Russia II (2016)

Thursday (8 September) was our first day at “Army 2016”. We didn’t know yet what to expect, so we departed the hotel well before breakfast time but had packed breakfast with us to make sure we arrived on time at Kubinka. After the usual traffic jams in Moscow we arrived one hour before the official opening at an empty parking lot near Kubinka. Most of the group would spend the day at the airbase. With the help of our interpreter (that we had at our disposal for the day) we were able to smoothly figure out the processes and bought the tickets for the coming days. This Thursday was a trade day, not open for the general public, but we were able to buy tickets (although a bit more expensive than tickets for the public days). A lot of aircraft and helicopters were present at Kubinka, but there were hardly any visitors. Besides the 4Aviation group, around 20-30 other people were present at the base. Our interpreter came in handy, explaining the guards who we were and what the objectives of our group were. Besides a few visiting helicopters and a Romanian An-30 no flying was planned today, enabling us to spend plenty of time at capturing static aircraft. The day started out cloudy but later the sun came out resulting in sunny aircraft with dark cloudy backgrounds. Later in the afternoon it even got sunny with clear blue skies, so even more pictures could be made. From the start it was very clear that base security was tight. Nobody was allowed behind the barriers, not even the locals. The flight line was off-limits as well. Despite the fences being very close to the aircraft, it was possible to get some good shots if you took some time and effort. This event is typically an event that needs a multiple day visit to get the best out of it! Some people visited the other mentioned display areas using the shuttle busses, as well as the famous tank museum in Kubinka. This museum is showing a unique German tank called “Maus”. A highlight for many! Just after six the bus brought the very happy group back to our hotel in Moscow where they enjoyed the many restaurants and cafes near the hotel. Some people even had some energy left and visited the Red Square, just three metro stops from the hotel.