The 11th Sanicole Sunset Airshow, held on 21st September 2024, was a perfect foretaste of the main, full day event that took place on the following day.
Both the main event and the evening air show returned to Sanicole airfield after a one-year gap, caused by the Belgian Air Force Days held in September of 2023 at the nearby Kleine-Brogel air base. And, similarly to the International Sanicole Airshow, the programme of the late Saturday afternoon was marked by several jubilees, such as the 80th Anniversary of Belgian Liberation in the World War II, the 50th Anniversary of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft and the 60th Anniversary of Patrouille Suisse jet team.
What made the 11th edition of the Sanicole Sunset Airshow different, was the date the event was held in 2024. In previous years, the Sanicole weekend took place at the beginning of September but last year the show was postponed two weeks from its usual term. It was enough for the sun to set over the airfield a lot earlier, although still after a sunny and warm autumn day.
Another, difference was that there were no Belgian aircraft performing during the sunset show. It was a sad consequence of dissolution of the country´s F-16 Solo Display team in February of 2024. Although substituted by two other Viper displays – what about below – the lack of the Belgian F-16 was noticeable, as it always was one of the highlights of the evening show.
The Saturday flying programme began with two parachute displays, performed respectively by Black Devils Parachute Display Team of the Belgian Army and the Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks Parachute Display Team.
They were followed by the first star of the Sanicole aviation weekend, four-engine strategic bomber from the World War II, Avro Lancaster B1. The aircraft, operated and maintained by the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, is one of only two airworthy aeroplanes of that type in the world. It rarely appears at aviation events outside the British Islands, so it was no surprise the Lancaster performance was well-received by spectators.
Next, it was a time for the first jet performance of the day, flew by McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet of the Finnish Air Force. Its stunning display was enhanced with eye-catching flare shows and a series of dynamic low passes. And it was just a pity to realise this was one of the final Hornet shows at European aviation events, as Finland is going to retire the F/A-18s by 2030. It may be expected the display team would be soon dissolved, the same way as it already happened with the Swiss Hornet Solo Display in December of 2024.
Pilatus PC-9M Hudournik (English: swift) came as the next participant of the evening show, performing another outstandingly dynamic display. The aircraft, operated by the Slovenian Air Force, is a modernised variant of the PC-9 and, apart from its main training role, has also a close air support capability.
The small and high-manoeuvrable Pilatus was followed by another legendary World War II aircraft. And, once again, it was a strategic bomber but this time of American production, Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ´Sally B´. The mighty four-engine aircraft, owned and operated by B-17 Preservation Ltd., is the sole airworthy example of the Flying Fortress in Europe. It was the second appearance of the ´Sally B´ at the Belgian show, as the bomber already participated in the 2019 edition of the event. And, just like five years ago, the B-17 was one of the stars of the evening show.
Then, there was the first Viper display of the 11th Sanicole Sunset Airshow, flew by Capt. Taylor ´Hema´ Hiester of the official Viper Demo Team of the United States Air Force. The official USAF display teams are among rare participants of the European aviation events, and the F-16 performance at Sanicole was no exception from that rule, being the only European performance of the Viper Demo Team during the 2024 season.
With no exaggeration, it was a great Viper show, significantly different from the European ones. And the only pity was, the USAF team did not come with their usual display aircraft for the 2024, painted in the 50th anniversary YF-16 tribute livery. Similarly to the USAF F-35 performances from 2022 and 2023, the Viper display was performed with one of the Europe-based examples of the aeroplane, the F-16C from Spangdahlem AFB in Germany.
Another display of the 2024 Sanicole evening show was presented by Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk of the Swedish Armed Forces. The rotorcraft, locally designated as HKP 16, is a rare participant at aviation events in Europe and, quite expectably, sparked interest from the guests. The Swedish UH-60M crew performed really a dynamic and aggressive display, enhanced with some spectacular flare shows.
The Swedish Black Hawk was followed by an unusual aircraft, powered by both propeller and jet engines. That one-in-a-kind biplane, known as Jet Pitts, was created by Rich Goodwin and officially certified for aerobatic performance in 2023. Its unique thrust to weight ratio allows to perform incredible stunts that took the spectators´ breath away.
Next, there was the right time for another jet show of the 11th Sanicole Sunset Airshow, performed by Dassault Rafale C of the French Air and Space Force. Flown by Capt. Jean-Brice ´Mimouss´ Millet at its controls, the Rafale fighter display was one of the most spectacular experiences of the event.
The following show was performed by one of the Sanicole International Airshow jubilarians, Patrouille Suisse aerobatic jet team. In 2024, the Swiss Air Force display team celebrated its 60th anniversary, crowned by tremendous show in the Belgian skies.
Regrettably, also the story of Patrouille Suisse is coming to an end, as the Swiss Air Force already began the retirement of the team´s aircraft, Northrop F-5E Tiger II, from active service. The future of the Swiss team is still a subject of discussion, however it seems that Patrouille Suisse would be disbanded in 2027 at the latest.
The second F-16 show of the evening came when twilight set, flown by Capt. Troels ´Teo´ Vang of the Royal Danish Air Force. It was just another stunning performance of the day, marked by afterburner flame and flares. A lot of flares, to be precise.
As the night fell, the best part of the Sanicole Sunset Airshow was supposed to begin. And this exactly was meant by the organizing team which initially planned a series of spectacular displays to crown the event. Regrettably, the great idea suffered from last minute cancellations, weather conditions and just bad luck, finally making the closing part of the show interesting but not so spectacular as it used to be in previous years.
First of all, there were three cancellations that significantly marked the night part of the show – flare drop from the Polish C-130 Hercules, Luca Baumann´s ´crazy night´ show and Alternative Duo team from France.
Then, sunny and warm weather that preceded the show made it impossible to use as many pyrotechnics as some of the participants prepared for their performances. It became clear just after the second night display flown by Bob Grimstead in Fournier RF4D ‘Redhawk´. The grassy field behind the runway caught fire from the firework debris and fire brigade was called to put it out. In consequence, the Firebirds Aerobatic Display Team that followed, was forced to perform their display without any additional pyrotechnic effects.
In this way, the Flying Dragons paramotor team from Poland, that opened the night display block, became the star of the late show. The group of seven powered paragliders performed a spectacular display, enhanced with background music, LED lights, smoke trails and, as well, some fireworks.
Last but not least, there was Aerosparx display team which, as usual, was scheduled to close the show with another pyrotechnic performance. Regrettably, the team suffered some technical issues and arrived to Belgium with just one Grob 109b aircraft.
In conclusion, the last display of the 11th Sanicole Sunset Airshow was the solo performance of one of the Aerosparx aircraft, enhanced by ground-fired fireworks as the glorious grand finale of the day.
One of the distinctive features of the International Sanicole Airshow is lack of static display of participating aircraft, in the usual understanding of that term. The event is organised at Sanicole Aeroclub airfield that features only a short and narrow asphalt runway, not suitable for military jets and larger aircraft. Therefore, most of the participants are based at the nearby located Kleine-Brogel air base and perform their display operating from there.
Nevertheless, the organizers of the show made their best to showcase at least a few aircraft on the static display. Among them, there were Socata TB-10 Tobago, de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10, Fokker S.11-1 Instructor, Vultee BT-13A Valiant, Dornier Do 228NG, Pilatus PC-7, Piper PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior, Airbus H145 and Agusta A109A.
In addition, a few rotorcraft were parked at the Sanicole runway, just in front of the visitors. They included NH Industries NH90 NFH of the Belgian Air Component, Airbus H120 Calliopé from France, HKP 16 and Agusta A109 (HKP 15) from Sweden, as well as Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian and the NH90 NFH from the Netherlands.
Traditionally, the time before the end of flying displays and closing the airfield for public offered a perfect opportunity to take some interesting night shots of the aircraft from the static display.
In conclusion, the 11th edition of the Sanicole Sunset Airshow was just another perfect aviation experience, as it already became a trademark of the Sanicole weekend. Although there were few cancellations, they did not affect the overall experience from the event in any significant way.
It has certainly been a nice aviation afternoon for everyone at the airfield, as the flying programme offered really a diverse set of displays, from aerobatic aeroplanes to modern military jets. And the appearance of two rare, legendary aircraft from the World War II was a pure magic of the Saturday evening. Worth emphasizing was also the participation of the USAF Viper Demo Team, which is really a rare visitor in Europe.
It should be also mentioned the show ground was full of aviation-related stands, offering a variety of souvenirs. There were also side events for children and well-organised catering zone, with noticeably shorter lines than it was during the previous editions.
The bar for the next edition of the show was set high, thus promising another, no less thrilling aviation adventure in 2025.
Another, 12th edition of the Sanicole Sunset Airshow will take place on 13th September 2025, followed by the Sanicole International Airshow on the next day. Tickets for both events are already available via the air show website.
For our report from the 44th International Sanicole Airshow, please follow this link.
More images from the 11th Sanicole Sunset Airshow:
