Sola airshow 2024, hosted by the Royal Norwegian Air Force on the military ramp of Stavanger-Sola Airport, is run by a team of volunteers and is the largest aviation event in Norway this year. 2024 marks a significant milestone for the Royal Norwegian Air Force as they mark their 70th anniversary. The Royal Norwegian Air Force was represented in the show in the form of a preserved Westland Sea King Mk.43B parked up next to its modern-day counterpart, 0275, an AgustaWestland AW101 Mk.612 which had a hefty queue for most of the day with visitors wanting a look inside the world’s most technologically advanced Search and Rescue helicopter, along with a locally based AW101 in the flying display. Also featuring in the flying display, and flying in some very challenging conditions, were The Yellow Sparrows from the Flying School at Bardufoss operating six SAAB MFI-17 Supporter and who are one of the sharpest formation display teams we’ve seen (you may have seen them display at RIAT 2024).
The SAAB MFI-17 Supporters were not the only SAAB aircraft on display though as the Swedish Air Force attended with both its SAAB Gripen JAS 39C solo display and their SAAB Sk60B display (an aircraft type which will have been retired from service by the time you read this). The SAAB Sk60B display is the exact opposite of the Gripen’s display with pilot ‘Princess’ flying the most graceful routine almost akin to that of a glider, all while set to Only Time by Enya and Tennessee by the world-famous Hans Zimmer. Another example of the SAAB Sk60B, along with a SAAB Gripen JAS 39D twin seat trainer, could be seen in the static display giving the public a great opportunity to have a look at the Swedish frontline hardware up close.
Whilst the SAAB Sk60B was ending its display season at Sola, the Royal Danish Air Force General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon demo team was just starting as Sola was their first public display appearance of the year following the cancellation of the Danish air show. With E-191 repainted and undergoing overhaul ready to be donated to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Royal Danish Air Force took the decision to paint E-006 into a similar colour scheme, the upper surfaces painted to show the flag of Denmark while the tail and underside pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon’s first flight. The excellent solo team put on a dynamic display which rarely saw the aircraft fly straight and level for more than a few seconds, and even when it was it was likely to be inverted and spewing out flares. The Danish F-16AM Fighting Falcon display had always been seen as inferior to those of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Belgian Air Force F-16 solo displays on the European airshow circuit, but in recent years the Danes have really stepped things up with their display which is now up there with the best in Europe. Sola airshow had billed three of Europe’s leading solo demos and joining the Royal Danish Air Force F-16AM was the French Air and Space Force Dassault Rafale C display. The display pilot ‘Mimoose’ was in his first display season but it wasn’t noticeable as his display, which is supervised by last year’s display pilot ‘Bable’, really showed off the aircraft handling characteristics, in particular the tremendous roll rate. For this year’s display the French Rafale has been adorned with some very patriotic red, white and blue to celebrate 90 years of the French Air Force which originally formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a part of the French Army, before becoming an independent service in 1934 and eventually becoming what is now the Armée de l’air et de l’espace or Air and Space Force.
The final fast jet display came from the Swedish Air Force with their SAAB JAS 39C Gripen solo display. Regularly seen on the circuit displayed by three nations (the other two being the Czech and the Hungarian Air Forces) it can come across as slightly underwhelming, especially when compared to the punchiness of the Rafale display, however what the Swedish Air Force was able to show off very well was the jet’s ability to take off and land in very short distances, a capability which allows the aircraft to deploy from Swedish highways.
The Royal Danish Air Force F-16AM demo team also took park in a unique formation celebrating Norwegian fighter aviation. Featuring a Supermarine Spitfire XIVe of Biltema Nordic Services AB leading an F+W DH.100 Vampire FB.6 and F+W DH.115 Vampire T.55 from Flyvpnets Historiske Skvadron followed by the Danish F-16AM in box formation, a formation of this type can be very tricky to fly. The Spitfire XIVe, along with its stable mate from Biltema Nordic Services AB the Cavalier Aircraft Corporation Mustang, carried out a very polished pairs routine, a display performed with just as much precision as the first time we saw it at Karup in 2022. The only criticism of the display would be that it seemed a bit disjointed with the solo displays of each aircraft having to fit either side of a number of commercial arrival/departures. That being said, it was great to see a pair of warbirds that are rarely seen outside Scandinavia.
One great thing about the Sola airshow is that many aircraft in the flying display also featured in the static display which was certainly not an easy task for the officials moving aircraft in and out of the static display, but one they did safely and professionally. Parked next to the Supermarine Spitfire XIVe and Cavalier Aircraft Corporation Mustang was another World War Two fighter in the form of ‘Black 6’, a Messerschmitt BF.109G-1 from the Flyhistorisk Museum Sola which, although not an airworthy example, it was still great to see a proper Messerschmitt BF.109G-1 rather than the Hispano HA-1112 Buchons we see so much of in the UK. With Norway being invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940 Messerschmitt BF.109s similar to ‘Black 6’ would have been a common sight in the Scandinavian skies. The BF.109G-1 wasn’t the only preserved aircraft present with Flyhistorisk Museum Sola also having an ex Royal Danish Air Force SAAB Draken RF35 parked next to its modern day successor the Royal Danish Air Force General Dynamics F-16BM Fighting Falcon, while nearby VGS Technical College were present with an ex Royal Norwegian Air Force Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter.
With all the talk of fast jets from across Europe it could be easy to forget the local general aviation and vintage aircraft that displayed. Sadly, due to the weather limits, the majority of these were unable to display on the Sunday but Saturday saw a Noorduyn AT-6A Harvard Mk.IIB from the Norwegian Spitfire Foundation, a Boeing A75N1 Stearman and a Pipistrel Alpha Electro as well as a Yakovlev Yak-50 and Yak-52. However our favourite item has to be the Fieseler Fi 156A-1 Storch flying in some very strong winds and at time almost looking stationary in the sky, The Storch is an aircraft not often seen in flying displays within the United Kingdom so going to Norway and seeing such great airmanship certainly gets a vote for the best display act from us.
We then went from one extreme to another as the Fieseler Storch certainly being one of the smallest aircraft on the flying display was followed by the largest in the shape of the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Strategic Airlift Capability. Having caught a glimpse of the display practice on the Friday as we arrived, we knew we were going to be in for a treat. The display being flown by a Norwegian Air Force officer who had previously flown Lockheed P-3 Orions and was actually born locally in Sola. Rarely seen in the flying display of any airshow, the display consisted of a number of high and low speed clean and flypasts, finishing off with a low approach and a dramatic break into the circuit at the Runway 18/29 intersection. Norway is the fourth largest contributor to NATO’s Strategic Airlift Capability giving 500 flight hours and with this seniority brings the prestige of providing the unit’s commanding officer every sixth time. While not the first time at an airshow, the appearance of a NATO Globemaster III isn’t that common, and this stop over coincided with a mission on behalf of the Finish military with the aircraft flying direct to Finland after a water cannon salute on departure to celebrate the final flight for a member of the crew.
There was a lot of talk on social media from locals regarding the lack of support from the Royal Norwegian Air Force and it wasn’t announced until after the show that a United States Air Force Boeing KC-135T from the Mildenhall-based 351st Air Refuelling Squadron 100th Air Refuelling Wing was billed for the static display but was in fact tucked away on the far side of the airport. It later transpired that the KC-135T was due to participate in the flying display with a pair of Royal Norwegian Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs, however due to circumstances beyond the control of the organizers and the Royal Norwegian Air Force this could not take place. What the Norwegians did display however was the locally based AgustaWestland AW101 Mk.612 which was flown by 330 Squadron who gave a tremendous demonstration of the aircraft’s manoeuvrability along with its stability in the auto pilot-controlled hover, allowing for extremely steady and smooth winching operations.
Closing the Sola Airshow on the Sunday was the United Kingdom’s contribution, the Red Arrows with the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Display Team celebrating their 60th display season this year. Having carried out one of their most prestigious flypasts of the year the King’s Birthday Flypast, the Red Arrows made the short transit across the North Sea late on Saturday night once the airshow had finished.
One thing we haven’t mentioned was the show layout. With the showground being located on the military ramp this meant that displays were taking place over the commercial aircraft ramp and terminal and for many of the solo fast jet demos this meant slightly altering their display to deviate away from taking them over the top of the passenger terminal, however the Red Arrows don’t deviate from their set routines as it takes months of planning and training to get to their standard and they simply don’t have the time to re choreograph the display to accommodate such a venue as Sola. So, for the Red Arrows display the whole display line shifted 90 degrees with the cross runway becoming the display line and the runway intersection being the display centre. The change of display line certainly didn’t detract from the superb display put on by the team, with the crowds staying to the bitter end to witness what is arguably the best national display team in the world. Home or abroad the 2024 the Red Arrows display has been polished to absolute perfection, nothing out of place whatsoever!
From a domestic point of view the show was a breeze to get into with no queuing at all at 0800 hours when the gates opened although food vendor were slightly limited with pizza and burgers being the two main options, however the quality of the food was very good which showed with the popularity of both traders. A nice touch was the open hangar with a number of aviation related stalls in, it also gave the public somewhere to shelter from the occasional heavy shower that passed through the area over the weekend. Overall, the airshow had an interesting vibe, it felt like a small family friendly show on par with the likes of Abingdon in the UK, but with an international line up stronger than major UK players such as Cosford and Duxford airshows.
Report by Gary Morris & Matt Sudol
© South West Aviation Photographers 2024