Sliač Airport also hosts the international airshow every summer. (source: SITA)
More than 10,000 people came to watch the Slovak International Air Fest (SAIF) 2012 on the weekend of September 1 and 2 in Sliač. Almost one hundred planes and helicopters from 14 countries lured visitors, and on the Sunday, September 2, the weather improved to show its nicer side, the TASR newswire wrote.
Both days offered almost identical programmes, including the famous bomber B_52 and the Frecce Tricolori group show by Italian pilots, the SITA newswire wrote. “On Sunday, the US transport plane C-17 Globemaster unexpectedly appeared, using the show to present itself,” Peter Hajnala, spokesman for the air show, told TASR. He added, however, that the display of historical planes from the Czech Republic could not take place due to bad weather conditions, which also prevented famous Hungarian acrobatic pilot Zoltan Veres from coming.
The highlight of both days, apart from the events already mentioned, was the airborne duel of two MiG-29 fighter planes flown by Slovak pilots. The events were organised by the Slovak Aviation Agency and partnered by the Defence Ministry and Interior Ministry, as part of the celebrations of the 68th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising, SNP.
