3rd of October is a holiday in Germany, so I left that one out, and started my visit on the 4th of October. Rented a spot on the nearby campground, and the fun could begin.
The first thing we did was driving to the back of the civil ramp, to see what was in store for us. A few A-4s on the ramp, and a couple of Alpha Jets. No TA-4. The hangar doors opened, and there she was.. packed in the rear of the right hangar. Dreams dashed, that one would not fly. But, at least I finally saw it. Maybe three times lucky, we will see.
As last time, the EC-145 of MFG-5 flew from the same platform.
D-HTMG EC-145 MFG5No further movement at that time, short dash into the RWY 26 approach:
83+06 Lynx MFG5 German NavyThen the Top Aces came to live, and we went back to the civil ramp:
C-FGZH/534 A-4 Top Aces
C-FGZT/542 A-4 Top AcesThe Alpha Jets already joined the show, here returning from their missions:
C-GFTO/038 Alpha Jet Top Aces
C-GITO/069 Alpha Jet Top AcesA third Alpha Jet was towed out of the hangar, and appeared to go for a mission. It wasn't. It seems it only did a test run on the runway, before returning to its previous spot in the hangar.
C-GVTA/009 Alpha Jet Top AcesThen two Blackhawks popped up on ADSB. We missed the first one because we were taking pictures of the Top Aces, but got the second on approach to RWY26:
20-21132 UH-60 USArShortly after a local spotter told me the Blackhawks tend to use Nordholz for SAR practice over the Northsea, and he suspected these two weren't an exception. He was very right. More on these birds later.
One of the local Do228s came back from its mission:
57+05 Do228 MFG3 German NavyDaylight vanishes quick, but being around the corner of the field, the day wasn't over yet. Returning after dinner for some experiments:
C-GFTO/038 Alpha Jet Top Aces
C-FGZE A-4 Top AcesOn the 5th of October, the weather was bad. Heavy clouds & cold wind didn't make it enjoyable. A visiting Global (the 14+06) was captured on approach, some A-4s while taxiing but that's it. Let's continue with the 6th.
In the early morning we visited the Blackhawks, and grabbed a Skyhawk and Alpha Jet on the ramp:
20-21132 UH-60 USAr
C-FGZO/532 A-4 Top AcesThen the family insisted on doing something else, so we visited the Zoo in Bremerhaven. But, the airfield is on the way back to the campground, so forgive me for taking a look at the field again. That was a good call. We approached the ramp where the Blackhawks were parked in the morning, only to find out they have been joined by 3 KLu Apaches. Before they departed, one of the Skyhawks did a low approach..
C-FGZT/542 A-4 Top AcesFuelstop done, the Apaches left:
Q-24 AH-64 301SQN RNLAFLovely day turned into night again, and I had a different experiment in mind this time. The ramp lights were off making it a bit harder.
Scooters by nightLast day of the trip started cold, but with a lot of sun. A P-3C was doing engine tests, but then another one decided to actually go and fly.
60+03 P-3C MFG3 German NavyBack to the Top Aces. Left hangar was open this time, causing me to be able to at least tick all the current Top Aces jets based on Nordholz of the spotting list. A-4 534 started up for a mission together with Alpha Jet 069. It didn't last long before the ground crew pulled out their cameras and took a few shots of something within the speedbrakes. Scratch that flight, only the Alpha Jet took off, but Top Aces pulled the 367 out of the hangar and started preparing it for a mission later.
C-FGZD/367 A-4 Top AcesThe 532 came back from her mission near Rostock, and treated us with a nice break instead of going straight in.
C-FGZO/532 A-4 Top AcesThe show wasn't over for that one. The pilot saw us taking pictures, slowed down on his way to his spot, giving us an incredible chance for some great shots:
C-FGZO/532 A-4 Top AcesWe had to be off the campground before 13:00, so we went to collect our stuff. We still didn't see the blackhawks go back home, so one last look there then. Good call.. they left half an hour after we arrived at the fence:
20-21132 UH-60 USAr
20-21128 UH-60 USArDuring the startup and departure of the Blackhawks, a local Lynx was doing an airshow practice run. As we were near the end of the runway, some of the moves were right in front of us:
83+19 Lynx MFG5 German NavyAll in all, 4 really enjoyable days, with a huge amount of photos.
Hope you like them!
Regards,
Bram
