Ostend

[james solomon]

Anyone know or know of whats stored at Ostend or have a link to an utodate website about whats stored there would like to go over there one of these days and have a look

[FLYAIR10]

Hi James,
Myself I have no idea what is exactly "stored" these days at OST.
An old Dakota which had been there since 1992 was recently moved to the military airport in Brussels for restoring.

Maybe this link to the EBOS-spotting forum can help.
Ebos-spotting.be Forum !! :: Index (http://www.ebos-spotting.be/phpBB2/)

Greetings and enjoy your stay at OST!;)

[Phileas Fogg]

Make sure to be in OST when the wind isn't blowing towards shore .... it blows the sewage back up the pipes and the toilets stink to hell.

And all the milk is UHT and the tap water tastes like cr@p as it comes from the sand dunes.

But please don't think Oostende hasn't got it's good points ..... such as the road out of it to France and/or the ferry out of it to UK!

[macdo]

not a fan then?:)

[james solomon]

I noticed that when doing research for this place that it seems to be the DC8 graveyard for Europe is this true to a point

[Cyrano]

Perhaps better to try the Spotters Corner forum rather than this one? :)

[Phileas Fogg]

macdo,

After 2.5 years of living/working OST ... NO ... I am most definitely not a fan!

The Jupiler beer is some sort of chemical formula and when the police launched a pre-Christmas drink/driving clampdown it was the police themselves that were selling a list of where/when all these checkpoints were ... they didn't catch many drink/drivers!

About the only people paying income tax at the airport were the handling agent, ATC, fire, security etc. Every so often the police would raid the airport for tax/immigration dodgers, funny enough we'd receive a phone call to let us know the police were on their way, as the police would be driving in to the airport there would be a long queue of traffic heading in the opposite direction and towards the Icarus restaurant.

Once the police realised that the airport had become a ghost town they'd head for the Icarus restaurant also, the police would be drinking with us knowing darn well who we were but if we were ever asked we were just there on holiday!

The Icarus restaurant, half way along the airfield, on the sea side, is the ex WWII Luftwaffe officers mess, it was built by British POW's and they put a bit of pride in to their workmanship.

[Ernest Lanc's]

Phileas Fogg - I agree with your good points about this city remembering the place in the 60/70s - But am led to believe that Ostend is now a very upmarket resort:confused:.
Not a place I would like to go and to be honest I would have extended your access from Belgium to France right to the to the Atlantic.or Northern Spain.

[Phileas Fogg]

Ernest,

I was there 95-97, come the summer the beaches would be packed, the apartments fully booked, but the water still tasted like cr@p, the toilets stank and the streets littered with dog turds.

Ostend could be considered upmarket ... if they knocked it down and started over again and/or relocate it outside of Belgium. :)

I think the mega incident occurred during the 98 airshow which resulted in air shows being banned in Belgium.

[james solomon]

what was the 98 airshow incident your on about Fogg

[Phileas Fogg]

James,

An aircraft crashed in to the crowd and also went through the Red Cross caravan, it was a bad one with fatalities


YouTube - ‪Belgian Airshow Disaster‬‏

[james solomon]

no good couldnt tell what arceaft that was but it seemed dangerous. Does ostend have alot of junk on the airport rotting away

[Phileas Fogg]

James,

In 95-97 the 'junk' at OST flew :)

At the westerly end of the runway there is a carpet shop/warehouse, it has been bombed so many times by bits falling from aircraft it's roof is like a patchwork quilt .

There was also the 'famous' 2 engined B707 that took off out of OST, it had 4 engines at the time it took off but by the time it was doing an emergency 'dirty dive' in to a French military base it only had 2 engines, no hydraulics etc. and one wing on fire where 2 engines had previously been!

P.S.

Ostend Airshow (Ostend, Belgium) – Captain Omar Hani Bilal of the Jordanian Air Force display team, the Royal Jordanian Falcons, was killed when he lost control of his Walter Extra EA300s. His plane crashed at the end of the runway and burst into flames near a Red Cross tent and spectator stands. On the ground, eight were killed and forty injured.

[Charlie Roy]

Does ostend have alot of junk on the airport rotting away

Not so much. A 747 from MK Airlines, a 747 with no markings and a couple of other aircraft. PM me your email address and I can mail you some photos. Personally I cannot agree with the negative comments regarding Ostend. It's a fantastic holiday destination / place to live.

Existing Ostend thread: http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/443638-ostend-bruges.html
Belgian forum: Luchtzak Aviation • View topic - Ostend Airport - Latest news (http://www.luchtzak.be/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=43195&start=80)
Facebook group (unofficial): Hup hup Ostend Airport | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65178883082&ref=ts)


http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/226262_1033162793139_1347488193_30084871_2392_n.jpg

[macdo]

OK PF, its off my holiday list! Perhaps I'll go to Barry Island again:eek:

[Phileas Fogg]

macdo,

Funny you mention it, Barry Island is just down the hill from where I'm sitting now ... did I suggest that Ostend is so bad? :)

I can recommend Siargao Island though, I'm moving to live in the town of General Luna!!!