Yamaha Enjoys Sky High Slovak Success

Fast jets, amazing aerobatics and classic warbirds have an enduring appeal to aviation fans and families alike. One of Europe’s premier air shows is the annual Slovak International Air Fest (SIAF) and, this year, the Slovak Aviation Agency added a new air festival to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of celebrated Slovakian politician, diplomat and aviator General Milan Rastislav Štefánik. Yamaha audio systems were an essential part of both events.

The Slovak Aviation Agency stages SIAF at Sliač airport every August. One of the country’s most popular events, this year it attracted an audience of over 100,000, including Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš. The crowds enjoyed flying displays by aircraft from Slovakia and 12 other NATO and EU member states, with contemporary and historic military and civilian aircraft, aerobatics and a wide range of ground exhibits.

Before this, in May the new Aviation Fest Piešťany (FLP) was held at Piešťany airport, located between Sliač and the Slovakian capital Bratislava. Systems integrator MediaTech was asked to supply the public address systems to both events, trusting Yamaha systems for these safety critical applications.

“At both events, the main zone was the spectator area along the flight line, which measured approximately 800 x 300m, plus a VIP area covering 300m x 100m.” says MediaTech’s Mario Brosch.

“We had to consider that there may be up to 100,000 spectators in the main area and all of them had to hear and understand announcements, even when aircraft were passing and in bad weather like wind and rain. The speakers could also only be positioned along the boundary of the spectator area.”

When they had considered all of the requirements, Mario and the Bratislava-based MediaTech team chose a system comprising 40 pole-mounted DZR15 powered loudspeakers, whose best-in-class SPL performance, sophisticated DSP processing and unrivalled low-frequency sound reproduction were ideal for this challenging application. A TF1 digital mixing console was used to mix the input sources.

MediaTech also supplied the audio systems for a hangar party at both events - comprising two DSR115 high performance active loudspeakers and two DXS15 powered subwoofers, mixed on a QL5 digital console - and, at Piešťany, an outdoor stage with theatre productions based on important events in the life of General Štefánik. Here two DZR315 three-way powered loudspeakers and two DZR18XLF extended low frequency powered subwoofers comprised the main PA, with five DSR112 active loudspeakers as stage monitors, all mixed on another QL5 digital mixing console.

“We were very pleased that the sound was very clear throughout the spectator areas, despite the speakers operating almost permanently in the rain at FLP,” says Mario. “Yamaha’s SPCVR series protective speaker covers did a fantastic job. After taking down the system we checked every speaker, which only confirmed the reliability and sophisticated design of both the speakers and the covers. They gave us total confidence that the system would be the perfect solution for SIAF, one of Slovakia’s most important annual events.”

“Mr. Hubert Štoksa, CEO of SIAF and Director of the Slovak Aviation Agency was very satisfied, along with the other co-organizers, with how the audio system worked at both events,” he adds. “We have used Yamaha products for several years and they offer excellent performance / price ratio. They have proved their long-term reliability, the quality of their performance and great sound, all of which are always appreciated by our clients.”