Bye-Bye, Bora – MiG-21.de

(Text and photos: author)

Anyone who chases aircraft – especially military ones – needs a robust, reliable car suitable for long distances. In my case, for nine years that was a VW Bora, which carried me safely over 360,000 kilometres. On the occasion of its "retirement" in November 2011 it deserves a tribute here.

None of my previous cars accompanied me to so many aviation events and appointments, and given the dwindling MiG-21 fleets probably none will ever have the chance to beat the following list, because my Bora took me in 2003 to the roll-out of the MiG-21SMT at Altenburg-Nobitz, to DOL Kliniska, to the Międzynarodowe Pokazy Lotnicze Radom, in 2004 to Základna Taktického Letectva Čáslav, to the Mezinárodní Letecký Den Prague-Kbely, to the ILA Berlin-Schönefeld and the history forum Neuhardenberg, to Den Vzdušných Sil Přerov, to the Den Otevřených Dveří and squadron exchange Čáslav, to the spotters' day of fighter wing JG 73 Laage, to WZL 2 Bydgoszcz, to the Czech International Air Fest Brno-Tuřany, to Flying Rhino Čáslav, to P.H.U. Recycling Service Babimost, in 2005 to Romania, to Den MiGů Prague-Letňany, to the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Prague, to 204. Lovački avijacijski puk Batajnica, more than ten times to Čáslav to say farewell to the Czech MiG-21s, to the open day and the MiG-21 farewell at Čáslav and Přerov, to the Kecskemét Air Show, to the Czech International Air Fest Brno-Tuřany, in 2006 to the ILA Berlin-Schönefeld, to the 15th anniversary of the formation of the Croatian Armed Forces Zagreb, to the Croatian International Airshow Varaždin, to the Aeromiting Zagreb, to the Aeromiting Čakovec, to the open day at Zadar, in 2007 to Den Otevřených Dveří Čáslav, to ELITE Lechfeld, to Romania, to the Kecskeméti Nemzetközi Repülőnap, in 2008 to Den ve Vzduchu Plasy, to the Croatian Armed Forces Day Karlovac, to the Aeromiting Novi Sad-Cenej, to the MiG-21 stopover at Erfurt airport, to the Serbian Air Force Day Batajnica, to the Kecskeméti Nemzetközi Repülőnap, to the Aeromiting Zagreb-Lučko, to the last day of operations at Berlin-Tempelhof airport, in 2009 to the theme day of the Freundeskreis Luftwaffe at the Military History Museum Dresden, to the exhibition "50 years of MiG-21 series production" at Berlin-Gatow, to the Croatian International Airshow Varaždin, in 2010 to the Kecskeméti Nemzetközi Repülőnap and finally in 2011 to the Letalski Miting AvioFun Maribor, as well as dozens of times to the airport to fly to the aviation events not listed here.

It never let me down, even if two or three times it only just managed to drag itself home with serious defects. For this, thanks are due to its builders and to the workshop staff who looked after it, as well as to my Bora itself. I hope it may spend the rest of its car life somewhere warm. Here are a few memories of joint tours:

From the endless straights of the Baltic states ...

... to the bumpy Albanian roads we travelled together.

Mostly paved roads were our territory, but sometimes my Bora also proved real off-road qualities: after an … — Mostly paved roads were our territory, but sometimes my Bora also proved real off-road qualities: after an adventurous tour around the Romanian base at Câmpia Turzii, which among other things led across a military training area, the mud splashes reached up to the roof.

And it was not certain either that the chase for the last landing of a Czech MiG-21 at Přerov in 2005 would … — And it was not certain either that the chase for the last landing of a Czech MiG-21 at Přerov in 2005 would end on firm ground. But my Bora dutifully coped with metre-long, knee-deep puddles and only lost a small grille on the spoiler.

Only rarely was it allowed onto the airfield, like here, also at Přerov ...

... at the lecture at the Luftwaffenmuseum at Gatow ...

... or at the first meeting with my friend Laurenţiu Chiriţă , tragically killed in 2010, in 2007 at Šiauliai … — ... or at the first meeting with my friend Laurenţiu Chiriţă, tragically killed in 2010, in 2007 at Šiauliai in Lithuania, where it stands a little to the side behind the trees.

Once it even got almost too close: only at the last moment did I spot the red light and the landing MiG-21UM … — Once it even got almost too close: only at the last moment did I spot the red light and the landing MiG-21UM during the visit to Batajnica in May 2005.

Mostly it waited dutifully outside the gate for my return, like here – hidden behind the sign – at Bad Düben … — Mostly it waited dutifully outside the gate for my return, like here – hidden behind the sign – at Bad Düben in 2009.

And so we remained inseparable until, on November 11, 2011, 400,000 kilometres had finally been reached and a … — And so we remained inseparable until, on November 11, 2011, 400,000 kilometres had finally been reached and a successor took its place.