People

 

Andrej Cepko - a pilot who is keen on aviation history. He started flying gliders as 15 year old boy. Recently Andrej works as flight instructor in a renowned Air School and as a corporate pilot on charter flights. Whenever there is such chance he would swap Cessna or Piper flight deck for a cockpit of aeroplanes adherent to the Czech aviation history. To let his child dreams come true on classic machines just like Tiger Moth or Magister- training legends of the WWII. It feels quite symbolic for a professional flight instructor to saddle an open historic airplane that used to be the very first bird for the majority of RAF pilots to solo on.

Andrej Cepko airborne flying a T.34 Mentor - nowadays considered a vintage aircraft too

 

Ivo Kardoš - a fighter pilot of the Czech Air Force by profession. Apart from fulfilling all operational and training missions as any other elite pilot of the 211th tactical squadron he had displayed the supersonic JAS-39 Gripens on local and remote airshows in 2017-2020. Czech Gripens are based at Caslav AFB. On the way to Hradec Kralove where he lives there is Podhorany Airfield with Aviation Museum Hangar in one corner and few ancient airplanes in here. The contrast between the ultramodern combat aircraft and a historic biplane is ultimate. Ivo handles both virtuously and both he takes for honour to fly. Such combination is a guarantee that one can't guess any easily what is joy and what is work to him.

  

 Ivo Kardoš  after his Gripen display on SIAF airshow held at Sliač AFB , Slovakia, in September 2017

 

Jan Karabec – We've chosen Jan for he is donatious, flexible, sensitized and skillful pilot. In his (young) age were the majority of Czechoslovak pilots embarking a duty with French and later Royal Air Force at the outbreak of WWII. In return their training was quick and efficient as was proved many times while with combat squadrons later on. His flying career was initiated the way it should- on an aeroclub airfield where he started on gliders aged 15. Thereafter he continued in the flying school on powered aircraft. Recently he studies Aviation at the university, builds his time at controls and expands his qualifications. He's always dreamt about flying especially on vintage aeroplanes. It's an honour, unbeatable experience and joy to him to ride an open cockpit warbird. 

August 29, 2020: A snapshot from the mini/veteran gathering held to substitute the postponed III. Filed Concert. Jan Karabec is the fourth from the left and so from the right i.e. right in the middle (marked with an arrow to make his identity perfectly clear). (Jiří Sejkora).

 

Jan Auersvald- Jan not only learned to fly in the local aeroclub. From the very beginning he's been involved in other essential activities such as aircraft maintenance and repairs, where he has proven to be a very skilful and painstaking mechanic. It is no different in our team. Apart from actual flying collection's aircraft he can be seen sunk under an engine cowling or instrument panel quite often. He flies gliders, ultralights and SEP class aircraft. At work he is a flight simulator technician. Other than that he would operate his own ultralight airplane (Straton D-8) and a VSO-10 glider he'd successively restored with his dad. 

 

Richard Santus - Founder of R.A.F. Station Czechoslovakia. A professional pilot, Royal Air Force enthusiast and proud promoter of historic heritage of Czechoslovak exile airmen. As a civil job he runs Aeropartner Charter Airline. His efforts in the field of vintage aircraft acquisitions are focused on particular aircraft with documented historic connection to Czechoslovak WWII airmen in RAF, preserved in original condition, painstakingly restored while still safe for flying. 

Essential part of RAF Station Czechoslovakia activities is the edification. We keep our vintage aircraft busy in public displays so that especially young people get to know about the bravery and high morals of wartime heroes now that almost all of them passed away (R. Santus and pupils of general František Peřina Grammar School at Pardubice Airshow in 2023).