Our 2019 Sanicole project delivered one of the most memorable moments in our photoflight history: a dedicated 24-minute join-up with the Ukrainian Su-27. As soon as news broke that the jet would appear at our “home” airshow, the race began to secure permission for an air-to-air session. It required careful planning and coordination, but the result was a rare and unforgettable opportunity to photograph this legendary aircraft alongside the Skyvan.
Sanicole itself offered far more than just the Sukhoi. What began as a small Belgian event has grown into a world-renowned airshow, and thanks to the Sanicole and KB teams, we once again enjoyed a week filled with extraordinary flying. The warm-up came early, with Belgian F-16s greeting us on Wednesday—this time giving us the bonus of all three special tails together. From Thursday onward, participants arrived steadily, and almost every one of them agreed to a photo join-up, making the skies over Belgium our own private airshow.
Across three photoprojects—arrivals and rehearsals, the final airshow day, and departure day—the photographers captured an impressive variety of aircraft: the T-6 Texan, Hurricane, and a stunning Spitfire–Mustang two-ship; local treasures like the T-28, Electra and Staggerwing; the much-anticipated Danish C-130, Croatian Wings of Storm and Mi-171; German NH-90 and EC-135; and the new French Army Calliope demo. The Osprey provided one of the highlights of the week, staying with the photoship for twenty minutes during a breathtaking sunset.
Airshow teams added more colour to the skies, including the Victors, Jordanian Falcons, Team Raven, and what may have been our final join-up with the Breitling Jet Team. And as every year, the Thunder Tigers of 31 Squadron delivered an exceptional performance—nearly thirty minutes of formation and solo passes, led by their iconic Tiger-tail F-16.
The Su-27, however, was the moment we will never forget. Thanks to the support of our friend Alex and the combined efforts of ATC, the Sanicole team, the Ukrainian pilots, and our Skyvan crew, everything aligned for a once-in-a-lifetime photomission. It was a fitting highlight to an extraordinary week—one we hoped to repeat in the seasons that followed.
