- Learning the aviation history
- Dimitrios Katsoulis
- February 27, 2019
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One of the fundamentals of being an aviation and aeromodelling enthusiast is to try to pass your passion and knowledge to the younger generation. With this in mind, the acceptance of the invitation by the president of the 3rd High School of Kavala Committee, Panagiotis Kyriakidis, was welcomed by the organizing committee of the Kavala Air Sea Show.
For the two day lectures/demonstrations the public library of the Kavala Municipality offered its modern lecture hall at the 4th floor of the building.
The 90 min lectures/demonstrations were given for a period of two days from the 21st to the 22nd of February 2019. At 11:20 on Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd dozens of buzzing bees (high school students) swarmed the hall accompanied by their teachers.
Various aviation- connected exhibits were displayed in order to make it easier for the young audience to initiate themselves to the magic world of aviation.
Also a set of 4 banners for the oncoming 8th KAVALA AIRSEA SHOW were posted in key areas of the lecture hall.
The speakers had the valuable assistance of the two multitasking members of the Kavala Air Sea Show (KASS) organizing committee, Dimitra Gaita and Chrysalena Athanasiadou, who are responsible for the Show Ground and Air Operations respectively.
The first speaker was the Greek Air Force Colonel (Ret) F-5 Fighter Pilot Panagiotis Georgiadis who made a short recursion to the birth of aviation and to the historical aspects concerning the air operations in the Macedonian Front during WWI, focusing in the history of the Thassos island wartime Allied airfield in the vicinity of Prinos.
Special mention was also given to the amazing rebirth of a British WWI ΄΄Bristol Scout΄΄ fighter plane, flown from December 1915 till August 1916 by Lt Donald Bremner of Imbros off the Gallipoli peninsula, and at Thasos from the improvised airfield in Prinos.
The second speaker was our dear friend and decorated modeler, president of the Modelers Club of Kavala, Mpampis Thagopoulos.
Modellers Club of Kavala YouTube
Mpampis gave a short presentation about modelling in general and focused in the description of the highly detailed diorama which represented the airfield in Prinos in 1916.
Mpampis also briefly presented the history of the famous aerobatic team ΄΄HELLENIC FLAME΄΄ which performed from 1957 till 1964, having an astonishing model of the F-86F Sabre in plain view.
Dimitris, our Chief Engineer as an active member of this committee, undertook the task to present to the young and knowledge – thirsty boys and girls, the basic characteristics of an airplane, its control surfaces and how they affect flight. For this purpose the trustworthy workhorse BEAVER along with the electric TRAINSTAR were brought to the lecture hall.
The interest was amazing! Lots of questions and lots of students (especially boys) at the end of the presentation, magnetized by the idea and the looks of the bulky BEAVER especially after the projection of a short video with the BEAVER in action!
All of the presentations were interlarded with eye catching videos such as:
The Knights of the Aegean Sea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=00rno55HVo0
Kavala Air Sea Show 2018 (Official After Movie)
Local TV stations and newspapers were present and covered the event and a press conference was given as a closure by Col Georgiadis and the president of the High School Committee Panagiotis Kyriakidis at the end.
All of us saw in the eyes of the new generation the need for answers and the thirst for knowledge. The attitude and the high level of education in contrast to their age was a soul pleasure!
There is hope after all……………….
