Here are some pics from the Royal Netherlands Air Force Air Day 2013 at Volkel AB that I feel comfortable showing after a first run-through of the pictures I took. The shots were taken yesterday. Personally, I think Volkel AB is the worst location of all the Dutch air bases to take good pictures because the static line is right in front of the display line, so there are very few locations where you have a decent FOV to take good pictures. So a lot of pictures tend to look the same composition wise, for which I apologize. Combine that with the limitations of my equipment and my even more limited skill as a photographer:redf:, and the number of showable shots decrease significantly. No editing except resizing to 1400 pixels.
One of the aircraft I wanted to see was the Mirage 2000N of the French Air Force, which is the nuclear capable model. Sending that version turned out to be kind of ironic in hindsight, as there was some "commotion" in the Netherlands at the beginning of the week when a former prime minister "revealed" that there were (American) nuclear weapons stored at Volkel AB (which has been a open secret for more than 30 years, as the squadrons stationed there had a NATO nuclear strike mission).
IMHO this is the best scheme the RNLAF Demo F-16 has ever worn. "Orange Lion" coming in to do a touch-and-go as part of its demo.
Here's the B-25 Mitchell that flew with a Dutch squadron in the former Netherlands East Indies and is now with the Air Force Historical Flight.
All helicopters in use with the Dutch Army, Navy and Air Force have been integrated into a unified "Defensie Helicopter Commando" (Helicopter Defense Command). Just entering service with the DHC (after years of delay) is this NH-90.
Another aircraft that has been used by the RNLAF in the late 1940s/early 1950s is the Gloster Meteor, here in RAF livery just after take off.
Seen here is part of the crew of the Romanian Air Force C-27 Spartan that was right in front of me. I could almost swear they were shooting an adult movie inside, since the door was frequently opened and closed and different crew members went in and out (sometimes simultaniously). The only thing missing was a sticker saying "If this plane's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'".
Not every aspect of participating in an Air Day is glamourous. Here's a crew member toiling away at a civilian-registered An-2 Colt.
The award for the most enthousiastic commentary (and it wasn't a contest really) goes to the commentator with the Italian Air Force demo team Frecce Tricolore. Kudos to him for attempting to speak Dutch and doing a very commendable but often hilarious job. Here is "the longest Italian flag in the world" as he put it. I'm not completely satisfied with the composition of the photo, though.
Recently painted by SOH-member Hani Michal, here's the real Czech Hind.
And finally, another aircraft I desperately wanted to see: the Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter. Not a great pic, but when do you get the chance to see a Fitter (let alone take pictures of one)?
Hope you enjoyed.
Originally Posted by Jagdflieger
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