Aviators back in Obrenovac
The low clouds that surrendered Obrenovac yesterday did not stop a helicopter crew of the Armed Forces of Serbia, including Major Vladimir Grbic, Captain Nenad Janjicic, Sergeant Major Nebojsa Dragic and Sergeant Major Ivan Miladinovic from, as they have many times last spring during the disastrous floods, using their knowledge and experience in flying, finding the “hole in the sky” and land the “eight” in front of the Elementary School “Jefimija” in Obrenovac, to the excitement of children, and the older ones, this time for a different reason than during the floods in May.Six months ago, this was the school where, as in one of the “dry spots”, an improvised shelter center was located for those affected by the floods and it was the starting point for evacuation from Obrenovac, with the committed help from the pilots who now came to socialize with the pupils and teachers in a relaxed atmosphere and show what it is they do when not rescuing the aggrieved – to the general excitement of the youngest and older audience.
While the “eight” was still flying over the school under the cloudy Obrenovac sky, the pilots were greeted with another flood, this time not the one of water, but a true flood of emotions, the most sincere ones, the ones only children can give – the children waving from the wide open windows of the school, the older ones scattered around the sports fields, teachers, school employees, people passing by, all with their eyes and open palms directed to the sky.Upon their arrival, the SAF pilots presented their profession at “Jefimija”, “what they do and how they do it”, and the pupils displayed an admirable amount of interest, and even knowledge of aviation thematic. Major Aleksandar Andric from the Museum of Yugoslav Aviation, who talked about the history of military aviation in Serbia did not even try to hide his content when, to his question “has anyone been to the Museum” almost everyone raised their hand!
The aviator profession was also presented by Major Vladimir Grbovic, Deputy Commander of the 890th helicopter escadrille from Batajnica and Major Nenad Stevic, pilot of the supersonic MiG 21 and Public Relations Officer of the 204th Air Brigade. With his “full-on” appearance, as one of the children said, fully equipped for flying in his pilot suit and helmet on his head, Major Stevic instantly became a hit with the youngest ones who immediately surrounded him, asking to get autographs, to try on the helmet, the mask…In the meantime, another group of pupils arrived – several hundred school children, and the younger ones who came with organized groups from their day care, and not perfectly quaint passers-by, all of whom looked around the helicopter, took pictures with the pilots and aviator mechanics, and collected their autographs. The most daring boys and girls took the pilot stick and under the guidance of the “slightly older” uniformed SAF colleagues became pilots of the “large and powerful” helicopter…
Students gathered around the humanitarian organization “A smile to give”, their friends and members of the 204th Air Brigade of the Armed Forces of Serbia collected from the Batajnica Airport and presented the school with a symbolic gift – 204 books for the school library, including the books for the youngest pupils to learn the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet from and poetry and the books of poetry and literature for older pupils. To welcome the SAF aviators, an exhibition of art works of pupils was set up, displaying motives of – as expected – airplanes and helicopters mostly. The title of the best work was awarded to the work of second grade student Dusan Mihajlovic. The best literary work, a poem “Blue Hights” by Bogdan Spanovic was also read. The two pupils were awarded models of “Orao” aircraft and “Super Galeb” from the Air Defence Command, brought to them by Major Milinko Vracar from the Air Defence, their neighbor from Obrenovac.
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS: IGOR SALINGER
