In retrospect, the author's swan song on the ILA's Eastern European focus in his report on the 1996 event seems somewhat premature, as numerous types from Russia and the CIS could still be seen in 1998.
However, the trend was already emerging to "upgrade" the outdoor exhibition by showing exhibits that were interesting but no longer relevant to a trade fair (i.e. new). At least there was an attractive range of aircraft and helicopters to see – here and there with a bit of GDR history – as the author's impressions show. And since the author was working near Berlin at the time and the journey was short, he even came twice, on May 21 and 24, 1998.
