I have already reported elsewhere on the job-related shift of my aviation activities to the west in 1996 and its effects on my involvement with the MiG-21, as well as on the only aviation trip of the year without a flying MiG-21. In any case, in autumn 1996 it became clear to me that I urgently had to do something to see a flying MiG-21 that year, too. As the airshow season was already over and I lacked official contacts, the only option left was an "illegal" trip to a MiG-21 base. After reviewing all available (at that time still very sparse) information, I chose Gdynia-Babie Doły as my destination. On the one hand, regular flight operations seemed to take place there; on the other hand, at least Gdynia could easily be reached by train, and a way would be found for the onward journey to the airfield. And finally, the MiG-21bis flew there, which had also been my aircraft and which I had not seen since, as only MiG-21MFs flew in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Today I know that it would have been better to look out for MiG-21PFMs or Rs, which were still in service at that time. But hindsight is always 20/20 ...
A look at the loss reports in Air Forces Monthly was to clarify the days on which flying took place at Gdynia. And so at the end of October I set off by train to Gdynia. After a night with little sleep I arrived at the town's station while it was still dark, experienced a sunrise over the sea on a walk to the harbour, finally got hold of a town map and with its help found a bus line that took me to the airfield. After a long walk I finally arrived under the approach path to the airfield and first enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather. I made myself comfortable on a boulder at the edge of a field, watched the farmers at work in the fields, ate the provisions I had brought and waited for the things that were (hopefully) to come. For a long time nothing happened at all, until finally around noon an aircraft engine could be heard. I could not see the aircraft, but the absence of the characteristic bang when the afterburner lit made it clear to me that no MiG-21 was taking off. Half an hour later the assumption was confirmed: a TS-11 Iskra passed my position on its landing approach. So as not to attract attention and endanger my actual "mission", I did not take any photos. After that, nothing happened at first. Slowly I began to worry that I might have chosen the wrong day and, in the worst case, would have to hold out for several more days to get the object of my desire into view and in front of the lens.
It was already quite late in the afternoon and the sun was already rather low again when an engine could be heard once more and, after a seemingly endless up and down of the revs, the typical sound of the afterburner lighting could finally be heard. Still I could see nothing, and so another 20 anxious minutes passed until the characteristic silhouette of a MiG-21 appeared very high up in the sky. At short intervals the aircraft reappeared again and again – flying a little lower each time. And at some point it came in to land, flew very close past me and allowed two or three (by my standards at the time) passable pictures. Happily I packed up my things, took the next bus to the station and the next train home, and I still fondly remember this autumn day in 1996.
