As a huge Phantom fan, opportunities to see the 'Rhino' must be seized with both hands when they arise, and the Turkish Air Force has always been a wonderful host in the past. This event was planned for a weekend, and with no holidays from work available this year, I was lucky enough to find flights on Pegasus to get there and back within the weekend. Two friends, Jason Grant and David Bray, joined me. Jason's birthday was on Saturday, 16th November, and this was the day the Turkish Air Force planned to do some low-level flying through a valley pass in the mountains, so if it happened, it would be a special day.



The weather forecast had been changing all week, and we didn't really know what to expect on the day. We arrived at Istanbul SAW Airport at 6 a.m. and headed off to our rental car for a first stop close to the airport to see a preserved Phantom at Tuzla. With a tight schedule, this was the only stop we would have time for on this short trip.

It was then a four-hour drive to the mountain location. On the way, we drove into the clouds and through some rainstorms, and our hopes of good enough weather for low-level flying were fading. However, as we got closer to our destination, the weather improved significantly, and our hopes were raised again. We joined the tail of a long line of cars with police escorts along small mountain roads and through small villages, where locals watched, probably amazed at such a convoy of around 400 cars in this remote area!

The hill itself was not too difficult to access and had been well planned by the organisers, finding somewhere with great views and plenty of space to park. We arrived at 12:00 hrs, and by then, most people were already there, so we found the best spot we could to set up and wait. Some low cloud was frustratingly hanging in the valley, and the Turkish Air Force members with us told us it was not safe enough to fly, which is perfectly understandable as safety comes first. But suddenly, at 3 p.m., the sun started to break through, and a rumour circulated that two Phantoms had taken off from Eskişehir. Very shortly after, we heard the distant sounds of J79 engines.

What happened next was 30 minutes of awesome action, with each Phantom making 12 passes in different directions. I moved around the hill to find different angles for photography. Having never seen a front-line jet flying at low level before, this was an amazing experience. One of the jets, serial 77-0303, was resplendent in a special scheme for the anniversary, in black and red with the Turkish flag emblazoned across the top side. On the underside was the Spook character and the legend 'Phantoms Phorever.' The other, serial 73-1052, was in the standard grey scheme with a shark's mouth, which suits the Phantom so well. A few of the passes were extremely close, and we could feel the heat from the J79 engines! We heard that the pilot of the specially marked jet had visited the location a few times to plan the flight, and this really showed. Passes at various heights were carried out, with a couple of very low passes over the river before rocketing upwards, and the jet wash on the water could be seen. The sheer height of the valley could be appreciated as the jet was very small in the camera viewfinder, but within a few seconds, it was up to our height and loomed large!

We left to make the long three-hour drive to our hotel in Eskişehir, extremely happy with what we had just seen, and enjoyed a beer to celebrate Jason's birthday.

The Sunday event was planned at Eskişehir Main Jet Base itself, and after a well-organised arrival and processing, we were all bussed into the area designated for the event. While waiting for the action to start, we purchased our merchandise: some nice T-shirts, caps, patches, etc., and then were bussed out to the runway, ready for the action. Unfortunately, the weather on Sunday was not great. No rain, at least, but low cloud and a cold wind.

Four Phantoms taxied out, including the specially marked jet, taking off and making some passes over the base. We were then allowed right next to the taxiway as they taxied back past us. We were then bussed back to the media and spotters' area for lunch and photographing the four Phantoms parked on the ramp for us. Some more passes over the base were planned, as well as an 'Elephant Walk' of ten Phantoms, so most people were bussed back to the runway for this. However, we had to leave early to make our flight home, so unfortunately, we missed this fantastic sight, as well as an extra-special tail jet and two 401 Test Squadron jets. The only consolation for us was that the sun came out for the static aircraft, and as we had a small bus to take us back to the car park, our driver kindly stopped to allow us to photograph the memorial park's preserved aircraft on the way out.

We did try to photograph the flypasts from the car park, but the sun had disappeared again, and the aircraft were too far away. We also left it a little too late to leave and only made our flight home with ten minutes to spare. A little too close for comfort!

We must extend huge thanks to our hosts, the Turkish Air Force, for once again putting on a great event and being so welcoming. We look forward to the next one!

Author & Photography
Paul Newbold