I have to travel to Finland and will have one day available for some spotting. I fly in and out of Tampere, so that is a good start (last time I was there they still flew the Draken)...
I know from experience that half a day at Tampere will be enough, because probably the same aircraft will fly all day long. So I have half a day left...
Question: is there anything to be seen at Halli and at Tikkakoski from the outside? It is the serial numbers I am after, pictures are not that important These airfields are not in the Scramble Airfield Guide on this website. I will probably go to the interesting museum at Tikkakoski anyway.
At both bases some aircraft could be seen from the outside. At Jyvaskila you can see some of the military platform and hangars on the other side, while being close to the civil terminal. Do not expect that many a/c though and the view is not spectacular.
As far as I can recall, the hangars at Halli are quite close to where you can go without entering off-limit areas. Been there twice, but this did not result in any serials though.
eriktex wrote:OK thanks! I checked Jyvaskila at Google Earth and it looks easy. I need my last F-27! That will do just fine...
Let me guess, the FF-1?
Do know that this one is flying very little. If you do see it, you can count yourself very lucky!
But in any case, I would indeed propose Jyvaskyla as well. If you have enough time though, Kauhava might be the best option. It is quite a distance to the north (I am not sure of the precise distance, only did it by train), but it is the only field that I know of in Finland where you can see a larger number of planes. You can drive along the fence and see most of the platform with Hawks and Vinkas. 10 of each should be possible on a day.
Kauhava is too far north. I'll go for the museum and the chance for my F-27 - plus a quick stop at Halli... I'll check my AIM/SGV-magazines for a Finnish airfield guide.
Halli
It was very easy to drive along the perimeter through the woods.
We identified two preserved MiG-21s and a Draken as well as two stored MiG-21s and a Draken.
There is another Draken preserved in town and a small museum under the eastern approach.
Tikkakoski
We saw a couple of active aircraft, late afternoon.
One of them was a Vinka which was inside a civil hanger. On Google Earth, in the left hangar, in row of five, north-east of field.
There was also one more MiG-21 stored in a military compound. When you leave the museum, go right, third right (Lennostontie) and it is in the back of some barracks after about 750 meters on your right.
Hi Erik: regarding FF-1.
not flying too often, what I heard from a Finnish friend who;s brother works on it it flies 2-3 times a week, leaving early in the morning and trip is usually 4-5 hours duration.
Good luck !
Halli:
Not a very open airbase. It is situated in the forest. From one side along the fence/runway some parts can be seen from the wood. If I remember well a MiG-21UM, F-18 and Draken could be seen parked around the base.
The otherside, along the road and the barracks/maingate etc. is harder to view. Next to the Tech. School there used to be (in 1998) some Drakens and MiG-21's outside, could be seen from publicroad which runs along the fence. At one point, somewhere halfway the lenght of the field, there is a well hidden dumpyard. During the summer it could hardly be seen, we noticed it during a walk (my guess is you would miss it while driving in a car). On this storage/dump line there where alot of older MiG-21 types in old camo (and old serial presentation) aswell as a few later models (MiG-21Bis) and a single MiG-15 if I remember well. Not all could be ID'ed because of the trees and bushes.
As stated already by some one else, there is a small musuem outside the base, underneath the approach. In my memory I see a MiG-15 and/or Gnat somewhere preserved (on a sokol) in the village, near a lake. Can't tell for sure, would have to check old logs to confirm.
Tikkakoski:
Visited both in 1997 and 1998. Two MiG-21F-13 in Bis-look-a-like outfit where parked in edge of the forest on the mil-side. Could be seen from the otherside (civ. terminal). In 1998 we aranged a visit in the storage hangar of the museum. This hangar is not on the museum territory, but they use an old hangar on the military side near the active mil. hangars. The back of the active mil. hangars can be reached very near from public road. Where the road makes a turn, it runs along the fence, and you will be able to see the back of the hangars. Most of them have doors and windows, you might be able to peak true and look into the hangar. We managed to read of a few parked inside. It also gives you limited view on the tarmac in front, but perhaps its better to watch that from the civil terminal.
Far as I have understood all Vinka's moved from Kauhava to Tikkakoski a couple of years ago. This might result in a larger number of movements during the day. Could even mean you will catch a number of Vinka's on the ground.
Good luck. Curious to know how your experience is 10 years after my last visit.
Thanx for the info. I just returned from Finland and had an excellent time at Tampere, Halli and Tikkakoski.
Bad luck for the FF-1, it was not to be seen, but no less than 11 Vinka's was a nice surprise at Tikkakoski, plus a C295, a Redigo and two Pipers. Not bad at all.
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...but he (she?) is still around so... 
