Photographer Elio Viroli - detached to Comando Generale delle Scuole - w/o 5 December 1990 in charge to 603 Sq. Coll.

This Kfir C2 is former IDF serial 961. It was manufactured in 1979 and delivered to the Sri Lanka Air Force as CF-720 (with only 821,29 flight hours) on 4 November 2000. It was reserialled to SMF-5207 in 2011. The Kfir was place on a metal construction outside the SLAF Air Force Headquarters, in the middle of Colombo town most probably late late 2011, early 2012. In the back ground, the Colombo symbolic landmark Lotus Tower can be seen, 1,153 feet (351.5 meters) high. The Lotus Tower's acts as a tourism place and it functions as a radio and television broadcasting antenna too.

Strikingly, four black Bell 412s were seen on the platform of Ratmalana, all four carried the same serial, "SUH-522". There are six of them, and serials involved are reportedly SUH-523 (c/n 33097), SUH-525 (33095), SUH-527 (36225), SUH-528 (36249), SUH-529 (36557) and SUH-530 (36558). They are assigned to the 4 (VIP/VVIP) Helicopter Squadron "Anywhere, Anytime, Safely" that also operates Bell 212 and Mi-171E types. The 412s showed no exact IDs to the 4Aviation travellers. Here two leave the Ratmalana platform for a mission to pick up members of the presidential family.

This was one of the first F-16s to be received by the Thunderbirds in 1982 when they transitioned from T-38s. When the team converted to F-16Cs in 1992, 81-0676 was modified to operational status and assigned to the 425th FS at Luke AFB, AZ before being retired to Sheppard AFB, Texas as a GF-16A ground instructional trainer a year later. It was moved to the Museum of Aviation in 2008

Punching out some flares in its showcase is A44-218.

FMS serial 99-1527, a F-16C-52+-CF of the Peace Xenia III program.

Delivered to the USAF in November 1961 as a standard C-135A Stratolifter, in 1966 61-0327 was converted into an EC-135N Apollo/Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA) with 7ft antenna dish in a large nose extension. That was removed in the mid-1980s, but the aircraft retained an extensive communications system. In 1987 it came to the 19th ARW at Robins AFB, where it joined an EC-135Y as a special airborne command post aircraft, transferring 10 years later to Headquarters USCENTCOM at MacDill AFB, FL. It was retired for preservation in 2003

My favourite exhibit among the big collection at Warner Robins. Warner Robins Air Logistics Center provided both logistics and management support of the C-124 fleet. The "Old Shaky" on display entered USAF service in February 1952 as a C-124A, later converted to C-124C (uprated engines, nose radar, increased fuel tankage) and served with units on the West Coast until retired in August 1971. The museum acquired the aircraft in 1986

Delivered to the Sri Lanka Air Force as CR860 on 23 June 1995. It was (unconfirmed) a former Kazachstan aircraft. The NATO reporting name CLINE was assigned to 2 Heavy Transport Squadron at Katunayake, the military part of Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport. It was damaged on 21 April 1997 at Ratmalana during a night landing. It was repaired by April 1998. Reserialled to SCM-3301 in 2010 and again to this SCM-860 by March 2012. The An-32B was parked inside a hangar, together with SCM-868, and awaiting spare parts to become part of the flyable part of the heavy transport squadran again.

Warner Robins Air Logistics Center provided system management and logistics support for USAF Blue Canoes during their service life. The U-3B on display was delivered in January 1961 and assigned to the 3902nd ABW at Offutt AFB, NE. In January 1974 it was transferred to the Warner Robins Air Materiel Area until August 1977. It was retired from active service in December 1985 at Eglin AFB, FL and flown to the museum for preservation

This image clearly shows the Airbus A380 only has thrust reversers installed on the inboard engines.

Former UR-48011 was delivered to the Sri Lanka Air Force as CR868 possibly in 2000/2001 timeframe. It was reserialled to SCM-3305 in 2010 and to SCM-868 by March 2012. All the time it was assigned to 2 Heavy Transport Squadron at Katunayake, the military part of Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport. The An-32B was parked inside a hangar and awaiting spare parts to become part of the flyable part of the heavy transport squadron again. Pictured during an excellent and recommended 4Aviation tour to Sri Lanka!

This aircraft was written off, fortunately without loss of life, on 11th August 2007 at Dominica-Melville Hall Airport when it overran the runway on landing, down an embankment, through a fence, and came to a stop on a road. Credit: Aviation Safety Network.

This 1980-built Skyhawk is pictured taxiing in after landing on rw07.

The former Wardair B707-396C C-FZYP (my photo here) was seized by the US Justice Department after a drug smuggling incident in May 1981 and allocated USAF serial 85-6973. Modified by Northrop Grumman as a JSTARS aircraft and reserialled 00-2000, it was active with 128th ACCS Georgia ANG here at Robins AFB from 2003 to September 2019. To Museum of Aviation in July 2023

Photographer Pasquale Bizzoco

This aircraft was re-registered N619ML to Pissed Away N619ML LLC, Bellvue, WA. on 4th March 2011 and, at he time of posting, is still current but to a different owner.