Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 27 Posted May 27 Hi all. Last week, I spent three days on-base with the mighty Su-22 Fitters, in the twilight of their service with the Polish Air Force. The base commander at Mirosławiec was keen to have a record of operations before the final withdrawal from service in September. The Fitters previous base at Świdwin is being developed to operate the F-35, so personnel were being transported daily to Mirosławiec. Local enthusiasts have posted that there are 8 Fitters still operational at Mirosławiec. I joined a group from Centre of Aviation Photography (https://www.coapwings.com) for an action-packed three days, with excellent access. There were some restrictions on photography of airframes on operational sorties and some buildings, but the weather was kind and I had a truly memorable experience. Here is a chronological photo-essay of the visit: Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed the images! 19 1 10 3
FalkeEins Posted May 27 Posted May 27 Wow...nice! Would be good to see them in print somewhere..... PS: the orange flight suits make the pilots look like council bin men. Is this for over-water ops? 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 30 minutes ago, FalkeEins said: Wow...nice! Would be good to see them in print somewhere..... PS: the orange flight suits make the pilots look like council bin men. Is this for over-water ops? Thanks very much, FalkeEins! The orange suits were immersion suits for over-water missions. I believe that the crew in question had been on a training sortie over the Baltic Sea. Most of the crews wore standard green flying suits. 2
Parabat Posted May 27 Posted May 27 Excellent pics, some cracking shots of these Cold War beasts. Thanks for sharing these. 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 1 hour ago, Parabat said: Excellent pics, some cracking shots of these Cold War beasts. Thanks for sharing these. Thanks very much, Parabat. It was a real privilege being around these titans of the Cold War and interesting to note how they are still being used on operational reconnaissance missions in their final months of service. 1 1
RidgeRunner Posted May 27 Posted May 27 Lucky, lucky chap! The end of an era and you have captured it beautifully! Martin 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 8 hours ago, RidgeRunner said: Lucky, lucky chap! The end of an era and you have captured it beautifully! Martin Hi Martin. Thanks very much - I'm pleased you enjoyed my record of an incredible few days with these awesome machines (and people!) One could definitely feel the end of an era, even down to the transition from Soviet Cold War ground support equipment to brand-new western vehicles and equipment. 1
112 Squadron Posted May 28 Posted May 28 Thank you for sharing these exceptional pictures. Since the SU-22s are going to be replaced by the FA-50 you really covered a part of aviation history. 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 6 hours ago, 112 Squadron said: Thank you for sharing these exceptional pictures. Since the SU-22s are going to be replaced by the FA-50 you really covered a part of aviation history. Thanks very much, 112 Squadron! I'm delighted that you enjoyed my images. It certainly felt like we were witnessing the end of an era.
ColinChipmunkfan Posted May 29 Posted May 29 Magnificent iconic images-as ever Leigh Thanks for posting. 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 9 hours ago, ColinChipmunkfan said: Magnificent iconic images-as ever Leigh Thanks for posting. Thanks very much, Colin! I'm delighted that you enjoyed them.
Zorglub Posted May 29 Posted May 29 Thanks for sharing. Your photos are wonderful. And they only make me want to finally do a Polish Su-22 even more. I think the Polish Sukhoi 22 livery is really beautiful. Great experience and really beautiful photos: thanks again! 1 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 37 minutes ago, Zorglub said: Thanks for sharing. Your photos are wonderful. And they only make me want to finally do a Polish Su-22 even more. I think the Polish Sukhoi 22 livery is really beautiful. Great experience and really beautiful photos: thanks again! Thank you very much, Zorglub! I'm very pleased that you enjoyed my images. Hopefully, the decal guys will produce the special schemes to mark the end of the type in Polish service.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 1 hour ago, Vultures1 said: Great photos! Thank you for posting Thanks for the kind words, Vultures1. I'm pleased you enjoyed the images.
Latinbear Posted May 30 Posted May 30 An outstanding set of images! I think the sunset shots are my favourites along with the head on with deployed 'chute but I would be pleased with any of those. Looks like a great trip with the weather firmly on your side. 1 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 11 hours ago, Latinbear said: An outstanding set of images! I think the sunset shots are my favourites along with the head on with deployed 'chute but I would be pleased with any of those. Looks like a great trip with the weather firmly on your side. Thanks for the kind words, Latinbear. I'm pleased that you enjoyed them!The weather was gorgeous for the visit, which certainly helped the photography (on the whole!)
canberraman Posted June 3 Posted June 3 Stunning images Leigh, what a fantastic and unique experience. You have truly captured the brutish SU-22 from many angles and in some great light. Its another iconic type that will soon be consigned to history sadly. Thanks for sharing what looks a most memorable trip with some superb access. Mark 1
bentwaters81tfw Posted June 3 Posted June 3 Love the Fitter, would like one for our museum, but unless someone flies one in, I can't see it, because of the costs of getting one here. 1 1
Pete in Lincs Posted June 3 Posted June 3 A very nice collection of pictures. I think my favourite is the night time take off. It still looks a very capable and tough Aircraft. Thanks for posting. 1 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 3 Author Posted June 3 6 hours ago, canberraman said: Stunning images Leigh, what a fantastic and unique experience. You have truly captured the brutish SU-22 from many angles and in some great light. Its another iconic type that will soon be consigned to history sadly. Thanks for sharing what looks a most memorable trip with some superb access. Mark Thanks very much, Mark. I'm pleased that you enjoyed them! It really was a memorable trip in gorgeous weather with excellent access to this brutish Cold War warrior! 5 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said: Love the Fitter, would like one for our museum, but unless someone flies one in, I can't see it, because of the costs of getting one here. It sure would be great to see one on display in Suffolk! 5 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: A very nice collection of pictures. I think my favourite is the night time take off. It still looks a very capable and tough Aircraft. Thanks for posting. Thanks very much, Pete. I'm pleased that you enjoyed them! I like the night time burner shots too! 1
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 8 Author Posted June 8 2 hours ago, John B said: Really nice images with evocative compositions! Thanks very much, John. I'm pleased you liked the compositions.
f111guru Posted June 10 Posted June 10 @Alpha Delta 210Thank you for all those amazing SU-22 images. I'm making plans to add the SU-22 to my build list and aircraft 509(nose number) I'm interested in. Reminds me of the B-17 Little Patches half dark and gray(?) paint. Also the images of the HAS used.I may or may not stick with my usual scale 1/48th. Thanks again, outstanding photos. All The Best, Ron VanDerwarker 1
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