This landing procedure demands the utmost from pilots because the view to the outside is largely obstructed. Normally the exercise takes place in Spain or Portugal, but due to the COVID measures, the training cannot take place in Southern Europe. That is why the helicopters and the red berets of the airmobile brigade train more than usual in their own country.
In the coming three weeks, the various procedures will be trained during the day and in week 36 also in the evening. This takes place on various sandy plains within the municipalities of Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Barneveld, Elburg, Epe, Harderwijk, Leusden, Meppel, Nunspeet, Oirschot, Soest, Steenwijkerland, Westerveld and Zeist.
Defense spreads the flight movements over the various exercise areas in the Netherlands as much as possible to spread the noise for the living environment. In addition, the training management assesses the circumstances every day. A local rain shower the evening before can ensure that there is not enough dust. Then they divert to another location.
On Thursday, a Chinook performed some brown-out landings in Oirschot. Then a Cougar dropped some soldiers of the Airmobile Brigade to the ground, to pick them up a few minutes later from the blowing sand. See the pictures below:
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