Spottersday Kleine Brogel (B), 11 september 2021... September 15, 2021 | Frank
German F-84F December 2, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
USAF/ANG Thunderstreaks November 15, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
Thunderstreaks of the French Air Force November 7, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
Thunderstreaks of the K.Lu (in active service)... September 13, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
Belgian Thunderstreaks: Period of Active Service... July 20, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
Belgian Thunderstreaks: Aircraft w.f.u. July 10, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
USAF/ANG Thunderflashes June 27, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
RF-84Fs of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe)... February 10, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
Welcome!
Our website is dedicated to what we refer to as our “Golden Years of Spotting”: the period between 1960 and 1980, when lots of time, effort and money was spent to see as many military aircraft as possible. Our main station at the time was Eindhoven, an airbase of the Royal Netherlands Air Force that hosted a number of Thunderstreak – and later of NF-5 squadrons. No need to say that it was the Thunderstreak that inspired us to give the chosen name to this site.
Thunderstreaks.com is divided into 7 different chapters or “albums”. Each album is divided in a number of sub-chapters (“categories”) in which we go in more detail.
In the F-84F album we present a number of galleries, each dealing with the various users of this airplane.
A second album is about the RF-84F Thunderflash, the reconnaissance variant of the Thunderstreak. This aircraft served with many NATO air forces; we have a category for each one of them.
The third album is dedicated to pictorial reviews of AIRSHOWS that we visited in the mid- and late Sixties as well as in more recent years. We have split the Airshows-album in three categories/eras holding respective galleries.
A seperate album is on PRESERVED AIRCRAFT: preserved in museums all over Europe, the USA and the rest of the world, but we also present a gallery on “exhibits“: airframes used in traveling exhibitions, roadshows and whatsoever. Also included in this album Preserved Aircraft is “Wrecks & Relics“: monuments, gate-guards and so on. And the fourth is the category “Warbirds“, dealing with civil registered aircraft painted as military aircraft (what in most cases they once were).
The fifth album is called SPOTTING and holds two categories . One focuses on us as aircraft spotters, being not certain if there would be any flying-activities; and the other one is an aircraft-spotters category with galeries consisting of pictures taken by us during special events.
KLu & BAF is an album under long-term construction; in 5 categories we will deal with the different types of aircraft that we have seen in service with the Royal Netherlands Air Force (KLu) and the Belgian Air Force (BAF).
The album BASE VISITS holds reports of visits that we made to various active air bases during normal operational flying days and NATO exercises.
For more (background)information on us and our website simply click the “introduction“-button on the top right side of this homepage; this page also holds a short instruction on how to navigate this site.
Enjoy! Please note that we try to update our site with new material regularly. The most recent update is shown in the left-upper tile on this homepage.
Hans Engels / Frank Klaassen / Gijs Hiltermann
RF-84Fs of the Belgian Air Force
January 6, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
The Thunderflash was the very successful reconnaissance version of the Thunderstreak; within NATO it a.o. saw service with the the Belgian Air Force (BAF).
BAF : Lockheed T-33
January 2, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
The Belgians received in total 38 Lockheed T-33 jet trainers , which were gradually delivered from 1952 onwards. At first the T-33s that came out of USAF-stocks flew in bare -metal with their TR Buzz-numbers on the nose.
Later … Read More
KLu: Sud Alouette III
January 1, 2020 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
On January 1 2016 the Dutch Air Force farewelled the last 4 surviving Alouettes, then based at Gilze Rijen AB. And thus ended a 51 years long career.
The first of the 77 examples entered service in 1964. Five of … Read More
KLu : FOKKER F-27
December 18, 2019 | Hans
The F-27 was undoubtedly the most successful design of the Dutch Fokker aircraft factory and it was even built under license by Fairchild in the U.S.
RF-84Fs of the Danish Air Force
December 17, 2019 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
One squadron of the Royal Danish Air Force was equipped with Thunderflashes until 1971 when they were phased out in favour of the recce version of the Saab Draken. Initially 729 squadron at Karup received 10 Thunderflashes, but in 1963 they received 7 (ex Air National Guard) more as attrition replacements.
National Military Museum ,Soesterberg (NL)
December 17, 2019 | Hans & Frank
Until 2008 Soesterberg Air Base , the Netherlands was in use by the KLu. and in that year the base was closed for operational flying activities.The American 32nd “Wolfhounds“ squadron already disbanded back in 1994.
Koksijde Air Base , Belgium ,July 6th , 1991 (Open Day) (NEW !)
November 18, 2019 | Hans
In July 1991 Hans paid a two-day visit to Koksijde at the Belgian coast (one overnight stay included). Primarily he visited nearby Koksijde Air Base both as an aircraft-spotter outside the fences (see elsewhere on the site) and to visit … Read More
Arriving Aircraft for Belgian Air Shows Bierset 1969 and Beauvechain 1970 & 1992
October 20, 2019 | Hans
This gallery shows a selection of pictures of aircraft arriving for three memorable , historic International Air Shows in Belgium : (1) Bierset June 20th ,1969 (pictures 1 – 5 ) , (2) Beauvechain June 26th ,1970 (pictures 6 – … Read More
Spotted in Belgium
October 19, 2019 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
Photography in Belgium near military airfields and outside the gates and fences was not allowed for decades. The pictures in this gallery represent a selection , taken by the authors in Belgium as aircraft-spotters from 1967 to 1971 .
Moreover some pictures of Belgian Air Force aircraft are included taken at unknown dates and locations (unless mentioned ) in Belgium or elsewhere within air base enclosures during military base visits or military open days.
BAF trainers: Siai SF260M/D
October 18, 2019 | Hans & Frank
The Siai-Marchetti SF-260M training aircraft replaced the Stampe en Vertongen SV-4B with the Belgian Air Force. 36 SF.260Ms entered service in 1969 serialled ST-01 to ST-36. MORE THAN 50 YEARS IN SERVICE NOW! An additional 9 aircraft (of the D-type) … Read More
RF-84Fs of the Italian Air Force
October 18, 2019 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
The Italian Thunderflashes were based at Villafranca, in northern Italy. The 78 Italian aircraft started entering AMI service in 1956, equipping the 3rd Aerobrigata (Wing), replacing RF-84G Thunderjets. The 3rd Wing made a conversion to the RF-104G Starfighter in 1970.
Wrecks&Relics (2011-today)
October 17, 2019 | Frank & Gijs & Hans
This gallery features pictures of aircraft that have been disposed of or preserved in one way or another; the airframes depicted here (gate-guards, monuments, eye-catchers, etc.) are photographed in the years 2011 onward. Airframes pictured in earlier years are in a separate gallery. Note that some of the aircraft portrayed here are no longer present at the given location.
W&R portrayed in the USA are dealt with in a separate gallery (also in this album “Preserved Aircraft”).
