General Aviation
LightNews LightNews
banner
hebels.nl
General Aviation
@hebels.nl
69 followers 16 following 38 posts
Private Pilot, with an interest in history, General Aviation VFR flying trips

Website: https://www.hebels.nl/bsky
Posts Replies Media Videos
hebels.nl
We first touched down in Córdoba during a flying trip back in 2012, but then did not visit the city. In 2015, we could not make a planned overnight stop because of airport opening hours. Last week we visited the city and the Mezquita-Cathedral Mosque. The Alcázar Palace was closed.

#generalaviation
Left base Cordoba runway 03 Córdoba’s Mezquita is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. Originally built in AD 784 on the site of a former Visigothic church. It was dramatically altered in the 16th century by the construction of a Christian cathedral at its center. The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos is a medieval palace in Córdoba’s historic center, near the Guadalquivir River and the Mosque-Cathedral. It once served as a principal residence of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
January 19, 2026 at 9:13 PM
hebels.nl
Our first flight of 2025 took us to Seppe, and our final trip of the year on December 30 was also to Seppe. Along the way, we passed the three Moerdijk bridges spanning the Hollands Diep. Near Utrecht lies Castle De Haar, the largest castle in the Netherlands.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
The three Moerdijk bridges cross the Hollands Diep: a 19th-century railway bridge, a road bridge from the 1930s (replaced in 1978), and a second railway bridge completed in 2006 for the high-speed line. De Haar Castle, the largest in the Netherlands, dates back to the 13th century. After its destruction in 1482, it was rebuilt in its distinctive pentagonal shape, and following a period of decline, it was extensively restored in the late 19th century.
January 8, 2026 at 9:28 PM
hebels.nl
Just before Christmas, we took a short trip to Münster-Telgte airfield. Along with Osnabrück, Münster was a key location for the signing of the Treaties of Westphalia in 1648, which marked the end of the Thirty Years' War.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Münster with the St. Paul's Cathedral and the St Lambert's Church View from the Münster-Telgte airfield office Long final runway 23 Lelystad airport
January 4, 2026 at 3:58 PM
hebels.nl
Two weeks ago we wanted to fly to a city in Germany for the weekend to visit a Christmas market, and return the next day. For the return flight the weather wasn't promising, and we just made it a little trip to Leer-Papenburg on Saturday afternoon.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Passing the town of Elburg with its medieval grid street plan Landing runway 26 of Leer-Papenburg to have lunch there The low sun typical for this time of year right in our faces while landing runway 23 Lelystad
December 27, 2025 at 11:16 AM
hebels.nl
Last Thursday brought stunning November weather, the perfect excuse to take the day off and enjoy a delightful flight to Osnabrück in Germany with the Diamond DA40NG.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Preparing for start-up at Lelystad airport after refueling Final runway 09 Osnabrück-Atterheide airfield In.... Osnabrück
November 8, 2025 at 7:07 PM
hebels.nl
We had planned a short getaway to Bordeaux with the DA40NG, but the ARC wasn't ready in time. Instead, we decided to take a brief flight on Thursday to Hoogeveen and Stadtlohn with the C172. In Hoogeveen we saw the Piper Archer that we flew often back in the day.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
The Hoogeveen airfield is nestled within the industrial area of Hoogeveen The Piper Archer, which we used to fly frequently, has a long history The occasional rain showers that we passed by on the left and right
October 22, 2025 at 7:33 PM
hebels.nl
Last weekend, we took a flight trip to Celle. Celle is known for its well-preserved medieval town center, featuring over 400 half-timbered houses. The Celle Castle features a mix of Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Final runway 04 Celle-Arloh airfield Celle's old town centre with more than 400 timber-framed houses Celle Castle was one of the residences of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg
September 30, 2025 at 8:50 PM
hebels.nl
The second week we flew the DA40NG to Bautzen. We passed Torgau on the Elbe where in 1945 the US and Soviet Armies first met. Later that week we also visited Altenburg with the Castle of Altenburg, and we parked the plane in a large former Luftwaffe hangar.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Torgau on the Elbe, with the Hartenfels Castle and St. Maries church Parking the plane overnight in a former Luftwaffe hanger at Altenburg-Nobitz airport Castle of Altenburg
September 15, 2025 at 9:40 PM
hebels.nl
Last week we flew to Zweibruecken in Germany, and then to nearby Pirmasens to look to a plane we flew often 20 years ago. Later in the pattern to Bad Duerkheim the flaps did not extend. We diverted to Speyer. Maintenance saw the flaps position sensor was broken.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Having a look to the Piper Archer we flew 20 years ago, now based at Pirmasens airport Passing the Speyer Cathedral while flying flapless to runway 16 Speyer airport Helpfull Mechanic looking to the flaps malfunction at Speyer airport
August 31, 2025 at 1:14 PM
hebels.nl
Last week Tuesday late afternoon, the three of us spontaneously took a fun one-hour flight from Lelystad. Along the way, we saw, among other things, the fortified town of Elburg and the Wouda Steam Pumping Station Near Lemmer, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
In the DA40NG preparing for departure from Lelystad The fortified town of Elburg has an interesting shape. In contrast to most medieval towns, the map of Elburg is not circular, but rectangular. The Unesco World Heritage Site listed Wouda Steam Pumping Station, the largest still operational steam-powered pumping station in the world.
August 20, 2025 at 2:21 PM
hebels.nl
On the way back from Nantes to Lelystad we visited Amiens. The Amiens Cathedral is the largest Cathedral by volume in France, more than double the volume of Notre Dame of Paris. In the evening we had a nice Sangria and a cheese plate along the Somme river.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
The DA40NG at Amiens-Glisy airfield Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens Old part of Amiens north of the Somme river
July 30, 2025 at 3:55 PM
hebels.nl
Last week we visited Nantes in France known for its rich history and cultural attractions, including the Château des Ducs de Bretagne and Les Machines de l'Île. It is also the birthplace of Jules Verne, and we did not miss the Jules Verne museum.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
About to land on Nantes Atlantique airport, runway 03 The Great Elephant mechanical elephant wanders the grounds, trumpeting and spraying water with its trunk. The Jules Verne museum, seen here from the River Loire
July 16, 2025 at 2:56 PM
hebels.nl
‪When flying in Spain from Burgos to Zaragoza we couldn't resist making a slight detour to fly over this location once again, having also taken a sightseeing flight over here years before. It was beautifully restored since then, and we wanted to see that too.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
View of Burgos airport after departure runway 22 San Carlos mountain Sad Hill
June 24, 2025 at 8:52 PM
hebels.nl
Whit Monday trip to Namur in Belgium for the proverbial $100 burger (of course, a few hundred dollars more nowadays). On the way back we passed the Lion's Mound on the battlefield of Waterloo south of Brussels.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Approaching Namur airport for landing Cheeseburger, fries and cola zero at the Namur airfield restaurant The Lion's Mound at the battlefield of Waterloo
June 11, 2025 at 9:14 PM
hebels.nl
This Ascension weekend we flew to Bonn on Friday. The intention was to fly until Sunday, but because of thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon in the region, and less nice weather on Sunday, we shortened the trip to Saturday, visiting Bad Neuenahr on the way back.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Arriving at Bonn-Hangelar Market square in Bonn on Friday afternoon View of Bad Neuenahr airfield after our visit on Saturday morning
June 1, 2025 at 12:01 PM
hebels.nl
The German island Juist is located at Lower Saxony's Wadden Sea in the North Sea. Framed by the islands Borkum and Norderney, Juist is the longest of the East Frisian Islands. The inhabitants call their island "Töwerland", the Frisian word for wonderland.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Juist is with 17 kilometers the longest of the East Frisian Islands. As Juist is car-free, bikes or horse-drawn carriages are the only means of transport. On the beach traditional Strandkörbe (basket chairs) are scattered at the foot of the dunes.
May 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
hebels.nl
We had booked the Diamond DA40NG for the Easter weekend for three days from Saturday until Monday. To the southeast the weather forecast looked quite good for Saturday and Sunday until the evening. We made a trip to Nuremberg in Germany, and returned on Sunday.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Dashboard of the DA40NG Our Lady's church Pegnitz River west of town
April 22, 2025 at 6:56 AM
hebels.nl
Friday we made a day trip to Lüneburg, south-east of Hamburg in Germany. Salt once brought Lüneburg great wealth. The gabled brick houses in the town centre still bear witness to this. Lüneburg survived World War II without major damage to its city center.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
View on the water tower, St Johannis church and St Nicolas church in Lüneburg The DA40 we used for the trip to Lüneburg at Lüneburg airfield Stint Market in Lüneburg
April 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
hebels.nl
It took a week, but the ECU B failure was fixed. Today just a little trip to Drachten, in the north of the Netherlands. Here passing the Rottige Meente, which translates loosely as 'rotten territory', wetland nature reserve southwest of the town of Wolvega.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Rottige Meente, which translates loosely as 'rotten territory', is a strange name for a beautiful wetland nature reserve southwest of the town of Wolvega. This former peatland with its alternating strips of water and land provides habitat for many rare plants and animals.
March 31, 2025 at 8:45 PM
hebels.nl
Last week when we were doing the run-up checks in the DA40NG, the ECU test came back with an ECU B failure. We could not get it cleared, and had to abort the intended flight.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
The DA40NG before the intended flight Nothing wrong before the ECU test ECU B persisted also after a complete shutdown and restart
March 24, 2025 at 7:16 PM
hebels.nl
Today we flew past Fort Erfprins to the island Texel in fine weather. We visited Museum KaapSkil. One of the top pieces in the collection is a 17th century silk satin dress, surfaced from the bottom of the Wadden Sea in 2014 from a ship wrecked around 1650.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Fort Erfprins near Den Helder. Construction was ordered by Napoleon in the early 19th century. A working grain mill, the Traanroeier, on the museum KaapSkil grounds. The state monument dates back to 1727, when it was constructed in Zaandam. One of the top pieces in the collection at Museum KaapSkil is a seventeenth century dress of royal allure, surfaced from the bottom of the Wadden Sea. The impressive silk dress was found in a shipwreck that was given the name ‘Palmhoutwrak‘ (Palmwood wreck).
March 2, 2025 at 7:38 PM
hebels.nl
After landing at León's nearly deserted airport we spent a night in the city. The main attraction is the cathedral, one of the most beautiful in Spain. The Casa de los Botines is a Modernist building with neo-Gothic characteristics, designed by Antoni Gaudi.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Landing at León airport The Casa de los Botines, designed by Antoni Gaudi
February 23, 2025 at 4:26 PM
hebels.nl
We flew to Aachen-Merzbruck for a weekend trip with visits to the Aachener Dom, with Charlemagne’s palace chapel (completed in 800) and imperial throne in the upstairs gallery, and the Domschatzkammer with the silver-and-gold bust of Charlemagne and Lotharkreuz.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Aachener Dom and Rathaus Charlemagne’s palace chapel, the Pfalzkapelle
February 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM
hebels.nl
We flew to a cold Borkum, the largest of the East Frisian Islands. Borkum has a tough seafaring and whaling history. In December 1934 Wernher von Braun and his team successfully launched two A-2 rockets from Borkum. The island has an airfield.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
Approaching Borkum At Borkum airfield
February 18, 2025 at 11:48 PM
hebels.nl
Near Stadskanaal airfield is the core of the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR), the largest radio telescope operating at the lowest frequencies that can be observed from Earth. It looks back billions of years and surveys vast areas of the low-frequency radio sky.

#generalaviation #general #aviation
LOFAR core superterp Final runway 06 Stadskanaal airfield
February 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM