Market Garden 2022
As said on the other report Falcon Leap 2022 this exercise ended with the grande finale at the Ginkelse Heide (West of Arnhem). At this location the 1944 operation Market Garden is commemorated on an annual base. Each year has other types/ nationalities of participating aircraft. 2022 brought an authentic (DC3) Dakota in World War 2 RAF colors and US Texas Air National Guard C130J's, a RAF C130, a Romanian Air Force C27J Spartan and a Polish C295.
This day, 17th of September, had a heavy rain front hanging over the Western part of Holland - the boundary lay exactly over Eindhoven air base! Market Garden flying events in the West (Seppe) were cancelled due to heavy rain/ winds - fortunately the drop at the Ginkelse Heide and mass take-off at Eindhoven aribase were still a go.
Three large overviews: to the left the heavy rainshowers in the West, causing a rainbow over that horizon. In the middle the RAF Dakota heading towards the North (Ginkelse Heide) passing the mass-parardropping transport aircraft. To the right the same transport aircraft take off towards the South West before turning North.
Dakota G-ANAF, ex RAF KP220, boarding paratroopers in authentic World War 2 gear. This Dakota was built as C47B in 1945 in the USA with s/n 44/77104 and flew for a short time with the RAF as KP220. It did not participate in World War 2 actions and used its serial number G-ANAF since 1953 with only a short interruption as N170GP.
Paratroopers of mixed nationalities boarding the transport aircraft which also participated in the Falcon Leap 2022 exercise.
