European Trainers Meet Beauvechain Air Base 2004

The European Trainers Meeting celebrated 25 years of  Alpha Jets in service with the (Belgische Luchtmacht) Belgian Air Force and its 2004 newly qualified pilots. It was hosted by the Belgium Air Force 1st Wing at Beauvechain on Tuesday, June 29, 2004.

The list of invited aircraft was undoubtedly designed to impress, but as usual, some aircraft would not show up. These included the SU-22, Mig 21, and the Hellenic Air Force TA-7C. That aside, just take a look at what that day produced.

The real highlight was the arrival of the two Northrop SF-5Bs from Ala23 at Talavera in Spain, which had just received their mid-life updates and a very photogenic Alpha Jet coming from 11 Smaldeel (Belgische Luchtmacht), with its anniversary low-visibility unique paint scheme. The Irish Air Corps (Aer Chór an hÉireann) PC-9 from the FTS was a surprise as it had only been delivered briefly. The French Air Force Mirage F1B (520/33-FD) looked fabulous as it taxied from the runway in full sunshine adorned with its 60th Anniversary of D-Day unique markings. That had been applied to celebrate that anniversary back in May 2004.

Before I waffle more, let us look at the event's photographs.

AE.9-029/23-18 and AE.9-018/23-26 SF-5Bs EdA from ALA 23 at Badajoz/Talavera la Real.

As they arrived overhead for the break, the photographers were excited to see these rarely-seen jets outside their Spanish home.

AE.9-029/23-18 SF-5B EdA lands on Beauvechains runway 22R.

 

AE.9-018/23-26 SF-5B EdA taxis and stops for the assembled photographers.

AE.9-029/23-18 SF-5B EdA following 23-26 with much waving from the crew and appreciation from the crowd.

AT-12 Alpha Jet BAF and a friendly wave from the rear seat.

B-01/LA BN-2A Islander from the Belgium Army, two examples were seen on the Monday before Tuesday's ETM, the other being B10-LJ.

MT-40  Fouga CM170R Magister BAF.

 

AT-06 Alpha Jet BAF.

AT-18 Alpha Jet with its unique anniversary markings.

MT35 Fouga CM170R Magister BAF.

This Magister became the last flying example with the BAF  (Belgische Luchtmacht).

MT49 Fouga CM170R Magister BAF.

267 PC-9 FTS Irish Air Corps (Aer Chór an hÉireann).

ST-25/26/32/48 SIAI SF.260D's from 5 Squadron at Beauvechain.

ST-25/26/32/48 SIAI SF.260D's taxiing to the static park.

ST-26 SIAI SF.260D BAF.

MM54492/61-36 MB.339A 61°Stormo AMI from Lecce/Galatina.

The second aircraft was MM55084 MB.339A.

FB-09 F-16BM BAF.

E-105/8-NU Alpha Jet E  ETO.02008 'Nice' from Cazaux.

127/315-YR Epsilon TB30 AdlA from BA709 Cognac/Châteaubernard.

The second aircraft was 102/315-XS.

MT48 Fouga CM170R Magister from the Belgian Air Force display team 'Red Devils'.

MT48 was joined by MT41/13/28/13.

Showing off their mascot, and you can see the team's patch.

ST20 SIAI SF.260D and another excellent colour scheme.

L-06 PC-7 RNAF.

B-01/LA BN-2A Islander from the 'Force Terrestre-landmacht' The Belgian Army.

XX159 Hawk T.1 RAF again supporting anniversary marks celebrating 30 years of type in service from 1974 to 2004.

AE.9-029/23-18 SF-5B 23 Ala 23 EdA.

 

38+69 F-4F Phantom WGAF from Hopsten Air Base.

520/33-FD Mirage F1B AdlA from 03.033 'Lorraine' at Reims/Champagne.

38+69 F-4F Phantom GAF.

520/33-FD Mirage F1B AdlA, 60 Anniversary of D-Day marks.

102/315-XS Epsilon TB30 AdlA.

ZF447 Tucano T.1 RAF.

T-407 T-17 FLSK RDAF.

6037 L-159 (ARCA) 32zTL Czech Air Force.

2408 AN-26 61DLt Czech Air Force from Kbely.

LB-05 L-21B Super Cub BAF.

A64 Sud Aviation Alouette II.

Aviation Legere de la Force Terrestre/Licht Vliegwezen van het Landmacht.

H31 Agusta A.109BA.

Aviation Legere de la Force Terrestre/Licht Vliegwezen van het Landmacht.

Based at Bierset.

The Belgium Air Force had a team of six Alpha Jets display during the day. Overall, this was another great day out, and the weather was great.

Happy Days, indeed!

USAF Bentwaters, F4D Phantoms, F104 Starfighters, September 1978.

My days at Mildenhall were behind me as I headed towards the East Coast of Suffolk. Take the train route down to Ipswich and back up another line to Woodbridge, an attractive town on the River Deben and its tide mill. Woodbridge was served by the Ipswich-Lowestoft Suffolk line. From there, I managed a taxi to the airbase at Bentwaters.

As revealed earlier, my cherished car was stolen, making life a little awkward in this rural area of East Anglia. I was dropped at the lane that leads up to St John's church, positioned South of the airbase and imparting the best view of taxiing aircraft and landing shots. There used to be an old Oak tree that was great for shade on a hot summer day (sadly, in later years, it was cut down).

Like Mildenhall, I would not pass this way again for a good few years. Lucky for me, the weather was good. After my day of photographing, I would walk and hitch (easy in those days) to the nearby village of Tunstall. I had a B&B booked for the night, with a pie and a pint at the Green Man public house. Some years later, I would sit in that same pub discussing Holloman and Bergstrom Phantoms parked below on Bentwaters visitor's ramp, one of those three visitors still wearing Vietnam mission marks. They were participating in 'Coronet' exercises in the Netherlands and Germany.

Back in 1978, some photographs could have been better, but they are history and memories. The Phantoms finally left the following year.

66-7694 F-4D-31-MC Phantom 81st TFW USAFE recovers to RAF Bentwaters. Status: to AMARC for storing. 

66-7759 F-4D-31-MC Phantom 81st TFW USAFE, pre-flight checks at RAF Bentwaters, September 1978. Status: AMARC for storing.

66-7759 F-4D-31-MC Phantom 81st TFW USAFE taxis for taking off.

66-7759 F-4D Phantom final checks.

66-7759 F-4D-31-MC Phantom 81st TFW USAFE burners on.

133393/393 T-33 RCAF was seen landing at Bentwaters in September 1978 from its base at Solingen, West Germany. Status stored Mountainview AFB.

104634/634 F-104D RCAF lunch stopping at RAF Bentwaters. Status, to the Czech Republic, for a  museum? 

69-5820 MC-130P  67th ARRS USAFE carries out a low approach flying from Bentwaters sister base RAF Woodbridge.  

D-8062 and D-6700 F-104Gs 312SQN Volkel RNethAF lunch stopping at Bentwaters.

D-6700 F-104G 312SQN Volkel RNethAF seen landing at Bentwaters. D-6700 passed to the Hellenic Air Force as 6700.

20+74 F-104G Jabog 33 WGAF  flew for the Turkish Air Force as 62-2087 at Diyarbakir AB. 

20+81 F-104G Jabog 33 WGAF This aircraft became 23+81 when preserved on a pole at Schleswig-Jagel Naval Airbase.

20+74 F-104G Jabog 33 WGAF sits in the heat haze of 20+81 F-104G of the same unit as it gives way in the take-off order.

24+28 F-104G WGM made a high-level approach at RAF Bentwaters in September 1978.

By the time of this visit, the Phantom's days here were numbered. August 1978 saw the arrival of the first three A-10s for familiarisation with the maintenance units. The following year in January would see the coming of fourteen A-10s at Bentwaters, with more to follow. Along with the demise of the Phantom, I think they also lost many of the NATO lunchtime visitors we had recorded through the years and witnessed here on that September day out. 

PART THREE See part two here:-https://legendarymilavia.blogspot.com/2019/04/usaf-mildenhall-aircraft-enthusiasts.html