good luck spotting
In this category we intend to deal with our visits to different airfields in the course of years staying outside the gates and fences , NOT KNOWING BEFOREHAND IF THERE WOULD BE ANY FLYING ACTIVITIES . Also when we did know that there was an exercise or deployment going on , it was still not certain if we would be successful. Sometimes we had to leave without having seen any or very few airplanes taking-off or arriving , which is very disappointing but that is the chance we took.
Aircraft types 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 (pictures numbered 38-47 , 59-74 and possibly also 7 and 29)
Moreover some pictures of Belgian Air Force aircraft are included – kindly supplied by Gijs and belonging to his collection – taken at unknown dates and locations (unless mentioned ) in Belgium or elsewhere within air base enclosures during military base visits or military open days (pictures numbered 2 -8 ; 10-22 ; 24-37)
Aircraft-Spotting Frankfurt-Rhein Main AB (G) , May 17th , 1969
March 13, 2018 | Hans
After having visited the Armed Forces Day at Rhein-Main Air Base , Germany on May 17th , 1969 (see elsewhere on the site) , Hans (and friends) left the base in the late afternoon to spend a little while aircraft-spotting “outside the gates and fences“.
Spotting Elsewhere
February 28, 2018 | Hans & Frank
We travel a lot and keep on spotting airplanes; these pictures have been made in skies and airfields all over the globe, in more recent years.
Spotting at Eindhoven (NL)
October 27, 2017 | Hans & Frank
Eindhoven was the city where the authors both grew up and became “real” aircraft-spotters at the nearby air base. They made many pictures there throughout the years often under difficult circumstances ! This gallery contains a selection of these “blood, sweat and tears”-pics taken at Eindhoven (NL). The Eindhoven based Thunderstreaks are not in this gallery, but all in one seperate album. Note that in the 60/70ties Eindhoven AB also had a Base-Flight with Lockheed T-33’s,Harvards etc. You will find some pictures of these aircraft in this gallery.
A few images taken in more recent years are incorporated as well. Eindhoven now houses the transport fleet of the RNethAF (pics are in gallery named “KLu aircraft”).
Spotting at Leeuwarden (NL)
July 22, 2017 | Hans
For the first time Hans visited Leeuwarden AB (NL) as an aircraft-spotter in August 1967. In later years he came back several times. Needless to say it never was easy to picture aircraft in their landing-pattern and at other locations outside the fences !
Also in the case of announced squadron-rotations it was not certain beforehand if there would be any flying-activities on the day he chose to be present .
Spotting at Soesterberg Air Base (NL)
November 17, 2013 | Hans & Frank
Frank only incidentally visited Soesterberg AB , but Hans frequented the former Air Base quite often because he moved to the province of Utrecht (where Soesterberg is located) at the end of the Sixties , after having made his living in Eindhoven . So he (also) became a Soesterberg AB “home” spotter and he already has published a lot of his Soesterberg pictures elsewhere on the web. The picture-gallery on our website shows a limited selection of pictures not only of the aircraft of the resident American “Royal” squadron , The Wolfhounds , but also of various other planes that were stationed at Soesterberg AB or only paid a visit over the years. They were all taken from outside the base.
Spotting at Volkel (NL)
June 19, 2013 | Hans & Frank
During the Sixties Volkel (NL) was an airbase where photography was not easy; nevertheless the authors (Hans and Frank) managed to take some pictures during that period . Later on facilities to do so grew easier. This gallery contains a selection of the images we took at Volkel – mainly standing near the landing-lights waiting for the aircraft to come in.
Some pictures , made by Frank on Thursday , June 12th , 2013, are added to this gallery
This was the day prior to the Open Days of the KLu; Frank and Hans went to Volkel in an attempt to catch some of the arrivals for the airshow. The Open Day of 13 June is reported in a separate gallery.
Spotting at Twenthe (NL)
May 13, 2013 | Hans
Hans visited Twenthe AB (NL) as an aircraft-spotter for the first time in 1968. During more recent years he came back there several times .
This gallery contains a selection of the pictures , taken by him outside the fences of Twenthe Air Base (NL) in their landing patterns and on occasions when there were exercises going on not knowing beforehand for certain if he would be successful.
Spotting at Gilze Rijen (NL)
October 19, 2012 | Hans
Hans made a number of pictures outside the fences of Gilze Rijen AB (NL) in the course of years especially of U.S. aircraft during deployments but also of other types in their landing patterns.
In the case of deployments it was still not certain beforehand if he would be successful and if yes to what extent.
A selection of these images are or will be included in this gallery.
Spotting in Germany
October 18, 2012 | Hans & Frank
The pictures in this gallery were taken in Germany by the authors throughout the years often under difficult circumstances , always staying outside the gates and fences of military airfields.
