LOG 2 February 2009:
Final stop during my stop in Madrid was my favourite airport. Well, not today. When I drove around the northern toll road I saw two Hornets landing. Quite exited, also due to the drive through large pools of mud, I arrived at spot 2 at slightly past two. Here, I waited, and waited, till 1530LT. At this stage, the rain had started again so I decided to go numbercrunching. The drive on the dirtroad along the north was again quite exciting, drifting through the mud. Luckily, I did not get stuck. At the bridge, spot 7, I enjoyed a take-off of a Herc and then I started to read all the codes. Strangely enough, there was a Ala15 Hornet in one of the older QRA hangars. Also quite strange were the Dominie's and the USAr Beech. After the take-off of the Airbus I headed to Barajas to end this journey and return my rental car. Time for a Coronita!
We noted that same Ala 15 Hornet at Torrejon already in October last year.
It flew several local missions together with Ala 12 and CLAEX Hornets.
So it has probably been stationed here for some time.
I guess the Dominies were on some sort of cross-European navigation trip. I spotted them a couple of times at Rome-Ciampino as well, always as a pair. They seem to have a preference for southern-European capitals (can't blame 'em though... ).
When we visited Torrejon in october it flew several missions. Some as single ship.
But mostly as a two ship together with a Hornet of CLAEX. So maybe it is used as a chase plane by CLAEX??
Clouds and a strong easterly wind prevented any nice photography here.
The Spanish Air Force did not fly very good, although the 47-22 made a couple of ILS calibrating passes.