tribute and give a big thank you to all those who have become part of our Gathering community.

 

First of all, it is our partners and sponsors, without whom the event could not be realized, and then the visiting aero club. For this year it was the Rakovník Aero Club and we can now declare with complete peace of mind that the selection was truly bravura. They did their tasks really well and thanks to their enthusiasm, determination and friendly atmosphere we could all enjoy the whole weekend. And it was the facilities of the aero club in combination with great weather, which we ordered directly from the chief meteorologist RNDr. Petr Dvořák, that were the key to success.

 

Finally, a few numbers. In spite of technical difficulties of some of the entered machines, 66 Czechoslovak thoroughbreds gathered at the airport in Rakovník and 16 aircraft took part in the large group.

 

We had participation from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and also Romania. It should be noted that it was the Romanians who took 7h to make one trip and for their pair of Zlin Z-242Ls it was a decent aeronautical trip.

 

Visitors were not deprived of impressive demonstrations in the form of Zlín Z-142, Zlín Z-50LX or Zlín Z-126. And although we have seen demonstrations of "hitchhikers" and "hundred-footers" in the past, they put a smile on everyone's face again and complemented the main flight program very tastefully.

 

There was also the traditional Jiří Kobrle award, which was presented to Jaroslav Anýž for his lifelong contribution to Czechoslovak aviation and care for our machines.

We will look forward to the 10th anniversary edition of the Czechoslovak Aircraft Gathering next year!