Kecskemét

7-8 August 2010

Kecskemet, in Central Hungaria in the middle of the great Hungarian plains, is the 8th largest city of the country. It plays an important role as economic and administrative center in the country’s largest county. It is also the location of the Hungarian air force’s only remaining fighter base, the 59th tactical aircraft base. It has also built a firm reputation with airshow fanatics all over the world for hosting one of the world’s great air displays and 2010 was no exception.

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While the static park is quite limited because of not having a lot of ramp space, the organizers had managed to attract quite a few stars to the show, most notably aircraft from Bulgaria, Israel and Ukraine.

The flying display had an extraordinary number of fighter displays, in addition to some classic airplanes, some rare training aircraft and some of the best demonstration teams in Europe. All this was presented in mixed weather, ranging from low cloud and very thick fog to glorious sunshine, requiring some reshuffling in the programme, especially on Saturday. On Sunday, the entire programme could go ahead, though in the morning, most displays were forced into their flat routines. Still, some exceptional flying meant the crowd was treated to a stunning display throughout the more than 10 hours of flying display!

With too many highlights to list in the flying display, including an exceptional number of high-performance jets and concluding with the Hungarian airpower demonstration, visitors had plenty to entertain them in the skies.

With excellent transportation from the city center, plenty of catering options, a showground lay-out that allows the aircraft to take center stage and easy access, the organization should be applauded for their massive effort towards making this event such a success. The Kecskemet international Air and Military airshow 2010 was probably the highlight of the European airshow season.