Bierset Air Show, June 22, 1969

I was just 17 years old and had recently bought my first autocycle, an old Mobylette. Nobody of my friends went to Bierset, no fathers who could drive those 60 miles. So I went there alone, a tour of three hours driving with that small, old, slow Mobylette. I left home early in the morning, so that I should have time enough for the static display and then could enjoy the air show. 

The Belgian Air Force organised an air show every year, mostly on the last Sunday in June. I went already to Melsbroek, Brustem and Beauvechain in the years before, but this was my first time at Bierset. 

It was cold and clouded; the sun did not arise at all that day. But…..the static show was great, better than all those years before. Thanks to the fact that one of the aircraft carriers of the USNavy visited Europe, an A-6E, an A-7E and …an RA-5C were present on the static. And as also the USAF (an RF-101C!!), the RAF, the Norwegian AF (an F-5A and an F-5B) and the KLu did send aircraft to this static, I enjoyed the first few hours of this day much.

Belgians always started the main show at 3 o’clock exactly. And then a real show begins…. With for example 8 Hawker Hunters from the Danish AF, the scramble and a fly past of 24 Belgian Starfighters, two Buccanneers and 2 Sea Vixens of the Royal Navy, the fly past of 4 Starfighters and 4 G-91R’s of the Luftwaffe and of course the mass parachute dropping by 9 Flying Boxcars. Impressive. 

It was late that evening before I was back home again, but this was certainly one of the best Belgian shows I ever visited.