Kick-off project trip to the Aeropark
“On Saturday, 26 August, the groups from Pécs took part in a project trip to the Aeropark to start the school year. Flight, experience, time travel, history. During the full-day excursion, we were able to discover three legendary eras from the decades of Hungarian civil aviation in the museum, where we could experience what it was like when domestic flights connected the Hungarian cities, or take off in a period aircraft from the historic Terminal 1. From the point of view of pilots, flight engineers, technicians and flight attendants, we could hear the many memories and stories of aviation on board the historic aircraft on display at the Aeropark. We got to know the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in a way we never got to see it as passengers. We went behind the scenes of the airport with Malév Ikarus buses. We got a taste of flying in the Aeropark simulators with the Airbus A320neo simulator at the Museum of Flight. We were enriched with countless experiences. We are very enthusiastic for the school year 2023/24. We thank pilot Tamás Darida for the three-hour tour, which provided us with a lot of useful and interesting information and answered all our questions. Thank you to the Csányi Foundation for making the programme a reality, and for giving us all a memorable experience.” Andrea Bálint- Orsós, mentor Pécs Group 3
“Today we had the opportunity to visit Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport and the adjacent AeroPark. We were given an insight into how the airport works with a bus tour. After the tour, we were able to see the aircraft on display in the Aeropark. We gained a lot of interesting new information and experiences during the day. I think that the bus tour was the most enjoyable, because apart from learning a lot about planes and flying, it was also very spectacular to see the planes landing and taking off above our heads.” Krisztián Schneider, Pécs Group 3
“On 26 August, we visited Budapest airport, thanks to the Foundation. However, it was not only aircrafts that we had the chance to meet, but also a Ferrari cabriolet. Once we had enjoyed ourselves, we boarded a tricked-out Ikarus bus waiting in the car park, which drove us around the 1515-hectare airfield. Before we started our tour, however, we were subjected to a rigorous security check. But we weren’t the only ones checked, our bus was also screened. We didn’t stop at some places (such as the kerosene storage cauldrons), but we were able to check them from the safety of the bus. Our tour guide told us a lot of interesting information. Among other things, we learned that the fuel is put into the wings of today’s airplanes, or that up to 300 airplanes a day fly around Liszt Ferenc Airport. But it was not surprising that he knew so much, as our guide was a retired pilot. We toured the repair shops, the private planes, and the old terminal, which today was just a sweet memory of the old days. But planes aren’t the only vehicles here; buses ferry passengers, cars and trucks wait in the parking lots as far as the eye can see, waiting for planes loaded with cargo. The airport even has its own police, ambulance and fire services. We had a peek inside the fire brigade. We got a close look at the huge vehicles that need just the push of a button to spring into action and save lives. Thank goodness we didn’t have to see the firefighters in action. Our next stop was the landing pad, where we saw five aircraft arrive successfully. The majestic aircraft flew over our heads about 50 metres off the ground. But our visit didn’t end there, as we also shuffled off to the terminal, which is still in operation today. We could see people getting on and off the planes. When all the passengers had taken their seats, the plane was pulled onto the tarmac. The aircraft accelerated and then lifted off the ground and began its sky journey, which could last for hours. We were very tired, but there was one more place to go: the aviation museum. Here we could even get on one or two of the planes ourselves and get a feel for what it must have been like to fly an IL-18 in April 1960, or if our hearts were set on being a pilot, we could even take the captain’s seat in a couple of planes.” Enikő Miléna Szőke, Pécs Group 3
“Today, the members of the Pécs Community House left early for Budapest. This time we took part in the trip as mentor-assistants, where we tried to help the mentors with their work and to facilitate the integration of our new group mates, the youngest members of Pécs 1. We arrived at the Aeropark at around nine o’clock. During the morning we took a guided bus tour of the airport. We were shown around the fire station, watched five planes land and take off from a safe distance and were shown around the old outdoor areas of the airport. All the while, we learned a lot of new things about aircrafts and how airports work. The little ones were very interested and asked the guide lots of questions, and he was happy to answer them. We then had a short break, followed by a guided tour of the local area, during which we all felt a bit like pilots. We had the chance to look at different models, learn a lot about the maintenance and use of the machines, and the children got to sit in the cockpits. Despite the intense heat, the programme was full of fun! We ended the day with a meal together and then headed home. This was our first programme, where we were joined by our new peers, and we believe we will continue to make a good team!” Laura Albert, Antónia Polgár, Vanessza Pintér, Pécs Group 1
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