31 years of 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano AB

[herky11]

On 21 May Aviano AB hosted a bunch of local and non-local aviation enthusiasts to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the 31st FW reactivation on the base in northeastern Italy. A much appreciated on-base photo opportunity since the last "Wings over Aviano" open day in July 1996! The static display offered a local 555th FS F-16CM, an AV-8B from Italian Navy's Grupaer, a triplet of 51 Stormo Eurofighters from nearby Istrana AB, a 336 Mira F-16C Block 52 of the Hellenic Air Force and a Slovenian PC-9M from Cerklje ob Krki. One of the new 56th RQS HH-60W provided some action with low flyby's and fast rope demos, along with an F-16 shooting multiple spirited approaches! Last but not least a some operational cargo traffic.
All in all a really enjoyable time and a hard-to-be-forgotten event, my heartfelt thanks to the Comando Aeroporto Aviano and the 31st Fighter Wing!

KJB90810 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90546 (1) by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90500 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90993 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

The weather played ball and after a murky morning the rolling clouds set up a dramatic backdrop
KJB90600 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90636 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90622 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90572 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90562 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90926 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

IMG_20250527_214315 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

250521287 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB90521 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

KJB91121 by Filippo Lovisetto, su Flickr

More at:
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCgn8Z

Thanks for watching!
Filippo

[Blackcat1]

Beautiful selection, love the photos with the clouds rolling over mountains , reminds me of my valleys mountains sadly minus the jets these days

[Tonka 617]

Those backdrops are stunning! Nice selection

[Mustang531]

Thanks for sharing these with us, great shots and some nice schemes too.

[MiG_Eater]

Lovely to see the USAFE letting us unwashed onto their base.... dare I hope for a small (or even large) event at Mildenhall. God I miss Air Fete!

[capercaillie]

One based aircraft on static display - fantastic effort from the home team!

Some nice shots with the lovely backdrop.

[herky11]

Thank you all for the appreciation!

One based aircraft on static display - fantastic effort from the home team!

I'd see it the other way round: a fantastic effort that they let us in! Who knows... maybe a small step for a spotter, a giant leap for the Wing's leadership? Let's hope the best for the future!

Happy spotting!

Filippo

[Rob666]

One based aircraft on static display - fantastic effort from the home team!

Some nice shots with the lovely backdrop.

That’s the lowest form of wit, but have to agree poor effort.

[Rob666]

Nice pics and those backdrops incredible.

[James Cutting]

These are absolutely stunning! That head on with the Harrier and the clouds is a beauty