Happy New Year!

Dear visitors, the Strizhi team pilots and the site administration wishes all the best regards for you!
Happy New Year and good luck!

Training flights began at Kubinka

December 10, 2004 - The successful trainings of rhombus formation of 2 Su-27 'Russkiye Vityazi' (Russian Knights) and 2 MiG-29 'Strizhi' (Swifts) aerobatic teams at Kubinka airforce base.

November 15, 2004 - Back at Kubinka!

Monday, November 15, 2004.
10:48 AM, Kubinka AFB.
This morning the Strizhi (The Swifts) Team passed over the runway in 'pyramid' formation, the guys having finished their long trip home from Zhuhai, South China!
The very first photos:


For those of you who can read russian I'd like to highly recommend to read a short report brought to you right from Kubinka airforce base runway!
Full version of this article is here, include many photos taken at Kubinka AFB in November 15.

November 14, 2004 - Our MiGs fly home from South Siberia!

Lieutenat Colonel Vlad Russanov, from Belaya AFB (South Siberia)
"Headed for Novosibirsk."
Later today the Team succesfully landed at Novosibirsk and then at Ekaterinburg, having crossed over Siberia and the Ural region.
Where's the Swifts Team today?

Click here to see daily updated map of current flight route.
Last updated November 14, 2004.

Strizhi (The Swifts) Team movie in English

The Swifts video is now available in English! If you are interested in our team aerobatics video, please
download our movie from here (176 mb).

Or, choose the 2nd mirror server (North America) to download this file.

I'd love to show you some images taken from this movie:


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Feel free to add comments, your impressions are always welcome!

November 12, 2004 - Back in Russia!

Friday, November 12, 2004.
As the pilots said, "Both legs of today's hop are complete. We've landed at Belaya airforce base, crossing over Northern China and Mongolia in a single day ". Flight time from Ulan Baatar: 50 minutes, early from Zhengding: 2:05.

Where's the Swifts Team today? Click here to see a daily updated map of the current flight route.
Last updated November 12, 2004.

November 11, 2004 – Team lands at Zhengding, flight time from Wuhan: 1:55.

Thursday, November 11, 2004.
Lieutenant colonel Valery Morozov, from Zhengding (China):

"The second leg of today's hop is complete, we are all at Zhengding airport", flight time: 1:55.

Where's the Swifts Team today? Click here to see a daily updated map of the current flight route.
Last updated November 11, 2004.

November 11, 2004 - The Team begins their trip home!

Thursday, November 11, 2004.
Lieutenant colonel Valery Morozov, from Wuhan (China):

"We have landed at Wuhan". All 5 MiGs of the Team have landed at Wuhan around 7:00 AM, Moscow local time.

Where's the Swifts Team today? Click here to see a daily updated map of the current flight route.
Last updated November 11, 2004.

November 10, 2004 - Bad weather conditions at Zhuhai

Colonel Gennady Avramenko, from Zhuhai (South China):

Wednesday, November 10, 2004.
"We are not flying out today because of bad weather reports. Best regards from China!"
Where's the Swifts Team today?
Click here to see a daily updated map of the current flight route. Last updated November 10, 2004.

November 7, 2004 - Last 2 official demonstration flights at Airshow China

Lieutenant colonel Valery Morozov, from Zhuhai:

Sunday, November 7, 2004.
Today, we succesfully flew our last 2 group demonstration flights over Zhuhai airport, at the Airshow China 2004. The scheme of both flights was 5+4+1.
Now the show is closed, we are heading home on November 10.

November 6, 2004 - Another 2 official demonstration flights at Airshow China

Lieutenant colonel Valery Morozov, from Zhuhai:


Saturday, November 6, 2004.
Today, our MiGs flew another two group demonstration flights over Zhuhai airport, at the ongoing Airshow China 2004.
The scheme of flights was: 1st flight = 4+1, 2nd flight = 5+4+1.

November 5, 2004 - 2nd official demonstration flight at Airshow China

14:00 Friday, November 5, 2004.
Today, all five of our MiGs flew for the 2nd successful group demonstration flight over Zhuhai airport, at the ongoing Airshow China 2004.

November 4, 2004 - 1st official demonstration flight at Airshow China

14:00 Thursday November 3, 2004.
Today, all five of our MiGs flew for the 1st group demonstration flight over Zhuhai airport, at official opening the Airshow China 2004.

November 3, 2004 - 1st practice demonstration flight over Zhuhai airport

12:00 Wednesday November 3, 2004.
Today, all five of our MiGs flew for the 1st group training demonstration flight over Zhuhai airport, before official opening the Airshow.

November 1, 2004 - 5 of our MiGs landed at Zhuhai!

November 1, 2004 - Five of our MiGs landed at Zhuhai!  
Tonight our group of five MiG-29s flew over the airport and succesfully landed at Zhuhai, having flown a distance of 2330 km over China in a single day.

Last news: November 3 is the main rehearsal day.

Sunday, October 31 - The Team landed at Hohhot, China

Sunday, October 31.
12:50 PM (Moscow local time), the team landed at 1st waypoint in China – Hohhot airfield.

The Team landed at Ulaan Baatar

October 29, 2004 7:30 AM (Moscow local time)
'All the migs landed at Ulan Batar', said in a short phone conversation lieutenant colonel Valery Morozov, Swifts #5 wingman. He stay in the centre on this photo.

Today's early morning photos from Ulan Bator.


Author of photos - Gankhuyag Ganbold, thank you so much!

Swifts will perform their show of 5 MiG-29 'pyramid' formation.

Swifts fly to visit China

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2004
The Swifts take off to visit The People’s Republic of China

Six MiG-29s from the Swifts team are headed for Zhuhai, southeast China, to perform at Airshow China 2004, held from the 1st through the 7th of November.

The planned flight route will take the team thousands of miles eastward across Russia and then swing southeast through Mongolia and China:


Schedule of the ongoing cross-Siberian hop of six MiG-29s:
(Moscow local time)
 
October 22, 2004
Take off from home airbase at Kubinka.
1:05 PM: team landed at Ekaterinburg.
 
October 23, 2004
11:20 AM: team landed at Novosibirsk.
 
October 24, 2004
11:38 AM: team landed at Belaya airbase, in the Irkutsk region.
 
October 29, 2004 - The planned date to cross the Russian Federation - Mongolian border.

October 29, 2004
7:30 AM: 6 MiG-29 landed at Ulan Batar, capital of Mongolia.

Welcome to the Swifts Flight Demonstration Team!

This blog was created for the purpose of supporting our official website www.strizhi.ru, which is mostly Russian for the moment.
It is intended to be a short relay system for our news in English. Hold short for updates...

See you!