Rumbling over Netherlands as F-16 jets make farewell flight
Today, the F-35 fighter jets will officially replace the F-16s at the Dutch Air Force. After 45 years, the older fighter jets will fly a two-hour-long farewell round over the Netherlands on Friday afternoon, so don’t be surprised if you hear a roaring sound from the air.
The F-16s will take off for their last trip in the Netherlands at around 1:30 p.m. in Volkel, Noord-Brabant. They will then fly over various locations in the Netherlands where they were deployed or that have a connection with the aircraft, such as the Ministry of Defense in The Hague.
The jets will fly at an altitude of at least 400 meters from Volkel to De Peel, Twente, Leeuwarden, Vlieland, Soesterberg, The Hague, Woensdrecht, Breda, Gilze-Rijen, Eindhoven, and then land back at Volkel at around 3:30 p.m.
Tijdens de afscheidsvlucht vliegt een formatie F-16’s voornamelijk over de locaties waar de F-16 actief is geweest. De vliegroute en tijden zijn onder voorbehoud van onvoorziene omstandigheden.
— Koninklijke Luchtmacht (@Kon_Luchtmacht) September 24, 2024
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The farewell ceremony at Volkel air base will also be broadcast via live stream on YouTube.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense couldn’t tell RTL Nieuws how many F-16s would take part in the farewell flight but said it would be between six and eight, with a Belgian F-16 following to take photos.