Belgian Vipers: A few hours at Kleine-Brogel
April 27th was King’s Day here in The Netherlands. What did I do to celebrate the occasion? Wear an orange shirt and party in Amsterdam?
No. That simply would not do.
I stood in a farm field, hungry and under-caffeinated, in Belgium. In Kleine-Brogel to be precise. This is the main fighter base of the Belgian Air Force, and is a place I have wanted to visit for many years. With the eventual demise of the Belgian F-16 fleet, it seemed like a great idea to go and try to photograph a few while I have the chance.
So, once again, I drove away from Amsterdam in the early morning hours, with only a faint concept of where I was going. After a few wrong turns, I ended up on a dirt road next to the base where, presumably, photos could be made. It was dead-quiet when I arrived but a few other people were there also. When the sound of jet engines finally came, nothing happened. No Vipers appeared. We stood there just staring into the base hoping, and of course, cursing each time nothing moved.
After what seemed like eternity, two F-16s taxied out from the shelter area. Frustratingly, they taxied to the opposite end of the runway. That meant they would takeoff toward us and would be too high by the time they were in the camera frame. In a desperate attempt to make sure I didn’t come home empty-handed, I still shot away. The photos weren’t exactly good, but it did reveal one important fact: The special “X-Tiger” aircraft was now in the air. “It’s going to have to come back eventually, right?” I said to a fellow spotter, “Right?”
By now, you know what happens next: Jump back in the car, make a mad dash to the opposite end of the base, park somewhere barely suitable, walk through some field, stand there, and wait. Several more F-16s had taken to the air and it was not too long before I could get much nicer views when they returned. We were even treated to several go-arounds, as well as touch-and-goes.
It was a great day and met some really nice fellow aviation geeks.
I gambled, and Kleine-Brogel delivered.
(Click on an image to enlarge)
