The 44th International Sanicole Airshow, held on 22nd September 2024, was one of the final events in the 2024 air show calendar and, with no exaggeration, a jewel in the crown of European aviation events.
The 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. The 44th edition of the event drew attention of its visitors with several premiere displays and, regrettably, also a few farewell performances.
In addition, the 2024 International Sanicole Airshow was marked by several anniversaries, such as the 80th Anniversary of Belgian Liberation in the World War II, the 50th Anniversary of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft, the 60th Anniversary of Patrouille Suisse jet team and the 20th Anniversary of Formation Team the Victors.
With such a cumulation of jubilees and unique displays, it was not surprising that tickets for the Sunday show were sold out weeks before the event. It meant, the show attracted 55,000 visitors from all around Europe, the maximum number the Sanicole airfield could accommodate.
The 44th edition of the show was organised together with two other aviation events, traditionally related to the so-called Sanicole weekend – spotter day at Kleine-Brogel base held on Friday, 20th September, and the 11th Sanicole Sunset Airshow that took place on Saturday, 21st September.
The Flying Dragons paramotor team from Poland had the honour to open the 2024 International Sanicole Airshow. It offered the spectators a colourful display of seven powered paragliders, enhanced with background music and a huge Belgian flag made with smoke trails.
Then, the visitors to the event could follow a solo display of North American AT-6D Texan, with Stijn De Jaeghere at its controls. It was just the first performance of that iconic training aircraft as later during the day, the solo display was followed by team show of three more, Belgian-based aeroplanes from the Texan/Harvard family.
Stijn De Jaeghere also returned to the sky over Sanicole airfield, this time flying in his latest acquirement, Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet training biplane from the World War II era.
Lockheed 12A Electra Junior was another representative of local aviation. Although registered in the USA, that beautiful small airliner from the 1930s is being based in the nearby Genk-Zwartberg airfield.
The Electra display was followed by the first rotorcraft performance of the day – Airbus H120 Calliopé (a derivative of Eurocopter EC120 Colibri). This light utility helicopter was showcased by HeliDax company, the French private contractor performing the flight training services for the armed forces.
An interesting aerobatic show was then made by Bob Grimstead, flying Fournier RF4D single-seat motorised glider, nicknamed ´Red Hawk´.
Next, another Belgian flag appeared in the sky, this time created by four Piper PA-28 Cherokee aircraft of the aforementioned Formation Team the Victors from Ursel. This amateur display team is unique in flying their shows with popular light touring aircraft, instead of any aerobatic specials. During twenty seasons of their performances, the Victors gained a lot of experience and significantly increased attractiveness of their show. The only pity is that most of their displays are limited only to domestic aviation events.
The Victors were followed by next helicopter display, performed by the NH Industries NH90 NFH/Caiman of the Belgian Air Component. Although operated by No. 40 Squadron of the air force, the rotorcraft is operationally assigned to the Belgian Navy, which soon becomes the sole country´s operator of that type of helicopter (more information about the NH90 retirement from the Belgian Army can be found in our article – Belgium to buy Airbus H145M helicopters for the armed and police forces). At Sanicole, the NH90 crew performed an attractive search and rescue display and was rewarded by warm round of applause from the crowd.
The next participant of the 44th International Sanicole Airshow was the Silver Swallows team of the Irish Air Corps. The Irish military aerobatic group was re-activated in 2022 and now flies with up to four Pilatus PC-9M aircraft. Members of the group are active Air Corps pilots and to perform flying displays as the Silver Swallows team is their secondary duty.
The Irish team was followed by the first participant from the neighbouring Netherlands, Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight. The silver Spitfire is a regular guest at Sanicole and its performance always belongs to highlights of the Belgian show.
The first premiere display of the 2024 Sanicole show came as the next, with aerobatics performance flew by Aude Lemordant in her MX Aircraft MXS. The French aviatrix is a multiple domestic, European and world champion in aerobatics and put her best foot forward at the Belgian show by flying a breath-taking display.
And then it was time for the next highlight of the event, flying display of Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ´Sally B´. The mighty four-engine iconic bomber aircraft of the World War II is the sole airworthy example of that type of aeroplane in Europe, owned and operated by B-17 Preservation Ltd. It was the second display of the Duxford-based bomber at Sanicole, as the ´Sally B´ already participated in the 2019 edition of the event. And, just like five years ago, was warmly welcomed by all aviation enthusiasts gathered at the airfield.
The B-17G performance began with usual presentation of the aircraft in several flypasts over the Sanicole runway and then revealed a surprise of F-16 Fighting Falcon of the Royal Danish Air Force joining the ´Sally B´ for a unique tandem show.
The first special formation display of the 44th International Sanicole Airshow emphasised the two main mottos of the event – the 80th Anniversary of Belgian Liberation and the 50th Jubilee of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The Danish Viper was flown by Capt. Troels ´Teo´ Vang who, after the joint performance with the Flying Fortress, amazed the crowd with dynamic solo display of his jet fighter.
Two parachute displays that followed as next, seemed to offer the spectators to take a short break before the upcoming roar of jet engines. Although silent and gentle, the paratrooper performance of Black Devils Parachute Display Team of the Belgian Army and the Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks Parachute Display Team proved their extraordinary skills and were the reason for another loud applause.
Then, it was the time for presentation of the Belgian Air Component that began with Airbus A400M Atlas display, followed by three F-16 fighters of the Thunder Tigers display team from the 31st Squadron based at Kleine-Brogel.
The Eurofighter EF-2000 solo performance came as the next. The fighter jet arrived to Sanicole from Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 ´Boelcke´ at Nörvenich, where the second German EF-2000 display team was established recently and participation in the Belgian show was its international premiere.
Soon after, one of the most eagerly awaited aircraft of the 44th International Sanicole Airshow, Avro Lancaster B1, arrived to the scene. Just like the previously mentioned B-17, the British four-engine bomber is another iconic aeroplane of the Second World War, inextricably linked with the Allied strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The aircraft is one of the only two airworthy Lancasters in the world and currently is operated by the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The mighty Lancaster was followed by solo display of Grob 109B from Aerosparx team. In comparison to the previous performance, that self-launching motor glider, being just a light aircraft in itself, now seemed to be even smaller than usual.
Jet Pitts (Pitts S-2SE Special), with Rich Goodwin at its controls, was another participant of the 2024 Sanicole show. That one-in-a-kind biplane, powered by both propeller and jet engines, was officially certified for aerobatics performance in 2023. The Jet Pitts unique thrust to weight ratio not only allows the aircraft to hover, hanging off its propeller, but also makes it capable of ascending upward to create an incredible aerobatic stunt.
Once more, the Pilatus PC-9 appeared over the Sanicole runway. This time, it was the PC-9M Hudournik (English: swift), a modernised variant of the aircraft, being operated by the Slovenian Air Force.
Next, another F-16 Fighting Falcon took over the Sanicole sky. In this case, the aircraft and its pilot came from Turkey to perform a stunning jet show the SoloTürk demonstration team is famous for.
The Red Devils Display Team followed to perform its last show with SIAI-Marchetti SF-260 aircraft. The Italian-made training aircraft were just about to retire, after more than half a century of service with the Belgian Air Component. That fact sparked speculations about the future of the Red Devils and potential disbanding of the team was mentioned already in 2023. Fortunately, in April of 2025, the Belgian Ministry of Defence officially announced the Red Devil activity would be continued in the future, after the break necessary for implementing a new training aircraft into service.
About to retire was also the next participant of the 44th International Sanicole Airshow, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet of the Finnish Air Force. A frequent participant of the European aviation event, the team flew one of its last displays in Belgium, as Finland was planning to retire the F/A-18s by 2030 and to succeed them by F-35 Lighting II 5th generation fighters. The Finnish display was, as usual, tremendous and extraordinary dynamic – such a pity the FAF F/A-18 show will disappear from the skies soon.
More than six-decades-long history of the Red Devils team was recalled by another solo jet display, performed by Fouga CM170 Magister. This training aircraft was operated by the Belgian display team between 1965 and 1977, in formation of up to six aeroplanes. Today, the airworthy example of the Magister preserved in the country and still flies with the Red Devils livery.
Another highlight of the show was Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, an aircraft that was bought by Belgian owner in 2022. After a long restoration, the aircraft took-off into the skies again in May of 2024. That unique, by European terms, warbird was – as many similar aircraft – converted into a two-seat variant to offer experience flights and painted in the United States Army Air Force markings from the early 1940s.
The Warhawk display was followed by one more Viper show. This time, the advantages of the F-16 Fighting Falcon were demonstrated by Capt. Taylor ´Hema´ Hiester of the official Viper Demo Team of the United States Air Force. Similarly to the F-35 displays from 2022 and 2023, also the Viper show was performed with one of the Europe-based examples of the aircraft, the F-16C from Spangdahlem AFB in Germany.
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. It should be noted that the way the USAF pilots showcase the F-16 abilities is completely different experience, being a kind of escape from the routine of European displays. And, in our opinion, it was the best F-16 performance of the day.
Then, the time came for another rotorcraft display by Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk of the Swedish Armed Forces, locally designated as HKP 16. The Swedish crew featured an aggressive and dynamic show, with lot of steep turns, low passes and backward flying.
The Swedish rotorcraft was followed by Typhoon Display Team of the Royal Air Force. The British fighter, nicknamed ´Moggy´, was showcased in the 1944 D-Day ´Day Fighter´ livery of Hawker Typhoon FM-G of No. 257 Squadron. The high-powered, stunning Eurofighter Typhoon display at Sanicole was performed by Flight Lieutenant David ´Turbo´ Turnbull, the pilot instructor from No. 29 Squadron RAF.
The 44th International Sanicole Airshow was not only celebrating the 50th anniversary of the F-16 but, in addition, launched a series of farewell events related to the upcoming retirement of the Viper from operational service with the Belgian Air Component.
It was the first show without the Belgian F-16 Solo Display, as the team was officially disbanded in February of 2024. The Sanicole air show honoured the last display pilot of the Belgian team, Capt. Steven ´Vrieske´ De Vries with a special F-16 joint performance named The Last Dance. Led by Capt. De Vries, the farewell formation included Belgian, Danish, Turkish and Portuguese F-16 fighters. Then, Vrieske performed his final public performance by flying Heritage Flight formation with Supermarine Spitfire XVIe.
It should be mentioned here that in April of 2025, Steven De Vries performed his final flight with the F-16 and is going to retire from the air force until the end of the year. During his thirty-year-service in the Belgian Air Component, he became one of the most recognizable Viper pilots in Europe, the first non-American to achieve 5,000 flying hours with the F-16 and the real ambassador of the Belgian military aviation.
The closing displays of the 44th International Sanicole Airshow were performed by Dassault Rafale C of the French Air and Space Force, with Capt. Jean-Brice ´Mimouss´ Millet at its controls, and Patrouille Suisse jet team.
As mentioned above, in 2024 the Swiss aerobatic team was celebrating its 60th anniversary and thus enhanced its performance with several flare shows, creating the perfect conclusion of the Sanicole air show flying programme.
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.
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 performs their display operating from there.
In previous years, light aircraft used to operate from the Sanicole runway, but in 2019 the air show public area was enlarged and moved closer to the airstrip. Since then, flight operations at the airfield were limited to rotorcraft only.
Nevertheless, organizers of the show every year are doing their best to showcase at least a few aircraft at the static exhibition. In 2024, the display included Socata TB-10 Tobago, de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10, Fokker S.11-1 Instructor, Vultee BT-13A Valiant, Dornier Do 228NG, Airbus H145 and Agusta A109A.
In addition, a few rotorcraft were parked at the runway, in front of the visitors. They included the aforementioned NH90 NFH and HKP 16, participating in the flying displays, as well as Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian and NH Industries NH90 NFH from the Netherlands, and Agusta A109 (HKP 15) from Sweden. In this way, the spectators had a unique experience to follow pre-flight procedures related to all the rotorcraft, as well as take-off and fly-away at the end of the show.
The static exhibition included also a few aircraft from the local aeroclub, such as Robin DR400-120 Dauphin, Reims-Cessna F172M Skyhawk and Cessna 182S Skylane, as well as two Pilatus PC-7 trainers of the Austrian Air Force.
Such a strong representation of the Pilatus aeroplanes at the show was caused by ongoing search for the new training aircraft for the Belgian Air Component. And the Swiss trainer was several times mentioned by the Belgian media as one of the possible replacements to the SF-260.
Usually, the International Sanicole Airshow was among the best aviation events in Europe and the 44th edition of the show was no exception, offering a wonderful day full of attractive displays and side events.
Once again, the show organizers managed to bring to Sanicole a perfect mix of participants, including the aviation legends, such as the B-17 and the Lancaster, top military display teams like the USAF Viper Demo Team, SoloTürk and Patrouille Suisse, as well as experienced aerobatic pilots like Rich Goodwin or Aude Lemordant.
As usual, there was plenty of aviation-related stands, including the official ones belonging to the participating display teams. They were not only selling the merchandise but also offered possibility to meet the pilots, as well as take photos or ask for autographs.
The upcoming, 45th edition of the show is planned for 13th and 14th September 2025. However, without the traditional spotter day at Kleine-Brogel which was called off due to construction works at the base.
Tickets for the International Sanicole Airshow 2025 will be available from 12th June, at the air show web page.
More images from the 44th International Sanicole Airshow:
