45th International Sanicole Airshow
The Sunset Airshow is the traditional starting point for the International Sanicole Airshow weekend. It features the pick of displays lined up for the main Sunday show as well as acts specifically chosen as they perform twilight displays with pyrotechnics. This was the 12th edition of the Sunset Airshow and over the years these events have faced many weather challenges. However, 2025 proved to be perhaps the most challenging yet with a brisk wind, a stubborn period of heavy rain right in the middle of the display and some very foreboding clouds. Having said that, the flying either side of the rain was spectacular.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography by the author.
As the gates opened at three o’clock, there was little sign of the poor weather all the Apps and TV stations were predicting for the Limburg region on Saturday 13th September. We had been in this situation before, particularly in 2017 when all the forecasts without fail predicted a total washout in heavy rain throughout the day. However, that year with a few changes to the line-up a full show took place and by the end of the evening the displays were unhindered by any low cloud. Then there was 2022 when a line of thunderstorms chose Sanicole Airfield as the perfect place to form a line over with on-off heavy rain all evening and some flooding on the showground. Though a few displays cancelled, most took place including THAT USAF F-35A Lightning II demonstration set again the most dramatic of orange cloudscapes
Thought it was initially quite sunny for the 2025 Sunset Airshow, it was rather windy. This meant the planned opening with a joint display by the Belgian Black Devils and the British JumpDogs Parachute Display Team was cancelled. It also meant the Polish Phoenix Paramotor Display Team were unable to get in their validation for their display later in the evening.
It was therefore the Extra 330LC/SCs of French Air & Space Force’s Equipe de Voltige de L’armée de L’air et espace that opened the flying with their rarely seen three-ship routine as the clouds started to gather. This was not your traditional formation display and contained several original and fast-paced aerobatic figures including a dramatic re-imagining of a corkscrew manoeuvre with one aircraft performing a flat spin while the other pair spiralled around it – superb. The rather brisk winds also gave their performance something of a wild edge to it too.
They were followed by the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers making a long-awaited return to Sanicole. Despite the brisk winds, the team of Dave, Kirsten, Brian and Emma put on a superb display which enthralled the audience. The flying continued with a further contribution from the UK in the form of Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Sally-B.’ Originally, it had been hoped the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight would have made a second successive visit to Sanicole with the Avro Lancaster, but when the forecasts started to show some challenging winds, Sanicole Aeroclub member Peter Kuypers offered the B-17 to represent the allied bomber crews as part of Sanicole’s efforts to mark the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe. Now that’s an impressive back-up plan!
After this, the weather took a turn for the worse. Il Frecce Tricolori arrived over Sanicole just as the first wave of rain hit forcing them to cancel their show. They did not however just return to their Beauvechain base. They performed several flypasts with coloured smoke streaming to entertain the crowds before even it was very wet. As they departed over Leopoldsburg, the smoke was still streaming so the locals also got a nice show.
The rain then just abated enough for one of the stars of the weekend to get their display in – the McDonnell Douglas F-4E AUP Phantom II from 338 Mira of the Hellenic Air Force. With the Hellenic Air Force taking on the Rafale, F-35 and upgraded F-16s, the days of these cold war warriors are numbered so any sighting of them is a treat, particularly in the air. Even at events in Greece, the F-4 is something of a rarity and even when it has flown, it has performed a relatively sedate airfield attack sequence. The ‘display’ for Sanicole was more dynamic and certainly much more photogenic than those airfield attack sequences, though in all honesty it is still a far cry away from what the Luftwaffe used to perform in its Phantoms. Much of the sequence consisted of circuits, though the aircraft was presented differently on each occasion both in and out of reheat.
The weather then clamped in again causing quite a long delay to the flying. In this period both the displays from the Slovenian PC-9M and the Red Arrows were lost, not least because the weather was just as bad at their operating base at Beauvechain. Such conditions are always difficult for airshow organisers and this was certainly reflected in the commentary which became a little bit confusing. It was in this period that many in the audience made an early exit, and in many ways, I couldn’t blame them – things had become rather cold and damp and even I considered joining them. However, scouring the weather apps and looking at the western horizon there did seem to be a clearance on its way.
Some Flying Display organisers may have given up at this stage too, but not Sanicole who rapidly came up with a recovery plan. To fill a bit of a gap and to let the last of the rain clear, they asked the crew of the Belgian Air Force NH Industries NH90NFH to perform their Search and Rescue demonstration to restart the flying. They had not been programmed to display on Saturday and had only just validated their display before the audience arrived for the Sunset display. Therefore, a lot of credit must go to the 40 Squadron crew and the Sanicole Ops team for being so flexible in the challenging circumstances.
Following the NH90 came two displays from the Czech Republic that in my view, really brought the Sunset Airshow back to life. The first was the Czech Flying Bulls flying four XtremeAir XA42 aerobatic aircraft. They are a team I have long wanted to see as they have quite the reputation. However, even that reputation does not do them justice – their display is simply epic. Their display contains some unreal mirror formation aerobatic work and overall is just so well put together. There are no gaps in their routine with each manoeuvre just flowing into the next – just outstanding stuff.
Following the Flying Bulls was the Czech Air Force’s SAAB JAS-39C Gripen from the 211th Tactical Squadron and piloted by Jan ‘RUST’ Ratz. Just as he commenced his display a slither of golden light lit up the horizon and his aircraft which was trailing a long blue reheat flame for much of his display. But it was when he started releasing flares that there was a huge cheer from the remaining audience – that Sanicole magic was very much back!
As darkness descended on Limburg, the flying then moved into the dedicated twilight pyrotechnic displays which this year all came from continental Europe. All of the displays were supported by some spectacular ground-based fireworks adding some further colourful magic. First to display was Frank “Woody” Van Houten who flies the Dutch Rush Aerobatics Sukhoi Su-26MX. He flew quite a punchy aerobatic routine full of vertical rolls with waterfall pyrotechnics streaming his wingtips and some colourful burst effects as he speared up into the dark sky. Further aerobatic aircraft, this time a Thorp T-18 and Laser 230 from Team Thunder who hail from Sweden. Pilots Johan Gustafsson and Jonas Larsson are no strangers to airshows, with Johan making many appearances at events across Europe in both powered aircraft and sailplanes. Both aircraft was illuminated by bright strips of LEDs which changed colour throughout their routine while each aircraft released several pyrotechnic effects.
Bringing the evening to a close was the Polish based MBB Bo105 flown by Maciej Dominiak. This aircraft is an ex German Army aircraft and retains the types near-aerobatic performance. For evening displays, Maciej and his team fit the aircraft with an incredible array of fireworks. There are the traditional waterfalls which are augmented with various other effects including some really eye-catching roman candles mounted diagonally under the aircraft producing quite an amazing cross shaped effect as a finale!
It was certainly wet and something of an endurance test, but those who stayed to the bitter end were rewarded handsomely with some truly magical moments and superb flying. It was also clear from walking around the showground that the popularity of Sanicole’s opening sunset displays continues to grow with some 17,000 in attendance. We hope the conditions, well beyond the control of the organisers, has not put them off returning as this remains one of the outstanding highlights of the European airshow season.
