Hoping to see some Norwegian Air Force F-35A’s in action my friends Erik, Ruud and I set out to go to Leeuwarden Airbase in the north of the Netherlands. Sadly, that goal didn’t get met but the other flying ops made up for a wonderful day out during the Weapons Instructor Training.

We even got treated to a practice display of the Dutch Hawker Hunter Foundation (DHHF) with their Hunter F.6A, two overhead passes of the ‘Medic01’ H145 aerial ambulance helicopter and a FCF of the newest RNLAF F-35A J-019. Sunny spells and a slight breeze to go with a lot of familiar faces on spotters hill made for a great day out at the fence!


When visiting Fritzlar Airbase in Germany during vacation there was no activity at the field so this was the best I got out of it.This retired Bölkow BO-105P1M is sitting proud as a gateguard just inside the base fence (I shot this out of a moving car, mind you!).

On holiday in Germany Birdman99 Manager Dennis de Vries and I visited Grenzmuseum ‘Schiffelersgrund’ to check out how it was a few decades ago at the border between two opposing ideologies during the Cold War. And of course a few flying machines as part of the exhibitions.

We also hiked along the mile-long stretch of original border fence that ends up with a rebuild watch tower. A very impressive museum of an intriguing but dark part of human history.