AVIODROME - UPDATE VISIT 20MAR2025

DDA Airlines ceased operations in 2024, DC-3 PH-PBA made the transfer to The Aviodrome.
It was complicated to fit this DC-3 in the T2 Hangar, as well as the parts and tooling. But it worked!
DDA had (allegedly) interested parties in the USA and France but it was fortunately preserved for us Dutch.
Since it is registered in The Netherlands there are legal rules and regulations for its use and upkeep, and it won't be
flying paying passengers anymore. But it has been saved to attend events and WW2 commemmorations.
Those engines won't stop humming, we'll see it in the 'blue yonder'!

Fitting the engine of the Noorduyn Norseman has made progress but isn't quite there yet.
In the briefing I enjoyed I was (again) suitably impressed with how much detail and work goes into running such
an air museum, many (if not most) visitors won't see or learn anything about these. Sourcing parts (and tooling!) is
increasingly a challenge, scheduling volunteers for their available time and fields of experience is complicated too.
Some of the costs and expenses are mind-boggling too!

Meanwhile familes and their children enjoy a nice day out.
Aviation Museum Aviodrome has won the Travellers' Choice Award in 2023! This award is based on the reviews
of thousands of visitors and recognizes the best destinations worldwide.

In the distance, behind the Cold War fighters, there's the Fighter Jet Exhibition where you will find two simulators
and much explanation about the jet engine.

Although my 'flying visit' was brief I heard plenty of positive news and about the projects in process.
Stay tuned on events expected in May, July and possibly August too.
WWW.AVIODROME.NL EVENTS

For the various visits to the AVIODROME AVIATION THMEPARK I HAVE COMPILED A NEW PAGE HERE 2025

The Corona (Covid-19) pandemic closed society down for over 2+ years, including museums and crowd-gathering events. So glad we could enjoy this fly-in again!

Today's theme in this Aviation Themepark was the 40 Year Jubilee of the 'Fokker Four' aerobatic team.

The air traffic control tower rising up from the terminal offers an excellent vantage point.

Piaggo P-149D, D-EEGD (c/n 315) in Luftwaffe livery with LeKG 42 badge on tail, JaBoG31 on the nose.
Ex 92+18, CA+478, AC+466, AS+466.

The museum is at the General Aviation side of Lelystad Airport. For years now the opening of the terminal and
airline operations at that side were postponed.

Stearman-Boeing Kaydet, N1944S ('42-17701/306'). I wouldn't mind a flight in one of those!

Stearman-Boeing Kaydet, N1944S ('42-17701/306') as seen from the tower.

Cessna O-2 Skymaster, N590D (USAF 21300)

From left to right: Boeing-Stearman Model 75 ('Kaydet'), N1944S + DHC-1 Chipmunk G-APLO +
Stinson L-5 Sentinel N255DB / '214847' + Saab MFI-15 Safari SE-XUI (c/n 850-1077)

PH-BLW is a 1963 Bolkow Bo-207 (c/n 243, mfr 1963)), reg'd to R.J.M. van Diemen (20Apr2011).
On 21Jul21 D-EHKY reported on the frequency of Lelystad Tower. The proud new Dutch owner requested a low pass before making the first landing on the new 'homebase'. This classic Bölkow Bo.207 has found a new home
in Lelystad, it was subsequently parked in the hangar at Air Waterland.

Years ago displayed here in post-WW2 livery ('NL-316'), these days in historic KLM livery.
This Skymaster is ex/ ZS-IPR (history details on my december 2003 report).

Two North American P-51 Mustangs, as well as the DHC-2 Beaver in front of the T2 Hangar.
History of the KLu Beaver is explained on my Aviodrome-2014 page.

The 'James Bond' Beech 18. It's expected that it will get some proper attention soon, for static display.

Some jet aircraft have moved to the new hangar, allowing a reshuffle and better work space.

The progress on DC-3 'Doornroosje' ('Sleeping Beauty') and the Norseman is (outwardly) painfully slow.
The Grumman Tracker has seen its props returned, still in primer but to be installed after painting is completed.
I am assured work continues and progress is being made. These assurances were repeated with confidence in 2023.

Fokker D.VII seen from above and it's obvious where the engine will be fitted.

Fokker D.VII

'Hier Bouwen We Aan Een Nieuwe Expositie' (new exhibit to follow, on jet engines). It was in use
during my August 2023 visit but I did not find the time. Next time!

FLYING..

Plane spotters with their long telephoto lenses. Obviously an interest dominated by middle aged men.

All men have their full attention for the arrival of DDA's DC-3. The young woman is staring at her phone..

Last may I was on board a flightseeing flight, see My REPORT

Harvard, D-EEGO and the Cessna O-2 Skymaster.
So nice to hear those reciprocating engine rumble through the sky again..
Several formation teams made a nice low pass over the airport.

The O-2 was much used as Forward Air Controller (FAC's) during the Vietnam War: "hit my smoke!"

The Boeing-Stearman breaking hard left,while the Piper Super Cub turns right rather more slowly.
The Stinson L-5 is of Egmond Vintage Wings. Quite endearing!
See my report of july's Egmonds Vintage Wings event at Hoogeveen.

1997 Aeromere F-8L Falco III. D-ESHP c/n 205 + PH-FCO c/n 100-10843 + D-ERJW c/n 403

DHC-2 Beaver in KLu colours, reg'd S-9. Reminds me of my service time, in the 1970s!

An overdue revisit to this inspiring source of aviation history.
Alas, long gone are the big manifestations such as air shows here at Lelystad Airport, with many DC-3s and other vintage planes gathering here, but as I found today, the heartbeat is strong here and many dedicated enthusiasts are working on various promising projects.
I concluded, after my guided tour, that the T2 Hangar here at the Aviodrome has elevated itself from the general
toolsheds of similar restorations elsewhere on this globe. It's a great find one can climb an elevated walkway to look well
into the hangar and on the restoration projects.

Those Norseman bushplanes that still fly have had so many modifications, that they all seem different in close-up.
The progress on the Noorduyn Norseman project is slow (perhaps even tedious to an outsider) because it takes time to find the required parts all over the world and overhaul after purchase here is precise, methodical and strict.
Actually, the aforementioned is only scratching at the surface of this unique restoration, because much of this Noorduyn's design (e.g. electrical schematics) has not survived on paper and these diagrams are compiled or newly drawn up here for this project.
Parts are labelled, drawings compared to components and vice versa, stored according to present day regulations.
On face value the meticulous work here in the T2 hangar it is easily overlooked or underestimated.

Parts and regular visits see Canada perhaps featured the most, but parts as well as specialist help is found all over the
world, including New Zealand and Britain.
The smell of problem-solving is also strong here, as I was pointed out to someone welding a tool to manoeuvre and park a DC-3 wing; this is very important with space being scarce and preventing any damage or safety infringement.

A mock-up has been made to fit the instruments, there is no standard to this. When all is fitted, completed and tested the real thing will be tailor-made to minute detail.

To show some actual progress. I hope to experience a flight in one some day!

www.aviodrome.nl/collectie/noorduyn-norseman

Compare its progress with this 2003 photo of mine:

I had not yet seen this '100 JAAR M.L.D.' (2017) display in the Aviodrome yet.
The 'Marineluchtvaartdienst' (Netherlands Air Arm of the Navy) was founded on 18Aug1917.

I had seen the slow progress of the Spyker V.2 restoration in Aviodrome's T2 hangar over the years, what a fine result!
It was little more than a tube frame in 2014, see my page.

Spyker V.2, C 16

In the back is a Fokker S.11 (the tail lifted up); featured further down this page is a Fokker S.12, the PH-NDC.
In the middle is DH.82A Tiger Moth (A-38) and on the right is a Harvard, named Cathy, detailed below.

traditiekamermld.nl/100-jaar-mld

The DC-3 PH-TCB (far right) had to move a little to make place for this fine Marineluchtvaartdienst tribute.

Van Berkel WA - what an amazing result if you compare the stages in 2009 and 2014 !!!

The Sikorsky H-5, (initially designated R-5 and also known as S-48, S-51 and by company designation VS-32) was a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. The 'Jezebel' was the first helicopter ever flown in the Netherlands
and made its claim to fame during the 1953 flood (Wikipedia) when it rescued dozens of people from the rooftops
of their flooded houses. The toll of that flood (a photo seen in the background of the above image) was 2.551 killed
(1.836 in the Netherlands, 307 in England, 28 in Belgium, 19 in Scotland, 361 at sea).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_H-5

A new investor, the Libéma Group, made it possible for the Aviodrome to reopen its doors on 28Apr2012.
Libéma is a specialist in running museums of all sorts and their handywork is already showing in a positive way.
I was met by Raymond Oostergo and he walked me through the various changes, allowing me a generous portion of his time. Raymond will, in the new set up, be in charge of facilities, collection and operations; we can leave it to him to keep the integrity of the aviation theme park intact though changes are unavoidable.

The global economic crisis has shown that sponsors can pull the rug from under you when they suddenly decide to stop paying the bills.
A popular museum with a steady stream of visitors provide the required foundation, the rest (extra investments by sponsors) will be much depending on how and when the crisis will end. A good thing is that the collection is intact and work on the aeroplanes continue, albeit progressing at a somewhat slower pace.

The reception area has been revised; the signs may seem familiar: they are the same as on Amsterdam's Schiphol IAP. The ticket is free if one has a 'Museum Jaarkaart'.

Restoration on the Noorduijn Norseman continues, but at a more modest pace. Alas, by march 2016 restoration still went on at a snail's pace. Why was explained to me two years later (above).

The KLM business class seats have been taken out and replaced by original Lockheed Constellation first class seats! When KLM got rid of its Connies, a touringcar company got hold of some first class seats and put them in a bus, declaring it a First Class Touringcar! For many years these seats were stored somewhere until someone thought of making them available to the Aviodrome.
The work on this 'Dutch Connie' continues: at present isolation blankets in the cockpit are being replaced. As long as such care is being put to this 'Queen of the Skies' there is hope she may one day fly again!
The Constellation as well as the DC-2 'Uiver' are owned by an investment group consisting of the KLM, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Citycouncil Lelystad; one of many projects for the near future will be to determine how the museum can put these vintage planes to use.

Both the Fokker F.27 and this Douglas DC-3 are owned by other parties. While the museum is willing to facilitate and share the ramp by the DDA and the Dutch Catalina for flight operations and events, the museum will probably will want to see something done with the above static 'lodgers'. (Note: G-DAKK was acquired by Classic Wings in 2013, dismantled, taken away and hopefully awaits restorations some time in the future).

A large fence dividing the area in halves has disappeared; much work has gone in freeing more area for people to walk and do a circular route instead of having to walk back the same path. A nice viewing area where one can watch planes land or take from Lelystad's runway has been resurrected.
Several features have been implemented for kids to vent their pent up energy in a smart way.
It all looks very promising!

More photos taken during my visit this day can be seen on my Flickr pages.

A bit of recent history!
During the winter of 2009/2010 a reorganisation was implemented at the National Aviation Themepark Aviodrome.
DDA Airlines moved from Amsterdam IAP to Lelystad and the organisation structure of the Aviodrome was changed considerably. Director Jan Schaatsbergen presides over four departments: Themepark, Operations, Marketing &Sales and Events.
The two former Directors, Arno van der Holst (Aviodrome) and Anne Cor Groeneveld (DDA), have said their goodbyes during the reorganisation. This proces of merger and reorganisation was completed in close cooperation with KLM and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AAS).
The brandnames Aviodrome and DDA Airlines continued to be used as before.

The business-to-business formula of the new company did not work out; the budget planning for 2011 was not realistic on the first place (imo). KLM, part of the Air France - KLM Group, took economic measures in the face of a continued recession and pulled the plug: it refused to finance the museum's losses showing at the end of 2011.
The museum went into bankruptcy proceedings.
Fortunately the curator did everything in his power to keep the collection intact and the museum open and running as long as he could (it closed only a few months).

On Friday 23Mar12 the Dutch Libéma Groep acquired the Aviodrome museum.
Libéma Group plans to turn the Aviodrome in more of a 'theme park', less of a (flying) museum.
The (airworthy) Douglas DC-2 will be sold to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, while the Lockheed Constellation is to be purchased by the local Lelystad city council and the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AAS) Group. Both aircraft are to be loaned back to the Aviodrome/Libéma.
The Libema Groep will buy the remaining part of the aircraft collection.
Reopening was on Saturday 28Apr12.

The Stearman-Hammond Y -project was always meant to be on a slow burner, but meanwhile some progress has been made, as one can see by the skin repairs (photo right).
More on this project can be read on the page dedicated to my visit here 02APR09.

The best news I got this visit was the progress on the Noorduyn Norseman here...
Noorduyn C-64 Norseman 44-70509 is owned by 'Stichting (Foundation) Norseman' and Roland van Haarlem & his team are nearing the date to to have it back in flying condition! The fresh paintscheme was applied bij QAPS last january; this camouflage livery is equal to what it had 65 years ago! August 2023 saw progress but a flight that year could net be expected yet.

Meanwhile, the foundation 'Friends of the Aviodrome' have purchased in the US the remains of a Cessna Bobcat; the previous owner had lost faith in rebuilding it and this will be another new project here for the upcoming years.
I stongly suspect that the Bobcat found its way to the Nederlands Transport Museum!