Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Woensdrecht Air Base is a military airfield of the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force near Hoogerheide in Noord-Brabant, close to the Belgian border. It is home to elementary flying training on the Pilatus PC-7 and to Fokker Services' maintenance operation, giving the field a steady mix of military trainers and civilian Fokker airliners, and its Cold War history as a planned cruise-missile site adds further interest for visiting sim pilots.
Woensdrecht Air Base, known in Dutch as Vliegbasis Woensdrecht, is a military airfield operated by the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force. It sits between the villages of Woensdrecht and Huijbergen, about 10 kilometres south of Bergen op Zoom, and serves as the RNLASF's main support base for training, logistics and maintenance rather than as a home for combat squadrons. For a simulator pilot it offers an interesting combination of military elementary flying training on the Pilatus PC-7 and a resident civilian presence in the form of Fokker Services, which brings a variety of Fokker aircraft onto the airfield for maintenance work.
The airfield lies in Noord-Brabant province, close to the A58 motorway and near the border with Belgium, between the villages of Woensdrecht and Huijbergen and roughly 10 kilometres south of Bergen op Zoom. As a military air base it sits within controlled airspace associated with Dutch military flying, with approach and arrival services provided by RAPCON West Approach and Woensdrecht Arrival, and Dutch Military Information available on the FIS frequency.
Woensdrecht has a single physical runway, 07/25, of 7998 feet (about 2438 metres), with a hard surface and runway lighting. The runway is equipped with an ILS and both the 07 and 25 ends carry approach lighting, making instrument approaches available in poor weather.
Air traffic services at Woensdrecht are provided on Woensdrecht Tower on 120.43 MHz and Woensdrecht Ground on 121.68 MHz. Approach and arrival traffic is handled by RAPCON West Approach and Woensdrecht Arrival, both on 123.58 MHz, with Dutch Military Info available on the FIS frequency of 132.35 MHz. The runway is served by an ILS, supporting instrument approaches to 07/25.
Woensdrecht was founded in 1934 as a glider and training airfield for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. During the German occupation in the Second World War the airfield was expanded and used by the Luftwaffe, initially hosting Messerschmitt Bf 109s and later Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. Allied forces captured the airfield in December 1944 and operated it as an Advanced Landing Ground, after which it reverted to RNLAF training use. In 1983 it was selected to house 48 Ground Launched Cruise Missiles with nuclear warheads for the United States Air Force's 486th Tactical Missile Wing, a deployment that would have required a maximum complement of 1,100 personnel; the plan was abandoned following the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, shortly after the necessary facilities had been completed.
The base now functions mainly as a training and logistical facility for the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force, housing the Royal Netherlands Air Force Military School, which runs three training squadrons plus a squadron responsible for on-base tasks, alongside the Woensdrecht Logistics Centre. Elementary flying training is conducted using the Pilatus PC-7, reported to fly typically twice a day in fair weather, with up to six aircraft airborne at a time between roughly 09:30 and 11:30 and again between 13:30 and 15:30. The airfield's sole civilian user is Fokker Services, whose maintenance operations bring a variety of Fokker aircraft onto the field. As an active military installation, visiting the airfield requires prior permission.
