20 Iul 2009, Aviation day

Well I had a "date " with Dicesare and Dan today ,but they bouth were late and I had to leave at 8 40.
Let's hope that Dan will post photos.
I took some,but I have quit trying to post long ago.

I stood there alone abot 20 min ,till some of the vets came.

I was looking arownd...
Many people in blue uniform.
But on nome of them the uniform "stood right".
Their hats were useless...
They were keeping them on a nearby fenster,on a bag or just holding it .
Some had no teeth in the front of their mouth (I quess they have free treatments).
Most of them were wearing a gold chain arownd their neck (sometines very thick) (easy to be seen due to the open shirt).
Some were holdin soft drinks bottels...
After a while two retired officers in uniforms came.
They were arownd 70.
Surely no vets.
Their uniforms were perfect.
THEY were a plesant to watch.
Their hats were on the right place (head isn't it?).
Isn't that possib anymore?
I remember veteran pilot Constantin Constantinciu.The way he was wearing his hat ,a little on the side,was wonderful.He was over 80.
MAny new oficers were much over weight.
Big bellies,only a gold ring was missing.

After a while,93 years old Nicolae Traian came.
Steady as an oak.
We talked a little and I told him my opinion written above.
He looked arownd and said "You are right,I cannot see one single guy who wears well his uniform".

LAter came almost 90 Mr Hladiuk,Mr Coman,Dobran as usual (together with mr Craciunoiu).
A suprise was Mr Dragos Stinghe,in a nice suit and tie ,who avoids such meetings usualy.
Unfortunatly I had to leave for work,and didn't met Dicesasre.

I forgot to tell ,that there were some guys in black suits with a micro in their left year.
Probably SPP.
One of them was looking very susp. on a brown anvelope I was holding in my hand.
It was from our forum member Julio from Brasil.
The guy was crossing his eyes to try to read what was written on the anvelope.
In vain.
I was keeping a finger on the right spot.
It couldn't have been a gun inside...

Maybee antrax...

Cantacuzino is much faster than Dan and here are the pictures.

Before ceremony. Vet. G-ral Ion Dobran and Mrs. Arbanas (President of "Erou Serbanescu" association)



Two "Mihai Viteazul" holders. One of them is G-ral Ion Di Cezare.

Some WW 2 vets. In the middle ex Savoia pilot Ion Hladiuc.



Ceremony officialy started.

National guard


And officials ( Minister of Defence)

The salt and the pepper of the ceremony.
Mr Ilie Rădulescu, the last nephew of aviation pioneer Aurel Vlaicu,received today the "Emblema de Onoare a Forţelor Aeriene". His speech was about the first gliding flight of o woman (his mother, Vlaicu sister) in Romanian sky.
Unfortunetly his interesting story was cut off due to other burning activities of the ceremony.

Over the "Aviatorilor Boulevard" MIG-21's, IAR 330's, IAR 99's Soim , Hercules, and some SMURD helicopters were flown today.

Here are the big Hercules passing over the monument.



This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on July 21, 2009 02:00 pm

Flowers deposit ceremony.

The ceremony ended ?

Not yet , after the guards left , a litlle boy run there and put some red flowers near the monument. In my opinion this was the most candid and sincere homage to the fallen airmen of today ceremony.




This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on July 21, 2009 04:47 am

About the ceremony: touching; too bad it wasn't really brought forward in mass-media.
As for

How could you say they were in slow pass? They already have such a little speed...
BTW, which variant of C-130 does the RoAF operate in present?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-130_Hercules

This post has been edited by MMM on July 20, 2009 02:46 pm

2 C-130H, 2 C-130B (intended to be brought at H standard), one C-130B written off, used for spares.

Same old stuff they bring to parades.

9 IAR 330 SOCAT, 9 MiG 21...

I stand corrected: the ceremony (Mr. Rădulescu included) was presented at the main TV programs, at evening news. Except the little boy moment, perhaps the most hope-giving one, unfortunately! You should send that picture to some news tv's...

Hahaha... Couldn't imagine that my brown envelope was going to be a national security issue in Romania. I hope SPP don't track it in the post office.

And those are some great photos Dan. No close up in Dicesare?

Sorry, only zoomed pictures.