About

Deelen Air Base is a former military air base in the Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. It has one runway, though the top layer of the runway surface has been removed, making it unsuitable for use by heavier aircraft. It is now a forward operating base and helicopter trainer site.

History

Deelen Air Base was founded in 1913 as a base for border patrol missions. When the Netherlands surrendered to Germany in World War II, the Luftwaffe started using the field, significantly expanding and upgrading the base. The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Junkers Ju 88 were operated from the airfield, and anti-aircraft guns were placed. In 1944, the airfield got bombed extensively by allied forces and flying activity from the base was suspended by the Germans.

After the war, up until 1950, the Dutch military used Deelen as a storage facility. In 1950, the decision was made to restore Deelen back to an operational air base, and from 1957 to 1963 was the base of the RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance. Between 1964 and 1995 the field was used by various lighter aircraft, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, Piper Cub, Hiller Raven, Aérospatiale Alouette II / Alouette III and Bölkow 105.

There was less need for the air base after the end of the cold war and in 1995 it was closed as such. However, it remained in use a forward operating base and is in use for helicopter training and for that reason is frequently visited by various military helicopters, such as the AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook and AS 532 Cougar. None of these helicopters are based at Deelen however and for that reason the base is only fully operational when exercises take place. There is also glider activity on the field and very nearby there is a second aerodrome used almost exclusively by gliders, Terlet Airfield.

Gelderland

Gelderland is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Wageningen, Ede, Zutphen, Doetinchem, Harderwijk, Epe, Wijchen and Tiel.

Tel: +31 070 318 81 88, 339 60 61 (09.00-17.00)

Fax: +31 070 318 78 88

URL: http://www.defensie.nl/.../aocs_nieuw_milligen

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deelen_Air_Base

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Deelen Air Base
IATA: none – ICAO: EHDL
Summary
Airport type		Military
Operator		Royal Dutch Air Force
Location		Arnhem
Elevation AMSL		158 ft / 48 m
Coordinates		52°03′33″N 005°52′38″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
02/20	7,874	2,400	Concrete/Asphalt

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2009.
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