The year 2020 will remain in the memory of all aviation fans for a long time. We will remember it as the time when ALL of the biggest air shows around the world were canceled. The organizers of the air show faced the most difficult and unprecedented decision - to cancel the shows due to the pandemic. However, it is difficult for aviation fans to imagine the summer without any air show, so some of the events were transferred to the online world. This solution - as the only one in Poland - was also chosen by Aeropact, the organizer of LOTOS Gdynia Aerobaltic.
On the day when the Gdynia air show was planned to start in the real world, i.e. on Friday, August 7, viewers watched an almost 4-hour program broadcast live from a studio built especially for this occasion at Gdynia-Kosakowo airport - where traditional show takes place every year.
The list of guests in the studio included - among others - TS-11 Iskra pilot and president of the White-and-Red Wings Foundation Piotr Maciejewski, skydiver from the Sky Magic group Piotr Świeboda and the leader of ORLEN Aerobatic Group Żelazny - Wojciech Krupa. This team also made a surprise for the inhabitants of the Tri-City and tourists by making a flight over the Bay, which the pilots ended by painting a spectacular heart in the sky.
Those who did not manage to get to Gdynia appeared in the studio via Skype - Wojciech Sołtysik from the Flying Dragons Team greeted the fans from Wawel (Cracow), aerobatic pilot Marek Choim and Capt. pil. Wojciech Kieczur from the F-16 Tiger Demo Team talked about the backstage of air show and the preparations for the display. The guests of Aerobaltic Online also included the teams that were to fly over Gdynia during the fourth edition of LOTOS Gdynia Aerobaltic. The undisputed star of the program was to be the Red Arrows - one of the best display groups in the world. Adam Collins - Squadron Leader and Red 10 - assured in the interview given especially for Aerobaltic Online that he and the team would be very happy to come to Gdynia next year. The pilots of the Croatian Krila Oluje and the British groups - The Blades and AeroSPARX - also talked about the backstage of flying and doing a display in formation. Greetings for viewers were sent by the Royal Jordanian Falcons and the Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker pilot - Yuri Bulavka. The program was hosted by Maciej Stroiński - marketing and promotion manager at Aeropact and Piotr Knąber - radio journalist and commentator of Gdynia air show.
The event was held under the patronage of Radio Eska.
Aerobaltic Online’s partners were the most important media in the aviation industry.
The organizer has already invited to the next year's Aerobaltic which will take place on August 20-22, 2021 and this year's online edition can be viewed here:
