Last time on my flights above NL-2000 I ended at the airbase of Leeuwarden. For this flight it's my starting point. For those that want to know more about this airbase see my old article here. As Leeuwarden is a military airbase it's obvious that I take a military plane. I chose the F16 in a US livery for this but any military plane will do.

Here you can see my F16 just in front of one of the many concrete shelters at Leeuwarden.

Picture 1: My F-16 at Leeuwarden which will be my companion on my first leg of this trip.

Take off is as always over in a breeze in these amazing flying machines. I remember the time when I often played the simulator Falcon 4.0 (still the best F16 sim on a home computer these days). I make a quick turn over Leeuwarden to wave goodbye.

Picture 2: Making a turn over Leeuwarden

The I set course to the North. I use little throttle because little is needed. It's easy too go to fast in this plane. The weather is not too good so I stay relatively low. Soon the Island Ameland is coming into sight. It's part of an island group on the north coast of the Netherlands called De Wadden. These Islands belong to a natural conservation area but on Vlieland is a military bombing/shooting range. Above Ameland I turn west and descend to 2000 feet to take a better look at the island. Ameland also has a little airfield for general aviation.

Even with little throttle everything goes fast as I'm soon flying over the east tip of Terschelling. Terschelling is one of the best holiday islands of the Netherlands. It offers woods, dunes and beaches. On the west of the island is the famous Brandaris. This lighthouse is the highest lighthouse of The Netherlands.

Picture 3: The Brandaris on Terschelling, the highest lighthouse of The Netherlands

A short while later I spot tanks on the military range called Vliehors. I also spot a little tower. This tower was almost accidentally destroyed in a military exercise a few years ago. I take two passes over the range and then it's time to leave the area. I am not returning to Leeuwarden. Instead I plan on flying over the IJsselmeer (IJsel lake) to the Province of Overijssel to land at Enschede, home of the airbase of Twenthe. To cross the IJsselmeer quickly I ascend to a higher altitude. I cross the Afsluitdijk which is the longest man made barrier to close the IJsselmeer.

Quote of Wikipedia:
"The IJsselmeer was created in 1932 when an inland sea, the Zuiderzee, was closed by a 32 km dam, the Afsluitdijk. This was part of a major hydraulic engineering project known as the Zuiderzee Works, that years later led to the reclaiming of land from the IJsselmeer, thereby diminishing the size of the lake."

It's still quite a large lake. After a while I see the North-Oost-Polder again. I crossed this area on my flight for my second article about NL-2000. I now cross this area in a south-east direction before slightly diverting to the south west because I want to fly over The IJssel. I soon see the IJssel and the historical city of Kampen. Some nice bridges can be seen here. I follow the IJssel to Zwolle. Also a city with a historical center. You can see parts of the old city walls when flying above the center. The bridges over the IJssel are also very nice. West of the city the village of Hattum can be seen just on the edge of the famous Veluwe. This is the largest forest covered area in The Netherlands. I fly along the IJssel to the south and halfway Zwolle and Deventer I turn to the east.

I now cross the green pastures of Overijssel. Overijssel has mixed terrain of pastures, woods, old farms and moors. Only to the very east some larger cities can be found. Almelo, Hengelo and Enschede form a city area and are closely connected. A visual landing at Twenthe in a fast F16 proves to be quite a challenge. When I spot the airbase I first decide to overfly it. Slowly I bring back the speed to 250 kts, then 220 and landing at about 180 kts. Luckily the brakes do the hard work of slowing me down. After landing I taxi to a concrete hangar which is roughly the same as on Leeuwarden. Only the terrain is more covered in the woods here at Twenthe. The airfield is nicely done in NL-2000 as a member of the team lived nearby this airfield. Most pictures of the buildings where taken during a public event at the airfield. You can see an old farm as part of the airfield, a detailed radar tower and many more things. After this leg I take a rest. For the second leg I change to another airplane.

Picture 4: My Bonanza on the ground at Twente

The Beechcraft Bonanza is my companion for the second leg. This is a twin engine airplane which is of couse a lot slower than the F16 but fast enough for a propeller plane. After a short lunch break I taxi to the southern part of the airbase which is reserved for general aviation. I snap a picture here. Again you can see the attention that went into the details here.

I take off in a northwestern direction but after take of I make a turn left towards the Twenthe-channel. I follow it a bit to the east. I overfly Enschede Center. Enschede was a place of disaster when in May 2003 a fireworks storage exploded. The explosion destroyed the neighborhood Roombeek. Today the neighborhood is rebuilt. I leave Enschede in a turn to the west and I overfly the University Campus of the Twenthe University. Again I follow the Twenthe-Channel. Soon I cross the southern part of Hengelo and on my right wing I can see The station in the center of the city.

I continue flying along the channel over the villages of Delden and Goor (Hof van Twenthe). After Goor I fly directly west to catch a glimpse of the historical city of Deventer. This city is beautifully situated along the IJssel. Deventer is famous for its yearly book fair in August which attracts about 125,000 visitors. I turn left to fly in the direction of Arnhem. I see Zutphen on my left wing. At Eerbeek I cross the eastern edge of the Veluwe again. This time I fly over a part of this beautiful area. I can see sand, woodlands with little houses in between.

Arnhem is well known for the part it played in World War II. The battle for Arnhem is a well known part of the World War II. The battle for the bridges was covered in a dramatized way in the movie "A Bridge Too Far" (1977). The famous John Frost bridge can also be seen from the sky. But Arnhem offers more like the Eusebius Church.

Picture 5: Center of Arnhem with Eusbius Church and bridges

Also a lot of other buildings are represented in the scenery. I fly a little westwards along the railway and turn around the KEMA tower (a 135 m communications tower).

I cross the Rhine and fly southwards. On the left I can see the Gelredome, home of the football club Vitesse and also a large venue for pop concerts. A short while after leaving Arnhem the city of Nijmegen comes in site. Nijmegen is the oldest city in The Netherlands. Its history goes back 2000 years. The historical center is situated along the river Waal. Nijmegen is also famous for its International Four Day March. This event is growing larger and larger each year. It attracts walkers from all over Europe.

Leaving the city on the south edge I soon enter the province of Brabant. I'm heading for Eindhoven which is the destination of this day. On the way I overfly the military airbase Volkel. Afer five minutes I reach the northern outskirts of Eindhoven. I fly over the center. A lot of new high buildings including the famous Admirant can be seen. Also the PSV-stadium and the futuristic Evoluon can be spotted. Eindhoven was closely connected with the famous company Philips. Sadly for Eindhoven the headquarters for Philips moved to Amsterdam a few years ago.

Picture 6: Above Eindhoven

Eindhoven Airport is the second largest airport in The Netherlands. It consists of a military and a civil part. Many European destinations are served from this airport. I make the approach to runway 22. After a soft landing I taxi to the general aviation and turn the engine off. It was an interesting flight over the eastern part of The Netherlands.

Jeroen Arends
pagroove@yahoo.com
www.nl-2000.com