Soesterberg/Utrecht
 

Does anyone know how to get permission to land at Soesterberg mil airbase in the Netherlands, or where the Dutch AIP is on the net? (Trust me, I have searched all over!). Thanks in advance

The Dutch AIP is on the EAD. PM me with an email address.

Unless things have changed dramatically over the last 18 months I think it is more likely to get struck by lightning and win the lottery at the same time than get permission to land at any of the dutch military only airfields.

You can fly to the shared civil/military ones (Eindhoven & Twente)

This is very much to my chagrin.

I was brought up from grasshopper height onwards and did subsequent gliding and my dad gliding and flying at Gilze Rijen, but when I wanted to fly into there that was met with a very firm 'Njet'

As my dad lives just up the road from GR I did my level best at sorting this out but to no avail. Even having contacts at the Dutch National Historic Flight has made no difference in this.

Very sad.

However if you do manage, please please let me know and I will redouble the effort and give it another go.

FD

Having read the Dutch AIP entry, it appears that Soesterberg is not available to civil aircraft.

However, it puts Breda (Gilze-Rijen), into the same category as Eindhoven and Enschede, of requiring permission (0700-1545 Mon-Fri). Eindhoven has operated for many years as a very civil military base. So I'm kind of surprised that you got that reaction to the request to use Breda. Have you tried recently? Tel 0161 296911 given.

Corr blimey, it's like the dutch military are on the other side of some intra-Nato iron curtain... Thanks for your advice everyone - I've given up trying Soesterberg and will go to Hilversum instead. (and my intial marvel at the now semi-working EAD site has waned to usual GA indifference after it demonstrated its very shoddy operability)

Hilversum is great - you may as well go there let's face it, its a small country so it won't be too far to anywhere ;)

Joking aside, I had fun when we passed through there for fuel enroute to Bremen around this time last year. There was a ferocious wind on the day - plenty of runways to choose from so the x-wind wasn't too bad, but the approach to runway 25 over the trees provided plenty of windshear fun!

The cafe - and the nice young lady who served us - was great, and the TWR staff could not have been more helpful!

Andy :ok: