Every year, around the 21st. of june, there is a flying day at Akureyri airport on the North Coast of Iceland. This year the day started relatively early, or around 10 o’clock in the morning with round one Icelandic Aerobatic Championships. Even though I competed, the resaults will not be given here 😀 The Compition was over at around one in the afternoon, and a general airshow followed. Included were aerobatic displays on aeroplanes and a glider (the glider courtesty of Mr. Brendan O’Brian, more of which later), R/C model flying, flying of a Grunau IX Primary glider and last, but certainly not least, a ‘crazy flying’ act flown by Mr. Brendan O’Brian. I’ve newer seen such a thing in a Cub 😮 😮 The Cub flew sideways, on the tailwheel only, disappeared behind bushes and the terminal building etc. Just a fantastic show! That man surely knows how to show off the Cub 😀
Anyways, here are a few pictures I took. Please note, I forgot to set the correct day on the machine, so the date showing is wrong.
By: Comet - 3rd July 2004 at 18:03
This is nothing at all to do with aviation I’m afraid, but I have been enjoying the lovely scenery in your photos as I’m going to Iceland next week (9th July) on a pony riding holiday.
Lucky you – Iceland horses (never, ever called “ponies” even though they are small) are the best horses in the world to ride. I have visited Iceland loads of times, and landed and taken off from Akureyri (AEY) in an Icelandair Fokker 27. Akureyri is a beautiful place and we had glorious warm sunshine when we were there.
By: galdri - 3rd July 2004 at 15:54
Thank you for your kind replys to my very amateurish attemts at photography 😀
Now to answer some of the questions that have been raised.
robblec: The aircraft (or part of an aircraft) behind the twohole Pitts is indeed a DC6. It is the nose section of a TF-OAA, a DC6 owned by Iscargo and was scrapped in Reykjavik in 1979. The nose survived in storage with the Icelandic Historic Aviation Society until about three years ago, when it was moved to Akureyri and mounted outside the aviation museum located there. One side of the fuselage is painted to represent an aircraft from Loftleidir Icelandic and the other to represent an aircraft from Air Iceland.
Moggy C: It was a lovely day out indeed 🙂 Actually the Yak 52 is more popular here as well, with two of them registered, but only one 55. Having flown both, I would say the 55 is a nicer aircraft to fly, but has only one seat, which can be a drawback. Also the 55 is not much of a cross country machine, but acros in it are a pure bliss 😀
I’m afraid Slezy Jet does not have a route up here. If you want to visit, it is either Icelandair, or a kind of Low Cost operator called Iceland Express. By sure, however, to check the prizes with both, as the LoCo is sometimes more expensive 😮
The embargo on the competion is because of less than spectacular resaults 😮 But of course that’s not my fault. It’s them judges 😀 😀 😀
ageorge: I’ll post some Gemini photos here when there is something to see. Right now it looks a mess, with pieces of the stab spread all over the place under repair, and the rest of the aircraft in storage. I’m taking one piece at a time, and decided to rebuild it from tail to nose.
By: Moggy C - 3rd July 2004 at 13:48
I’m not sure I’d want to come back.
How much is a single?
Moggy 😉
By: ageorge - 3rd July 2004 at 09:25
Galdri is there any chance of a photo of your Miles project ?? , great photos by the way , very nice. 🙂
By: Moggy C - 3rd July 2004 at 09:02
Great post! Even worth the hassle of sitting at home on my dial-up to download.
Won’t make the obvious comment about the one aircraft that shines out above all the others (Ooops! I think I just have)
The 55 looks great. I suppose the 52 is more popular here because you can take a friend. Less people in Iceland, less need for passenger seats? And the B18, an art deco classic. Love them.
It does look like an interesting assemby of varied types, that would be a good day.
As for the midnight sun! Astounding. Think this might warrant a trip to Iceland. Does Sleazy-Jet do a route?
And the reason for the embargo on the aerobatic competition is???? 🙂
Moggy
By: robbelc - 2nd July 2004 at 21:47
Great pics but what aircraft is that behind the Pitts? Looks like a DC6 or something similar?? Love the Beech 18, one of my fave aircraft. Is that the only Yak 55 in Iceland? There are a few in the UK, but the 52 has been much more popular. I guess it never gets dark this time of year in TF land? Still light until around 22:30 in parts of the uk at the moment.
By: Kenneth - 2nd July 2004 at 21:36
Great pics of interesting aircraft!! Thanks Galdri!
By: galdri - 2nd July 2004 at 18:19
Nothing aviation related at all 😀
First is the midnight sun lighting up the mountains around Akureyri. The last picture shows how the sky looks when properly lit by the midnight sun
By: galdri - 2nd July 2004 at 18:10
Here are a few more.
1. Piper J3 Cub. The one that Mr. O’Brian was flying during his memorable display. The Owner was still shaking at the BBQ later in the evening. He thought he would never see his beloved Cub again, in one piece, after after that display 😀
2. A Pitts S2 XS. Probably one of the nicest Pitts in the world. Homebuilt, with a Pitts S2C fuse, precision wings and a hotted up Lycoming IO540 that reportedly gave 425 hp on a dyno test. Owned by Arngrímur Jóhannsson, former owner of Air Atlanta Icelandic.
3. Same as above
4. A part of the parking, with Piper PA18-150 TF-LEO in the forground
5. Something that might be more at home on the commercial forum, but anyway here it is. A Twin Otter on skies. Used by Air Iceland for charter work in Greenland, and on the Greenland Glacier.
By: Chipmunk Carol - 2nd July 2004 at 18:08
a ‘crazy flying’ act flown by Mr. Brendan O’Brian
He used to land a Cub on a moving lorry as a show act.
By: galdri - 2nd July 2004 at 15:57
The Pictures above are:
1.Cessna C-140
2.Piper PA22-150 Tri-Pacer
3.Socata TB-10 Tobaco
4. Piper Tomahawk (or Traumahawk) from Akureyri Flying School
5. YAK 55 This was my mount during the aerobatic compition, the details of which are NOT available 😀
Below are a few more
1. TF-KOT, a strange little bird. Designed and built by Húnn Snædal Air Traffic Controller at Akureyri. It is based on the general outlines of a Bucker Jungmeister, powered by a Lycoming IO360 giving 180 hp.
2. TF-KOT again from a different angle. Mr. Snædal managed a respectful 2nd place in the aerobatic competion flying this aircraft.
3. Pitts S1S owned by the owner of Air Atlanta Icelandic. It was just out of a complete rebuild after a crash two years ago and looks absolutly stunning.
4. Another view of the YAK 55
5. Beechcraft C-45 TF-JFA. Owned by an Icelandair Captain and based at Akureyri. It is kept airworth, but flown very little. It did how ever do a couple of fly-pasts during the show.
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July 2, 2004 at 3:27 pm