Hi all,
After the short trip to Germany last week, we had another short trip planned, this time mainly passing through Germany on the way to Switzerland. In the end I took a day off one day earlier, so we could see the arrivals of the APROC exercise at Gilze-Rijen as well.
As always, everything in the log is actually read off unless between (brackets). And I post this on multiple lists, so please ignore the bits you’re not interested in…
As said, we spent Tuesday (22-5) at Gilze-Rijen. As this has been widely reported, I won’t repeat the activities here, it’s enough to say we had a nice day. Like last week we had booked a hotel near Ramstein, so on the way there we passed Spangdahlem.
Spangdahlem AB (22-5)
(85-0002) C-5M 436 AW
(02-1109) C-17A (62 AW)
(07-7169) C-17A (436 AW)
(61-0275) KC-135R (151 ARW, 191 ARS)
We left Gilze in time, but due to the worst evening rush hour of 2018 yet (according to the news) we didn’t make it in time to Spang to read off the visiting stuff. Luckily both Flugzeugforum and Scramble came to the rescue!
Next morning we had a go at a very quiet Ramstein.
Ramstein AB (23-5)
01-0193 C-17A 437 AW
07-7185 C-17A 437 AW
09-9207 C-17A 437 AW
92-3284 C-130H 934 AW, 96 AS
92-3286 C-130H 934 AW, 96 AS
06-8612 C-130J 19 AW, 41 AS
07-4635/RS C-130J 86 AW, 37 AS
07-46311 C-130J 19 AW, 41 AS
07-8608/RS C-130J 86 AW, 37 AS
07-8609/RS C-130J 86 AW, 37 AS
08-3176 C-130J 317 AG
08-5724 C-130J 317 AG
08-8603/RS C-130J 86 AW, 37 AS, “37 AS” mks
11-5736/RS C-130J 86 AW, 37 AS
N163PA G-III (ex Dan AF F-249)
? C-160D wrong serial
Very quiet, like I said, but at least we made two of the relatively new local Hercs. And we could actually confirm 46311 and the Gulf we couldn’t read off last week. The Tral was read off as 50+56, but the distance and heatwaves made it very tricky, and the 50+56 is preserved in Gatow…
Offenburg (23-5)
MM80816/78 OH-13H D-HNAD, c/n 2402
“51-4625” L-19A D-ECII (ex Austria 3A-CB)
D-HAKN AB.47G-2 std (ex 74+26)
D-HELO AB.47G-2 c/n 228 (ex 74+04)
F-HVHV B.47G-5A (ex Peru AF 650), based in Belgium (Houthalen)
F-GDJP AB.47G-2 u. rest, will get D-reg (ex FAF 141)
(?) B.47 std, yellow with Procoptere Aviation titles
Also present was purely civil D-HAHB, a B.47G-2 which will go to Beiern. We dropped by here last year, and back then the owner of the Birddog wasn’t present. This time however we were lucky, and although he was working hard (painting a Cessna), he allowed us into the hangars to see and photograph the Birddog and also the Bells. He specialises in Bell 47 maintenance, so these come and go. Sioux D-HAAA that was seen here earlier has left, to somewhere in Belgium we were told. It didn’t have the right paperwork, so the guy gave up on it and said it can’t fly legally anymore. If this one surfaces again in Belgium, I’d love to hear it obviously. And info on the Bell of Procoptere Aviation would be very welcome as well!
Biberach (23-5)
(DDR-SCL) Tu-134A pr (ex NVA LSK 182)
Although we often drove past here on the motorway, we never had the time to go and get this one. Now we finally made up for this! It is preserved outside a factory, easily visible and at least cosmetically in good condition.
Lahr (23-5)
(24+38) RF-104G pr, Canadian AF c/s
Same story here as with the Tupolev, but now we also finally got this one. It took more time than planned though, since the coordinates in EMOOS are for the MiG-15 that used to be preserved here, but after some searching we found Starfighter. The exact coördinates are: 48 21 12 N, 7 48 23 E.
Next we entered Switzerland, see the log on the Rest of Europe-forum at http://forum.scramble.nl/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=138578
After two days there we returned again via Germany.
Marxzell (25-5)
75 rd MiG-15UTI pr outside, USSR c/s (ex NVA LSK 75)
‘D-HELM’ Sycamore mk.52 pr inside (ex 78+18)
A huge museum filled with lots and lots of vehicles, including the two above (plus civil gliders D-KHOP, a Sterz P.77 and an unknown one, frame only). The MiG is outside, to see the Sycamore you really need access, which is daily but from 14-17 h only. There is a lot of confusion on the web whether the Sycamore is former D-HALB or LC, the other one being preserved in Nordholz. All sources quote 78+16 in Nordholz and 78+18 here in Marxzell, but the civil history gets mixed up. Anybody?
Darmstadt (25-5)
(SP-SAI) Mi-2 std, to be pr (c/n 512622102, ex Sov AF)
When we arrived here, the chopper was nowhere to be seen. The company at the address (Kraemer Elektronik) was already closed, but when we rang the bell at the neighbours house, it turned out the owner of the company actually lives there. And to our relief he confirmed the Mil was still present. It is supposed to go back on the roof, where it will act as a sunroof for the beer garden up there, but at the moment it is still stored at the back of the premises. We had a good look, but the c/n plate was missing, and no other proof of id could be found.
Weiterstadt (25-5)
1621 TS-11 pr, no mks, c/n 3H1621
(6910) NiG-21PFM pr, fantasy c/s
Our last stop on the way home was for the aircraft in shopping mall Loop 5. This mall is really themed ‘aviation’, but allegedly the TS-11 and possibly also the MiG will move on soon. The TS-11 is inside a shoe shop, and they need the space, plus too many people (I hope she meant children with that…) try to climb on it.
And that concludes the trip. We can call it a successful one, with our last Swiss F/A-18 and EC.135 seen, plus our last (and only) DHC-6 and Da.42 and the last-but-one PC-9. And Switzerland is still a photographers paradise of course.
As always, comments, additions and corrections are welcome.
That’s all folks!
Frank Mink & Patrick Dirksen
Tristar Aviation
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