When we saw the program of this year from the KNVOL(Koninklijke Nederlandse
Vereniging Onze Luchtmacht), we saw that there was a trip to the ILA,
the Internationale Luft Und Raumfartausstellung in Berlin. That was a
show which we wanted to see. The ILA is not a show that you know as a
normal Airshow, it’s more an exchange show for aircraft, they sell the
aircraft and show what they can do. This would be a show with the newest
aircraft in the world we thought, so this is what we wanted to see.
On
Friday the 11th of June the trip started in the evening, we
were on time at the place where the bus should pick us up. When we sat
there we seen a lot of well known faces from the trip to the RIAT from
last year. The bus came eventually and we saw the bus driver was the
same as last year’s trip, that means a lot of fun in the bus. The bus
was half full so we had enough place to sleep. I couldn’t sleep in the
bus, the chairs were not so comfortable. The most of the people had
problems with sleeping but it was a quiet bus trip. On half past 5 we
arrived on the parking place of the ILA. The Airshow opened on 9
o’clock, so we drove the bus to the entrance so the bus driver could
sleep long enough for the trip back home this evening. On half past 6 we
were at the entrance. We knew we had to wait, but now we are the first.
The opening time was changed a lot of time’s, first it was 9
o’clock, then 10 o’clock etc. At 9 o’clock the first doors were
opened and at 10 past 9 the second door so we where early at the show.
We saw immediately some interesting aircraft, like the C-5 and C-17. This
was also the first thing we had to see, also because I had missed the
C-5 in Ramstein. When we arrived by the C-5 they were starting to open
the doors, this made a terrible noise but we liked to see it. After this
we were going to the other side of the field because the gates were
closed at this part. We saw the whole static. We looked at the program
when the most interesting shows where flown so we would be in time for
this.
After
the American part of the field we saw the “Red Bull” part, finally I
saw the B-25 of Red Bull, this was an aircraft I would see for a long
time. The P-38 was pulled out of the gates for a show he had to fly in
the afternoon, the P-38 was pulled through the public to the place where
he could start his engines. After the Red Bull part we were going to the
German Part where al the German aircraft where standing. This part was
the most terrible place to take pictures, but there were a couple of
very interesting aircraft, the F-4 Phantom which is going out of service
in a couple of years, the NH-90, a new aircraft of the German Army and
the EC-665 Tiger, a helicopter I had never seen before, what a great
helicopter. After this part we walked to the line of fighter jets, the
most types of this line we had seen already, so this was one of the
least interesting lines.
This
line of fighter jets was near the showline, so we were already at the
show. It was already time for the show, now the interesting part of the
show should begin. Because the ILA is at a civil airfield(Berlin Schönefeld),
the normal flights of that airfield should go on. The first things in
the show we saw where the civil aircraft of Schönefeld for the regular
flights. The show began whit the well known show of the F-18 of the
Swiss Air Force. We already had seen this show for a couple of times,
but it’s still a great show. After this show the regular traffic could
fly again, it was for some 15 to 20 min. a lot of civil traffic,
included the “Bearbus”, an Airbus A319 of Germanwings which is
painted in the colors of a bear.
 After
this, Red Bull came with a show of the DC-6 and the P-38, great aircraft
to see flying. I already had seen one time the DC-6 flying, but never a
show. It was very nice to see.
There
was also a show of the Camcopter UAV, it was too small to see and too
far away, it was the most terrible show I had ever seen.
Now one of the most interesting
show should come, the Airpower Demo of the
German Air Force.
 It should be a show with over
the 70 aircraft, later it became a show whit over the 40 aircraft and
now only 17 aircraft where promised. The aircraft which were flying the
show where very nice, Eurofighters, Phantoms and Tornado’s. Also 1
Transall and 2 UH-1’s where flying in the show. Great to see these
aircraft in one show, but it was not what they had promised in the first
time.
Now came one of the most interesting aircraft to fly on the show, the
ME-262, the first operational jet aircraft in the world. It was a
Replica, but is was still very nice to see. After this show some not
very interesting shows came, but we had to wait for the aircraft we came
for, the A380. It was the first time to see an A380 for us, so this was
the aircraft we would not miss. The show of the A380 was very good, I
had never expected that it was such a maneuverable aircraft. This was
just where we were waiting for.
 After this show some other
shows came, like the shows of the C-27 Spartan,
The EC-665 Tiger and the NH-90. When the B-25 of Red Bull should come it
began raining, that was the time we had to go on for the static. We
began at the Serbian Aircraft, aircraft of a nation that you should not
seen so often, so very interesting aircraft. Then we walked further to
the rest of the aircraft we had not seen. After we had seen everything
we were going back to the bus. When arrived on the parking place we
discovered that the bus was not there, so we waited instead. The parking
place was right under the showline, we saw every aircraft that where
flying the shows. It was nice to see it from this point of view. When
the bus arrived we had already seen one bus was stuck in the mud.
The travel back was also very nice, at 4 o’clock in the morning we
arrived in Eindhoven. It was a very nice trip with very
interesting aircraft and a very nice bus trip. The weather was poor and
the static show was also not good, but the day was very good, the
interesting aircraft and the bus trip made it all good.
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