As every year, Children Day activities were held on the second Saturday of January at every Royal Thai Air Force Base in the country – this in spite of the fatal accident with a Gripen fighter during last year’s Children Day in the southern town of Haadyai. The Commander of the RTAF, Air Chief Marshal Johm Rungswang, made it repeatedly clear that he considers it the duty of the RTAF to show their equipment and activities to the public, not the least because such demonstrations also help to attract new recruits to the RTAF. That the public loves the Children’s Day aerial and static demonstrations was clearly evident in the ever larger number of spectators, mostly parents with children, who turned up for the event since the early hours of Saturday.

The aerial demonstrations, which were held at Wing 6 opposite the civilian international airport at Don Muang, were split into three segments since in view of the heavy civilian traffic at Don Muang, there was a need to allow the various airlines using Don Muang to depart and receive their scheduled flights.

The show was opened by the usual three Fairchild AU-23 Peacemakers, also known as Pilatus PC-6, which made two passes while streaming smoke in the colors of the Thai flag.  This was followed by a single F-16A fighter aircraft in a low and fast fly-past. The aircraft came from Wing 1 in Korat and returned there immediately afterwards. In a change from the usual program, four F-16 fighter jets appeared for some formation passes and later on for repeated mock bombing attacks on a fictitious target inside the Don Muang Airport area. Two of the participating aircrafts came from the Fighter Squadron 403 at Wing 4 in Takli while the other two aircrafts flew in from the Fighter Squadron 103 at Wing 1 in Korat. They produced a very interesting display which was well appreciated by the crowd. A sole Eurocopter EC 725 thereafter showed its ability to abseil several soldiers and retrieve them following the completion of their ground task. After a pause used by the civilian airlines to land and depart, the much awaited JAS 39 from the 701 Fighter Squadron at Wing 7 in Surat Thani began its aerial display by taking off with lots of smoke trailing. A very senior Gripen pilot assigned this year to demonstrate the agility of the Gripen aircraft proceeded to give a very spirited display, much to the pleasure of the crowd.

The last segment of the morning show consisted of some formation flying by four Pilatus PC-9 aircrafts from the 2nd Flying Training Squadron stationed in Kamphang  Saen. Surprisingly, the aircrafts sported the colors of the now defunct “Blue Phoenix” aerobatic team which had been put together for the 100th Anniversary of the RTAF in 2012. This demonstration was followed by four Pacific Aerospace CT-4 from the 1st Flying Training Squadron also based in Kamphang Saen near Nakorn Pathom.

As usual, there were a number of active and inactive RTAF aircrafts on the static display. Unfortunately missing from the static park was the RTAF’s latest acquisition, the KAI T-50TH supersonic advanced trainer and light combat aircraft, also known as “Golden Eagle”,  two of which were supposed to arrive from  the factory in Korea two days before the show.  However, they were held up in Malaysia by an engine problem on one of the aircrafts caused by pieces of ice damaging the fan blades during the ferry flight. This however did not deter the RTAF officials to promote the new aircraft with a large billboard incorporating a life-size cardboard effigy of the Commander of the RTAF and by distributing promotional

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