KAUNAS - At high noon on June 16 the skies over Kaunas will be rumbling with the thunder of military planes. No, it's not that Russian invasion your grandma keeps warning you about 's it's the opening of the International Aviation Festival "Kilkime…" ("Let's Rise…"), held in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Lithuanian Air Force and the 80th birthday of the Air Club of Lithuania. Aircraft from Spain, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania will take off from Karmelava Airport to demonstrate their weird and wonderful tricks.
Planes like the MIG-29, the Phantom F-4, the L-39 Albatros and the Mirage F-1 will be performing their best aerial maneuvers, and at one point pilots will even simulate an air attack. In all, 75 pilots and 26 aircraft will be involved in the show. Audiences will also get to see air force teams demonstrating some of their less Top Gun-style jobs, like search and rescue operations and firefighting.
But the fun doesn't stop there. In a not-to-be-missed part of the event, 45 parachutists will spread a huge Lithuanian Air Force flag across the sky. And in true Lithuanian fashion, Virginijus Veilentas, the only priest with a military pilot's license, will bless the audience from the wing of a plane.
Though the main thrust of the festival is related to the Air Force, its daily life and achievements, the organizers also wanted to make sure that audiences would be able to take their eyes off the skies for at least part of the time. Concerts and other ground-based attractions will provide a nice balance for those tired of straining their necks. There will also be an aviation technology and equipment exhibition.
The fact that the festival is taking place in Kaunas is no accident. Kaunas is, in fact, the cradle of Lithuanian aviation. Lithuania's first aviation festival took place here in 1921, and Kaunas was also the intended destination of Lituanica pilots Darius and Girenas (you'll see them on the 10 litas note), whose historic 1933 transatlantic flight ended in a fatal crash in Germany. Nowadays the headquarters of the Lithuanian Air Force is located here, and the city has a unique aviation museum.
The show marks a proud moment for the Lithuanian Air Force, a chance to show how far they've come since they started almost from scratch 15 years ago. Air Force commander Arturas Leita recalls the pride they felt back then when the first Lithuanian Air Force aircraft, an AN 's 2, took off into the sky. Those early years were difficult 's the air force team didn't even have a uniform. Today though, the situation couldn't be more different, and now the Air Force is something that Leita and his colleagues talk about with a deep sense of dignity. "It is important that we feel needed and that, thanks to our search and rescue stations, hundreds of lives have been saved," says Leita.
The festival is free of charge. It's a great way to spend a day marveling at aerial stunts and learning about the job of patrolling Lithuania's skies. Public transport will be running from Kaunas to Karmelava on the day of the festival. "Only the weather can prevent the festival," Leita promised. Let's hope for calm winds and blue skies.
