NATO Exercise Ample Train 1993 at RAF St Mawgan Cornwall.

The Ample Train Exercise 1993 was held at RAF St Mawgan in the United Kingdom. The participating jets deployed there on 23/5/1993.

Ample Train as an exercise was devised to improve the ability of NATO's airforces to work on and with each other's aircraft, with aircrews servicing another nation's aircraft.
Nine air arms, with two fast jets each, participated in the operations except the RAF, who participated with three Tornado GR1s. And if I remember correctly, it was a torrid time servicing them in the very damp conditions we all faced that week in May 1993.

We spent our days at the airfield and the nights in the small village of St Mawgan, staying at the Falcon Inn. Those nights turned into very late nights with great beer and food! Sorry, I digress, so here are the transparencies all captured on Kodachrome 64.    

 77-0113/CR of the 32nd TFW USAFE from Soesteburg Airbase in the Netherlands.

77-0113 and 77-0097 'CR' F-15As of the 32nd TFS USAFE.

 
F-104S ASA's MM6719/51-09 and MM6703/51-23 AMI/22 Gruppo 51Stormo.

Coming from Istrana Airbase.

MM6719/51-06 F-104S ASA AMI/22 Gruppo 51 Stormo.

MM6703/51-23 F-104S ASA AMI/22 Gruppo 51 Stormo.

MM6719/51-06 and MM6703/51-23 mission on.

FA-74 F-16AS FAB/31 Sqn 10 Wing.

FA-84 F-16AS FAB/31 Sqn 10 Wing.

 Two F-16Ds arrived from the TurAF/Öncel filo 4/cuAJU at Mürted airbase. This was the first  Turkish Air Force squadron to receive the F-16Cs and D's as the training squadron or Öncel. In 1999, it was later re-designated the 143rd Sqn.
Interestingly, in the same year as Ample Train 1993, the base became known as Akinci airbase; many years later, with its strategic position just Northeast of Ankara, it became the centre of the failed 2016 coup d'etat attempt.
Following the failed coup, Akinci was re-designated to its former name, Mürted.

86-0196 F-16D TurAF/Öncel Filo 4 cuAJU.

86-0195 F-16D TurAF/Öncel Filo 4 cuAJU.

J-616 F-16AS KLU/311Sqn.

J-622 F-16AS KLU/311Sqn.

201 Mirage 2000BG HAF/311 MPK, 141Pterix.

243 Mirage 2000EG HAF/331MPK, 141Pterix.

ZA475/JL Tornado GR.1 RAF 27 Sqn. Unfortunately, I did not photograph the other two aircraft, ZA474/JK and ZA491/JN, for technical reasons. I'm not sure of the reasons for them not flying, but locally, it was imagined to be the wet weather.

EF-18A Eda/Ala 15 recovers in that ever-changing weather.

C-15-33/15-20 EF-18A Eda/Ala 15.

FA-74 and FA84 F-16AS  FAB/31Sqn, 10Wing, recover late afternoon.

37+77 and 37+92 F-4F's GAF/JG-74. They were returning from a morning mission, and the weather had just disintegrated; listening to the scanner communication with the GAF pilots whilst landing was a tad exasperated in those difficult circumstances.

37+92 F-4F GAF/JG-74.

C-15-35/15-22 EF-18A Eda/Ala 15.

Mirage 2000's 201/243 HAF 331MPK/141 Pterix run for the break.

"Great days in Cornwall!"

Royal Netherlands Air Force celebrates 80 Years at Eindhoven AB.

Eindhoven! Back then, the city's residents liked to party, and we had to join in with the festivities. We had arrived for the airshow arrivals day, blessed with a cloudless sky. The good times continued late into the night, or was it the morning?
The following day, we returned to our motorway embankment close to the runway threshold for the Saturday 3rd of July 1993 airshow, with thumping heads and dry mouths. The atmosphere charged with the excitement of great weather and aircraft displays; even the local Police officers on their big white motorbikes were friendly to the crowd.

Once again, let's get on with the planes, of which there were some very nice examples.

03 MiG.23MF, HungAF participated in the flying program, and number 15 MiG.23UB was seen in the static display.

5 F-8E 12F FN. Arriving for the static display. What a formidable-looking aircraft. I only wish I wrote F-8E more often, which reminds me I must look for those Landivisiau images?
 I believe it's a Swift flying over the nose cone.

WJ981/EN Canberra T.1 360 Sqn RAF.

The Justified Ancients of MO, MO, seem appropriate for this celebrated aircraft.

"Sorry if you have never heard of the band the KLF."

A 29/11-MB and A2/11-MB, Jaguar A's, EC-2-11 FAF.
Seen arriving at Eindhoven for pairs landing from their home base of Toul Rosières BA136.

A29/11-MB carries the individual marks for the 'Vosges Fighter Squadron' operational with the Jaguar from 1973 to 1993.
The 'Vosges' aircraft at Toul carried mixed codes from 11-MA to 11-MZ.

2506 AN-26 2 Letecká Zãkladna ( 2nd Air Base Wing)  back then visiting from its base at Malacky.

0443 L-39C of team  Biele Albatrosy "White Albatrosses" formed in 1991 by the Czechoslovakian air force.
In January 1993, Czechoslovakia divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the team became Slovakian, as seen here, arriving from the Vojenská Letecká Akadémia at Kosice airbase along with 0101,0102,0111,0112,4355, and 4357.

J-136 F-16 of 316 Squadron arrived at Eindhoven from its temporary operating base at Gilze-Rijen. They had been awaiting construction works at their new home base of Eindhoven, where they formally flew the last NF-5 Freedom Fighters in KLu service.
Sadly, in April 1994, just months after this transparency, they were disbanded.

J-369 F-16B 316Sqn KLu supports a full-colour badge.

J-884 F-16B 314 Sqn KLu.

J-368 F-16B 314Sqn This was the last unit to convert to the F-16 commencing in 1990, and their final disbandment came on the 6th of July 1995.

J-202 F-16A 322Sqn (Polly Grey) KLU.

BR 17 Mirage 5BR 3 Wing BAF.

84-0812/HO F-117A 49FW/415FS USAF, seen on Eindhoven's approach from Gilze- Rijen where it was part of the eight "Coronet Havoc" F-117's on deployment for the 1993 European exercise Central Enterprise.

84-0812/HO F-117A 49FW/415FS USAF, this aircraft was arriving for the static park. 

85-0836/HO F-117A 49FW/415FS USAF arrives for a low approach and returns to Gilze-Rijen.

85-0836/HO F-117A 49FW/415FS USAF delights Eindhoven's base staff as it performs a low approach.

509 2-FF Mirage 2000B EC2/2 FAF returns after completing its display.

J215 F-16A 322 Sqn Klu is wearing 50 years' distinctive marks.

C-5 F-27 300M Troopship 334 Sqn Klu.

C-1 F-27-100 Friendship 334Sqn KLu.

303 P-3C-11 MARPAT. 

87-0250 F-16C  'RS' 512FS USAFE.

87-0242  F-16C 'RS' 512FS Marked 86FW USAFE.

40+32 Alpha Jet A JBG-43 GAF.

8077 SU-25K 50 BILP CzechAF was part of the flying display, and 9013 was displayed in the static park.

   C-1 F-27-100 Friendship 334Sqn Klu seen departing from Eindhoven.

XX230 Hawk T.1 RAF.

XX281/O Hawk T.1 RAF.

MM6714/9-50 F-104ASA 10 Gruppo AMI.

MM6822/9-41 F-104ASA 10 Gruppo AMI is arriving at Eindhoven for the 80th anniversary of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht 1993.

Hunter F.58's of the "Patrouille de Suisse".
J-4027 leads J-4020 and J-4023, followed by J-4022, J4032, and J-4025.

J-4027 Hunter F.58 "Patrouille de Suisse"
A true classic!

CH-05 C-130H 20 Sm BAF.

0004 L.39MS 2 LSP Czech AF returns from its flying demonstration, 0005 was in the static display. Both aircraft arrived from their base at Cáslav.

   

9207 MiG.29A 11 SLP (11Fighter Regiment) "Tiger marks" Czech AF, 5414 from Žatec airbase seen here flying while 5414 was in the static. Both aircraft were transferred to Poland as 92 and 54, respectively.

 I wanted to sign off with my thanks to the RNLAF for years of enjoyment from one of Europe's best display teams, seen here displaying at their home base at Eindhoven on that celebrated occasion.

C-10 F-27-300M 334 Sqn Klu.

C-10 F-27-300M powers through its display routine.

C-10 F-27-300M Klu, over but not out.

There you have it!
It was a great show once again on behalf of the Koninklijke Luchmacht.
Happy 80th!

We were off to the Koksijde airshow in Belgium.