Within a period from 9 to 12 of August 2007, at a territory of Paluknio Air Park not far from Vilnius (Lithuania) the 11th European AN-2 meeting was held. Amateurs of this unique biplane from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Czechia, Great Britain, Switzerland and Ukraine took part in this event. In a number of demonstration flights they showed truly high AN-2 performance. The airplane performed aerobatics with ease. With Lithuanian Government's permission all the 18 AN-2 (photo), participants of the meeting, performed a formation flight on the route: Paluknio Air Park - Trakaj town - Vilnius - Paluknio Air Park.

     Each pilot, who came to the event, had many interesting stories concerned with AN-2. One of them runs about a flight over Sahara.

     Mr. Vlades Pakreyaus said: "I fly on AN-2 science 1976. Last year I headed a group of AN-2, which flew from Kaunas (Lithuania) to Kinshasa (Congo). The total flight duration was 19 days (49 flight hours). We landed in Poland, Slovenia, on Corsica island and in Tunis. The next landing was in the center of Sahara desert, in Algeria, where fluctuation in temperature exceeded 70 degrees centigrade. Our further route was to the capital of Nigeria and Cameroon. The last stage of the flight was from Cameroon to Kinshasa. We flew over Sahara for 8 hours 10 minutes. Knowing perfect characteristics of AN-2 we were not afraid in spite of extreme conditions of the lifeless desert with its sand-storms".

     ANTONOV ASTC's delegation at the meeting was headed by Hero of Soviet Union, honoured test pilot Yurii Kurlin, one of the first pilots who mastered flights on AN-2. He said: "flights on the Antonov's biplane is a good training for young pilots. It is impossible to put this aircraft into spin". At the solemn ceremony Yurii Kurlin presented memorable gifts to the participants of the meeting. The following persons were awarded with ANTONOV's special prizes: