NATO Tiger Meet 2009

Today was Family Day at the 2009 NATO Tiger Meet at Kleine Brogel. It's hosted by a different European country each time, and this year it was Belgium's turn. It's a pretty big deal, and Tiger Meet has lots of activities that span from September 14 - 25. Today was our day to go out with all the locals and check out the aircraft. Tiger Meet was originally started in 1959 as a way to build relations between the individual squadrons in NATO. The squadrons shared the Tiger as their symbol. It stands for "strength, speed and hunting prowess." What started as a small social event has become a pretty big show over the years. More and more countries are getting involved. And yes, that is one snazzy little paint job!
Tiger Meet isn't just a social event. It has evolved into a flying exercise, as well as a competition. They fly combat exercises, or "Tiger Games." The squadron that does the best is awarded the Silver Tiger Trophy at the end of the Meet. Belgium's 31st Tiger Squadron has won the trophy 8 times. We're really proud of our local fellows.

I know it's hard to see, but this is the new tail flash that was unveiled at this years Tiger Meet. It's the side of a white tiger's head.
This one was pretty impressive as well. It's a painting of a Hawk in flight.

This pilot was heading to the flight line when we ran into him. I took this through the windshield, so excuse the fact that it's a little blurry. He was flying by so fast, it was all I could do to get the picture before he was gone. (Check out his copilot.) For most people, it would be hard to drive this and still look cool. I'm happy to say that this fellow pulled it off quite nicely. If you would like to learn more about the NATO Tiger Meet 2009, here is a link to their official website. http://www.natotigers.org/