1 September 1984 – Airshow

The 1984 Open Day was once again held in September, this time on Saturday, 1 September. Although the air base had already been opened to visitors on Friday, 31 August, the main event took place on the Saturday. From the early morning hours, long traffic jams formed on the roads leading to the base. By the end of the day, approximately 300,000 visitors had attended the airshow.
The huge attendance was undoubtedly helped by the excellent weather, but the main attraction was the appearance of the USAF Thunderbirds. The famous demonstration team had only recently transitioned to the brand-new F-16 Fighting Falcon and was on a European tour, with Soesterberg being one of its display venues. Remarkably, this was also the Thunderbirds’ one and only performance in the Netherlands.
However, the Thunderbirds were far from the only highlight of the event. The Patrouille de France also gave a spectacular display, the Royal Netherlands Air Force presented an impressive formation of no fewer than 24 Alouette helicopters, and four German Air Force F-4F Phantoms performed a dynamic flying display. In addition, the variety of aircraft was exceptional, both in the static display and in the flying programme, making the 1984 Open Day one of the most memorable editions ever held at Soesterberg.

Watch this excerpt from the NOS Journaal covering this Open Day

See the participating aircraft in the Movements database