Lelystad Air Show, September 04th - 2004
Photos © R.Leeuw
Photos © R.Leeuw
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On a brilliant day aviation enthusiasts gathered at the regional airport of Lelystad, to witness a gathering of warbirds (both propellor-driven as well as jets) and vintage transports.
"Damn Yankee" sits waiting at the taxitrack for its moment to take it to the 'blue yonder' and perform a series of acrobatics, riminiscent of its hey-days in World War 2.
It is only fitting to start with a warbird which is a resident here at Lelystad. P-51D Mustang 44-74425 (N11T) is owned by Tom van der Meulen, but I do not know if he actually flew this incredible fine looking fighter. See below for links to a detailed history on this warbird. |
 The type of aircraft the Mustang could have encountered in WW2 is this Junkers Ju-52, a lumbering transport with a unique appearance and a rare survivor. Well, actually it is a Spanish license-built CASA 352L. To be even more precise: the fuselage is original German W.Nr. 24, the wings are from CASA, serialled 103The official registration is F-AZJU and markings show AZ+JU on the aircraft. It is in privat use (by L'Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis), but sponsored by EADS (Airbus); its home is at La Ferte Alais (LFFQ) in France. In 2003 a lengthy restoration ended when it took to the sky for the first time in many years. Preserved Ju 52/3m/ CASA 352/ Amiot AAC.1 |
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Another WW2 warbird would of course be this immaculate, famous Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXc. (Bert Bleyendaal, thanks for correcting my initial mistake, this Spitfire is on other websites referred to as a Mk XIV E). The first prototype of the Spitfire flew in March 1936 and the Rolls Royce Merlin engine contributed to the dominating sound of radial engines at this airshow. 
Unfortunately, the commentators kept yapping and they left few moments for the crowd to properly listen to the rumbling sound of these engines and I imagine that the continous talking spoilt quite a number of video tapes of enthusiasts filming the performances of these vintage planes.
MK732 3W-17 is based at Gilze-Rijen with the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historical Flight. It actually flew with the RNLAF in 1948 as 3W-17. |
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On the Allied forces the DC-3 Dakota was the major transport and it was fitting to be present here.
N47FK became HK-4700X, ferried thru Opa Locka (KOPF) 02may10 - http://spotters.net.ua/file/?id=29162 A 1946 photo was supplied to me, operating as NC49538 for Mt.McKinley Airfreight in Alaska: see my Photos by Friends & Guests page 35. UPDATE: On 08May2014 it crashed in Colombia, all occupants fatal; Aviation Safety Network database |
 This B-25 Mitchell awaits its clearance, while Ju-52 is already airborne and performing.The operator is the "the Duke of Brabant Air Force", which is based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The foundation operates warbirds at airshows throughout Europe. The B-25 Mitchell bomber was its flagship and it was built in 1944. The B-25 has been transferred to the SKHV, a foundation on which you can read more below (see info on the Beech and Harvards). Its full history can be read at www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org |
 A very graceful performance by the Ju-52 / CASA-352L |
 The DBAF's B-25 was built in 1944 and discovered in Baton Rouge, LA (USA) in a dismal state. Tailnumber N320SQ was arranged to honour the former RAF (Dutch) 320 Squadron, which operated the Mitchell bombers during WW2. After years of restoration the B-25 is operated from Eindhoven and looked in an excellent condition. Former civil owners operated the aircraft since 1959 and included a tropical fisheries company and a skydiving operator. Records seem to indicate that not all operations might have been legal.... fascinating, isn't it !! And the sound of these engines.... hearing is believing ! |
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For these kind of photos you need to visit an Air Show !! What a performance !!
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N5369X is a Beech D18S (c/n CA-254) and operates with Royal Netherlands Air Force G-29 markings. The Dutch owned and operated G-1 upto and including G-28, so they put G-29 (never flew with the Ducth AF) on this one.This Beech was built in 1952 by the Beechcraft-factories in Wichita,Kansas for the Royal Canadian Air Force as a VIP-transport navigational trainer ("T-7 Navigation Trainer") . This Beech flew from 1952 until 1968 with the RCAF. After various owners it arrived with the Dutch Dakota Association at Amsterdam IAP, the Netherlands. The Beech D18S was taken over by the Stichting Koninklijke Luchtmacht Historische Vlucht (SKHV, translates as: Foundation of Royal Air Force Historical Flight) because the DDA focused on Douglas transports. It was entered in the Dutch Civil Register as PH-KHV. The SKHV is based at Gilze-Rijen AFB, the Netherlands. In 1950 the Dutch Air Force obtained 28 T-7s. The T-7s flew with the training group at Gilze-Rijen, the conversion course on 2-engined aircraft ("AVOT') at Twente AFB, the TRANSVA at Ypenburg AFB and later with 334 Sqdn at Ypenburg AFB. In 1957 most were returned to the original owners. René Veldhuizen: many thanks for the interesting details ! |
The Beech D18S leads the way for these Noorduyn Harvard IIBs (built in Canada during WW2).
Of the Harvard over 20.000 airframes were built, an incredible amount ! The Dutch obtained after WW2 some 220 Harvards, some were only used for spareparts, however. The Royal Dutch Air Force (KLu - Koninklijke Luchtmacht) operated the Harvard until 1962 mainly as trainer for Advanced Pilot Training (VVO) and Pilot Instructor Course (VIO) at Gilze-Rijen AFB. The Harvards were easily recognized with their yellow colourscheme and dayglow orange decorations. In 1968 the last of the Harvards (still in use for aerial photography) were decommissioned. The SKHV has operated with Harvards almost from the start and they were used in movies, disguised as Fokker D.XXI, Thunderbolt, Typhoon or Folke Wulf 190A. Not without some cosmetic changes, of course ! Some of these (Dutch) movies were: "Waakzaamheid", "De Prijs van de Vrijheid", "Soldaat van Oranje", "De Aanslag", "A Bridge Too Far" and in the musical "Joe". |
 Turning for final approach while a Harvard follows suit.
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 "Fifi Kate" performed well and returned to the ramp of the Aviodrome; it dropped para jumpers and did some aerobatics, including a trail of coloured smoke, it did well. |
The PBY-5A Catalina PH-PBY (c/n 300) performed its public debut and looked really great !Details of its final stages in restoration and its testflight can be read om my page The Dutch Catalina PH-PBY restored ! In 2018 the news was published that PH-PBY would be put up for sale. |
A fly-by with the wingfloats retracted and a fly-by with the wingfloast deployed.... hopefully a next time the show will take a little longer, it deserves it !It was flown by Arjan Dros and the SNA is doing crewtraining now, to prepare for next year's season. |
Antonov An-2 HA-ANI (c/n 1G13255) was present as well and displayed its ability to take off from very short distance and fly really slow.This An-2 "Colt" is a Dutch resident ! It is operated by the Stichting Antonov Nederland and was built in 1972 in Poland. It is kept on the Hungarian register because the pilots and the engineers have Hungarian licences. HA-ANI is based on Texel. |
For me F-AZJU was one of the star performers !
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 Nord Noratlas (F-AZVM, c/n105) 62-SI was there too, dropping para jumpers. It performed a few fly bys, but since it did not land (appointment elsewhere...) it did not show its steep approach it showed last year at Coventry. |
 Two very successful restoration projects in Holland: the PBY-5A PH-PBY (SNA) and Lockheed Constellation N749NL (Aviodrome) parked together. A pity the Connie still has troubles with its no.3 engine and is no tready to fly and for some reason the airshow coordinators did not allow N749NL to taxi pasts the crowds when it was ready to do so...
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With a last look at the "Queen of the Skies" we went home, the sound of radial engines engines still lingering in our ears ...
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