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National Air Force Day to be celebrated with show
ON DISPLAY:
The Air Force will show Mirage 2000-5s, F-16A Falcons, IDFs as well as models of jetfighters, helicopters, missiles, machine guns and radar systems
By Jimmy Chuang
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Aug 05, 2007, Page 4
The Air Force's major jetfighters, including Mirage 2000-5s, F-16A Falcons, IDFs (Indigenous Defense Fighters) as well as the Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team (雷虎小組) will be featured in the Air March Past this Saturday at the Sungshan Command Headquarters in Taipei.
The open house will begin at 8:30am and end at 4pm. An Air March Past will be held in the morning and another in the afternoon.
The Air Force will also display its current aircraft in service, including models of jetfighters, helicopters, trainers and various ground-to-air missiles, machine guns and radar systems.
transportation
The Sungshan Command Headquarters encouraged the public to come to view the display via public transportation. No vehicles will be allowed into the base, it said.
The riverbank parks along the Keelung River will be the best locations to view the entire Air March Past, said the Air Force.
"At the parks along the Keelung River, visitors will be able to have the best view to see every single jet fighter that flies by the Sungshan Command Headquarters on the day. Also, it will be an open house day for the headquarters," said Major General Jason Liu (劉介岑), spokesman for the Air Force.
The display is held to mark the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Air Force Day on Aug. 14, which is in memory of a victory over the Japanese during air combat in Hangzhou, China, on Aug. 14, 1937.
According to Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖), the Chinese Air Force at the time had approximately 300 aircraft while the Japanese had some 2,000 aircraft.
The Chinese Air Force began to bomb Japanese battleships and marines' command headquarters in the Shanghai area.
The Japanese decided to retaliate on Aug. 14 and assigned 18 bombers from Taipei to attack the Chinese Air Force's Chienchiao base in Hangzhou, China. Three of the Japanese bombers were shot down by the Chinese Air Force, which suffered no casualties.
The Air Force subsequently decided to mark Aug. 14 as the "Air Force Day."
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