The airfield is just a grass strip of maybe 1.000 meters long, of which there are literally hundreds in Germany. But mention the name Hahnweide to an aviation enthusiast, and he will get shivers down the spine. Hahnweide stands for the biggest gathering of vintage aircraft in Europe: the Oldtimer Fliegertreffen!
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Every war is a human tragedy, with people being wounded and killed and innocent victims all over. But also during every war some heroic acts are recorded, small and big. These can change the lives of people involved and also serve as testimony to the spirit of mankind.
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In April this year, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) reached its 100th birthday. Under the motto “Your Air Force”, this is celebrated throughout the year during all kinds of smaller and larger events all over Canada. But also in Europe attention was paid to this milestone.
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The first Central Coast AirFest was held in 2018, and this was supposed to be the start of a yearly tradition. In 2019 the show was held again, but then the COVID-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works. However after two years of absence the third edition was held in October 2022 in the Californian city of Santa Maria. Despite the sunny reputation of California, the positioning of Santa Maria on the coast caused the weather to be rather grey during the air show. But nonetheless the event turned out a great success.
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In October 2021 a monument was unveiled in Almere, The Netherlands. This monument has been erected to commemorate the crew of Short Stirling BK716, the bomber that was recovered from the Markermeer last year. Having been discovered by accident already in 2008, when part of a landing gear became attached to the anchor of a ship, it wasn’t until 2018 when the recovery became a real possibility.
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The evening of March 29th, 1943. A young crew of 7 board their Short Stirling bomber with serial BK716 for their third mission. Target is Berlin. A feared destination, because of the heavy defence. And indeed BK716 disappears. For decades nobody knows what happened to them, until last year.
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Seen during the International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition (IADE) that was held in Djerba, Tunesia, was a long lost Harvard.
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Kuwait might not be the first location that comes to mind when you are thinking about aviation history, but there are some nice gems there. Some of them are a challenge to find though.
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On September 17th 1944, the Allied Forces launched the largest ever airborne assault under the code name operation Market Garden. Aim was to take strategic bridges in the southern part of The Netherlands. Paratroopers would land deep in enemy territory and take the bridges. Ground forces simultaneously launched an offence to relieve the paratroopers and push forward into Germany.
Image: courtesy Royal Netherlands Air Force
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With D-day being 75 years ago, many larger and smaller events were held in the UK and France to commemorate the start of the liberation of Europe. One of those events was “L-birds back to Normandy” which was held at St. André de l’Eure airfield. Continue reading