Website covering the (R)F-84F Thunderstreak / Thunderflash as well as airshow reports, base visits, aircraft museums and lots of aircraft-spotting pictures taken from the sixties to present days
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Airshows & Open Days
This album contains a pictorial logbook of the many airshows and open days we attended throughout the years.
On September 9th , 1966 a Family Day and small Air Show took place at Eindhoven AB ; Hans was present by invitation and - although photography was not allowed officially - managed to take some interesting photos.
13 Photos
On June 24th / 25th , 1967 the annual International Air Show in Belgium took place at Melsbroek near Brussels, the home of the air transport fleet of the Belgian Air Force. Most photos in this gallery were still made with relatively simple cameras and no tele-lenses could be used as yet ; therefore the pictures shown here by Hans were mostly taken not of the air show itself , but mainly of the resident Packets , Dakotas and Pembrokes , which were on static show , on their parking places and some during landing. A nice selection anyhow !
36 Photos
The Airshow at Brustem AB in 1968 , attended by both Hans and Frank ,was a very special event: new at the time were the green/brown colour schemes introduced by the BAF on (some of )their fighter- and training aircraft-types . The fact that the USAF showed no less than five century fighters was a bonus as well!
67 Photos
For a long time Rhein-Main AB near Frankfurt , Germany acted as the main USAFE operating base for air transport duties on the European Continent , until the base was closed in 2005 and Ramstein AB took over this task. Many deployments from the U.S. took place with Rhein-Main as destination over the years.On May 17th , 1969 an Armed Forces Day (USAFE Open Day ) was organized here and Hans had the opportunity to take some pictures both at the base and on the nearby spotters-location. (special thanks to Mr .W.Snel)
58 Photos
On a very hot day in June 1969 the Wildenrath Airshow took place; Wildenrath was at the time one of the four RAF-Germany airbases. It was an excellent opportunity for young spotters,such as Hans and Frank , to enlarge their collection! It's more than 40 years ago now, but the type of helicopter on the static show that is still going strong in service with the same air force is the Dutch Alouette!
34 Photos
In June 1969 Hans and Frank visited the Internationale Vliegmeeting at Bierset AB, Belgium, home of the 42nd recce squadron; the open days & air show took place on two days , namely 20 and 21 June 1969 and among the many interesting aircraft to be seen there was a significant U.S.Navy delegation .
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In 1969 the KLu held two small Open Days : one at Leeuwarden AB and the other at Gilze Rijen AB ; both air bases were open to the public on Friday and Saturday ; these are the pictures of the Leeuwarden Open Day of Friday August 15th , made by Hans.
10 Photos
Gilze Rijen AB was open to the public on August 15th and 16th , 1969 ; these are the pictures Hans took there on August 16th , plus some b/w ones , made by Frank , the day before.
11 Photos
During this KLu-Open Day , held at Volkel AB on June 20th, 1970 , a long flight-line of nearly all resident Lockheed F-104 Starfighters could be watched by the public from nearby. Some TF-104's were pictured in colour on their dispersals , which were also open to the public during the early morning hours.The only foreign - not really of course- aircraft on the static show was an F-4E Phantom from Soesterberg (USAFE) . Hans and Frank were present to give you a photographic impression...
44 Photos
In the seventies the Belgian Air Force organized great annual airshows (they still do, by the way). The 1970 show at Beauvechain AB , eye-witnessed by Hans and Frank ,was remarkable because of the very active presence of 5 Starfighters of the Royal Danish Air Force. Also some arriving aircraft were pictured on the 26th.
51 Photos
Wildenrath was one of the airbases of the RAF in Germany, and in July 1970 it was mainly accomodating the last Canberras, the first Harriers and nr.60 squadron Pembrokes. The base closed in April 1992; nowadays it is merely an industrial site where the Siemens group is testing trains. Frank was one of the visitors in 1970 and conserved a number of pictures he took there as an 18 year old boy.
15 Photos
This Open Day at Twenthe AB featured the first public appearance of the brandnew NF-5 fighters of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (except for the one that was on the static of Volkel one month earlier)! Frank took some B&W-pictures.
12 Photos
On May 27th and 28th Hans and Frank visited the Air Salon at Le Bourget near Paris. There were many aircraft on the Static Show parked closely next to each other , but nevertheless some nice pictures could be made.
35 Photos
In 1971 the annual Belgian International Vliegmeeting took place at Brustem-St.Truiden AB on 19 and 20 June ; the weather could have been better on the 19th (many rainshowers!) , so Hans did only take some photos of the Static Show and (via special permission) in the flight-line area ; have a special look at the pictures of the two members of one of the most spectacular demoteams ever : The Slivers ! Frank made this gallery more complete by adding some of his own pictures.
29 Photos
On September 18th , 1971 Eindhoven AB opened its doors to the public. For the Dutch Air Force-fans it was quite an interesting Open Day , but for others perhaps a bit disappointing. A limited selection of photos of this relatively small event is shown here , made by Frank and Hans.
26 Photos
On 19 September 1971 an Open Day took place at Base Aérienne de Cambrai in Northern France; both Hans and Frank were present.
44 Photos
One of the 2 Open Days held in Holland in 1972 and attended by both Hans and Frank ,was the one at Soesterberg AB, on June 3rd. ; unfortunately the only foreigners were an F-111 that made two high passes and a USAF Phantom.The static show consisted of the entire inventory of the Dutch Air Force and Dutch Navy. Same for the afternoon airshow.
32 Photos
In 1972 the Belgian Air Force organized its annual airshow at Beauvechain AB on 24 and 25 June with a bit of a surprise on the 25th ! Here's a report by Hans and Frank.
65 Photos
The second K.Lu Open Day in 1972 was the one at Gilze Rijen AB on August 26th . There were no foreign aircraft present , but the mass-scramble of 316 squadron's Northrop-Canadair NF-A/B's attracted much attention by the assembled spotters and other spectators. Hans and Frank show you some of the pictures they made during that day.
49 Photos
On 30 June 1973 the annual Open Day of the RNethAF (KLU) took place at Deelen AB and was visited by Frank ; highlights were two U.S. Navy A-7 Corsairs! Motto of this Open Day was 60 years KLu.
18 Photos
Royal Air Force Germany's base at Laarbruch , just across the Dutch border , opened its gates to the public on September 29th , 1973 . There was no Air Show , but only a small Static Show , probably due to the somewhat rainy weather conditions. Hans made some photos in black & white and Frank in colour, which you might enjoy.
29 Photos
On the 31st August 1974 Twenthe AB had an Open Day; both Hans and Frank show some pictures they made here.
10 Photos
Cambrai/Epinoy in France hosted the 12th Wing of the French Air Force, a.o. equipped with Super Mystere B2s; an airshow was held on 15 September 1974 , attended by Frank.
27 Photos
In 1975 a new jet-aircraft from the U.S.A. made a European Tour to interest potential customers : the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. It was also "on show" during the (rainy) Open Day at Florennes AB , Belgium on June 21st , 1975 , visited by Hans and Frank.
12 Photos
On July 6th , 1975 an Open House took place at RAF Wildenrath (Germany) again and also this time it attracted many thousands of people , while temperatures were above average. It was interesting enough though with a large Static Show and featuring an alert take-off by an Avro Vulcan. This gallery presents to you a photo-impression made by Frank and Hans.
27 Photos
An impression of the 1975 KLu. Open Day at Volkel, 30 August 1975 , made by Frank.
13 Photos
(1975) Leeuwarden Open Day 27 September 1975 A poor open day, mainly due to the very bad weather (as you can see on the photos). After the presentation of 4 NF-5s, a Starfighter, a Troopship and a Magister of the Belgian Red Devils the further show had to be cancelled because of the strong wind. The static was okay though, featuring a.o. a Danish F-100F and RF-35 Draken.
9 Photos
On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the R.Netherlands Air Force the annual Open Days in 1978 were held at Deelen AB ; Hans en Frank took a number of pictures there just to give you an impression ; amongst others the presence of the RAF Avro Vulcan and two USAFE F-111's was significant.
32 Photos
The 1978 Tiger Meet was held at Kleine Brogel AB (Belgium) from 19-26 June. Participating were the air arms of 10 different countries including Norway, Greece and Portugal. On 23 June KB was open to the public and on Saturday 24 June the 31 squadron 'Tiger' area was open to the public. Hans and Frank paid a visit.
43 Photos
RAF Leuchars was open to the public on 3 September 1978 and Frank was present.
17 Photos
Fréjus-St. Raphael was a base of the Aéronavale (French Naval Air Arm) at the Riviera; the base is closed now and turned into a recreational facility. Frank visited the June 1979 Open Day there.
18 Photos
This gallery shows you some pictures taken during the September 1979 Open Day at Air Base Twenthe . The Dutch Grasshoppers-demoteam was already in full swing at the time flying their Alouette III-helis , then painted in a Zebra-livery. Also impressive was the solo-display by demo.pilot Hans van der Werf of 312 sq. in his shark mouth-nosed & red ,white and blue-tailed F-104G Starfighter.
27 Photos
On June 21st and 22nd, 1980 two Open Days were held at Bierset AB in Belgium and it was one of the first times if not the first time that a Belgian F-16 was shown in public. There were so few people visiting the Open Day on the 21st , that Hans thought for a while that the static show was shown to him alone...! Despite the less favourable weather conditions he took some colour-slides.
16 Photos
It was a very hot summer day when Kleine Brogel AB , Belgium , was open to the public on June 28th , 1986 ; this gallery shows some of the pictures made by Hans and Frank .
26 Photos
The Open Days at Eindhoven AB in September 1986 were quite representative for those days with various NATO aircraft arriving on the 19th and an Air Show on the 20th. Excellent weather conditions marked the event and this gallery , which only intends to be a personal impression , gives an overview of what was going on.
44 Photos
During the fifties and sixties Chièvres Air Base in the south of Belgium was in active use by the Belgian Air Force , but later on it gradually became an air-transport facility for V.I.P's who are visiting SHAPE (the NATO-HQ in Brussels). Sometimes Open Days & Air Shows took place at this location , such as the one on June 20th ,1987 , which was attended by Hans. The presence of two USAF B-52's (one at the Static Show and one demo-aircraft in the air) was without any doubt impressive !
38 Photos
In 1988 Hans and Frank were in Switzerland to watch the "Flugmeisterschaften" (Air Championships) of the Swiss Air Force. The event was held at Dübendorf AB, where an airshow was attached to it on 27 August. This gallery shows you some of the military a/c participating.
47 Photos
AIRSHOW BEAUVECHAIN 5/6 September 1992 Central theme of the 1992 Beauvechain Airshow (only one week later the BAF organized a second airshow at Florennes!) was the 50th anniversary of its no. 349 “Strike hard, Strike home” squadron. Both Hans and Frank were among the spectators.
13 Photos
Star of the 1992 Belgian Air Force Airshow at Florennes AB(12 September), attended by Hans and Frank ,was a Spanish Mirage F1. At Florennes AB the second BAF airshow took place in that year; one week earlier a similar event was organized at Beauvechain AB.
19 Photos
Superb formation-flying was shown to the public by the Russian Air Force's MIG 29 equipped demoteam STRIZHY during the (warbirds) Air Show at Zoersel, Belgium on September 4th , 1993 ! Hans and Frank enjoyed watching their display and - of course- took some pictures.
17 Photos
On June 30th and July 1st 1995 the KLu Open Days were held at Volkel AB; Hans and Frank were there and here are some of their pictures .
14 Photos
On the occasion of the 1995 NATO Tiger Meet an Open Day was organized at Kleine Brogel AB (Belgium) where the Tiger Meet was held in September. The pictures in this gallery were made by Frank.
11 Photos
On 6 July 1996 the Vliegbasis Twenthe (now closed) hosted the 1996 Open Day of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Here are some of the highlights of the event , pictured by Hans and Frank.
17 Photos
The 1997 annual RNethAF Open Days were held at Gilze-Rijen AB on 4 and 5 July; Hans and Frank were there and here are some of their pictures.
28 Photos
On the 13th of September 1997 the Marinevliegkamp (R.Neth. Navy Air Base) Valkenburg opened its gates to the public. Frank and Hans both attended this air show , which appeared to be the last significant one held at this location , as the base was closed down a few years afterwards.
13 Photos
In June 1998 the last Open Day at RAFG Laarbruch took place and Frank went there ; the base was closed down in the same year and the airfield became known as Niederrhein, later on the name was changed in Weeze airport. The airline Ryanair is one of the main operators today. There was no flying on the Open Day, just a static show.
13 Photos
The motto of the 1998 BAF airshow at Kleine Brogel AB (that took place on 5 September and which was visited by Hans and Frank) was "20 Years F-16 Fighting Falcon"; and indeed the organizers managed to bring together a huge number of F-16s. The programme brochure said it: "For sure we can give you a rendez-vous for the next F-16 anniversary, maybe in the year 2018!" .
40 Photos
In 1999 the Belgian Air Force organized its annual airshow at Beauvechain AB, then home of the 1st Wing. Based at Beauvechain were the Marchettis of the 5th and the Alpha Jets of the 7th and 11th squadrons. This year's show had as many as three mottos: 50 years NATO-40 years FOUGA - 20 years A-JET. Frank visited this magnificent show and took the pictures in this gallery.
32 Photos
On 8 July Frank was at Koksijde AB (Belgium) , to visit the annual International Airshow.
12 Photos
On 5 and 6 July 2002 Gilze-Rijen AB was open to the public and among the spectators were Hans and Frank.
10 Photos
On 20 and 21 June 2003 Hans and Frank attended the Airshow at the (now closed) R.Neth.A.F. airbase Twenthe. Hans took some pictures on the 20th and Frank on the 21st.
28 Photos
Hans and Frank attended the Luchtmachtdagen (Air Force Days) at Gilze Rijen AB on the 18th of June 2010.
18 Photos
Belgium celebrated the 65th anniversary of its air force with an impressive airshow at Koksijde Air Base on 6 and 7 July 2011. Koksijde is the home of 40 squadron Heli, the Sea King equipped SAR unit; that’s probably the reason why on the static show the rotors were in the majority and that only some 6 fighter aircraft were present (plus a lot of warbirds by the way; these are presented in our warbirds album). The airshow included performances of the Thunderbirds, Red Arrows, Turkish Stars, Patrouille de France, Patrouille de Suisse and from the Air Force of Saoudi Arabia the Saoudi Hawks! Frank visited the show on Thursday 7 July.
28 Photos
