Chayka Naval Air Base (Bulgarian: Морска авиобаза "Чайка") is a Bulgarian Navy base. It may be spelled 'Tchaika' and is sometimes known as Varna-Chaika. Chaika means seagull in Bulgarian. It is located on the southern edge of a river estuary south of the city of Varna on the Black Sea coast.
| Chayka Naval Air Base | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Морска авиобаза Чайка | |||||||
| Varna, Bulgaria | |||||||
 Emblem of the Chayka Naval Air Base | |||||||
  Chayka Naval Air Base Location within Bulgaria | |||||||
| Coordinates | 43°11′12″N 27°50′54″E / 43.18667°N 27.84833°E | ||||||
| Type | Naval Air Base | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Operator | Bulgarian Navy | ||||||
| Controlled by | Bulgarian Navy | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1915 | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Elevation | 2 metres (6.6 ft) AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
| Source: DAFIF[1] | |||||||
History
editA seaplane base at Peinerdzhika (or Peynerdjik) was established by the Imperial German Navy Air Service and opened in early spring 1916 during World War I. It was handed over to the Bulgarian Navy in April 1918 and became its main air base. On 5 April 1941 it became the base for Luftwaffe floatplanes of 7 Seenotdienststaffel. It is home to the Naval Aviation's helicopter unit.
On 9 June 2017, during a training mission of artillery fire against surface targets as a part of the Bulgarian Navy's "Black Sea-2017" exercises, a Panther helicopter crashed in the water, killing the commander and injuring the other two officers on board. The helicopter's main rotor made contact with the fore flagpole of the frigate BGS-41 Drazki, sending it into the sea.[2] After the flagpole strike commander Captain Georgi Anastasov turned back to the frigate to attempt an emergency landing in the water nearby. According to Navy officials his actions directly contributed to the saving of the other two officers on board with only minor injuries. His efforts led to his posthumous promotion to Major.
Naval aviation
edit
The base hosts two Eurocopter AS565 Panther and one Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin helicopters. Three Mil Mi-14 which are not in flyworthy condition are held in storage at the base.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Airport information for LB20". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2019-03-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF. - ^ "Аеропрес - Катастрофа с вертолет Panther от състава на ВМС (обобщение)". www.aeropress-bg.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-12.