Military Jets Photography: 2012

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

May this Christmas end the present year
On a cheerful note and make way
For a fresh and bright new year.
Here’s wishing you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2007 06 16 Luchtmachtdagen Volkel

The Open Doors of the Netherlands Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLU) are always a must for the enthusiasts. This edition took part at the Volkel airbase and was no exception to the rule. A splendid set with a mix of civilian and military aviation combining modern jets and some old timers.
As every year, one of the key moments of the event is the demonstration of the operational capabilities of the KLU, with an airfield attack involving F-16's and AH-64 Apaches, intervention of front line troops by Cougars or Chinooks, mass arrival with a C-130 and air-air refueling by a KDC-10. All these assets are being shown to their tax payers to show them what the KLU does with their money.
The highlight of this years show was the appearance of the Turkish Stars with the former dutch NF-5A/B aircraft painted in a special "thunderbirdslike" livery. The other demoteams present at the opendays were the Patrouille de France and the swiss PC7 team.
The only thing you see happening at all airshows these days is the falling number of aircraft and Volkel this year was no exception. Although the organizers used a nice trick with placing the flying display aircraft on the parallel runway where you normally only find the static displays. If they didn't had done this the static would have been a disaster. Another positive side on the fact that the flying aircraft were on the public side was that all these jets were taxiing in front of you when they began and ended their display.

F-16D Hellenic Air Force 082

Mirage 2000B French Air Force 529-12-KJ

OA-10A USAF 81-0952/SP

SH-14D Netherlands Navy 264

F-16A Portuguese Air Force 15112
CM.170R Belgian Air Force MT35

Su-22M-4 Polish Air Force 3713

Rafale M French Navy 10

F-16AM Belgian AIr Force FA-116

Super Etendard SEM French Navy 6

Gulfstream IV Netherlands Air Force V-11

CN.235M-100 Spanish Air Force T.19B-11/35-29

PC-7 Netherlands Air Force L-02

An-26 Polish Air Force 1509

PC-7 Swiss Air Force PC-7 Team
F/A-18C Swiss Air Force J-5021

F-16AM Netherlands Air Force J-061

F-16BM Netherlands Air Force J-368

AS532U2 Netherlands Air Force S-459

CH-47D Netherlands Air Force D-106

AH-64D Netherlands Air Force Q-08

CH-53G German Army 84+73

SA316B Netherlands Air Force A-247

CM.170R Belgian Air Force MT35

F-16AM Netherlands Air Force J-015

EF-18A Spanish Air Force C.15-45/12-03

Hunter Mk.58 Västgota Veteranflygförening SE-DXI

NF-5A Turkish Air Force Turkish Stars

NF-5B Turkish Air Force Turkish Stars

2007 03 27 TLP at EBFS

Another year, another new TLP session at Florennes Air Base. And again there were some nice participants from Europian Air Forces as well as the USAF. These inclued Hellenic and Italian F-16's, German and English Tornado's, Mirages F.1 and Mirages 2000D from France, Czech L-159's, Spanish Hornets and F-15E's and F-16's from the USAF.
The weather was perfect when I visited the TLP exercise. It was also announced that the TLP exercise would move to Albacate, Spain, in the near future. So, it's time that we start enjoying our last TLP sessions at Florennes.