ICAO Code EHVK/UDE
Last Validated Feb 2020
City Uden
Position 51°39'23"N 005°42'31"E
Runway(s) 06R/24L, 06L/24R
Elevation 72 ft

General

One remaining F-16 base in the country, Volkel houses two squadrons nowadays: 312sq still operating the F-16AM and 313sq, operating the F-35A. Additionally, a medical air assistance helicopter is based here. There are two nice places on both sides of the runway to watch the planes.

Layout

All regular operations take place from the north side of the two parallel runways. On the south side, four shelters house the F-16s that are on a 24/7 QRA stand by and the hangar that is used by the Historical Fighters Volkel and the gliding club. On the north side, a number of shelters and hangars contain the based F-16s. Hardly anything is visible from the outside. An exception to that is the platform near the 06 threshold, where most visitors and the local helicopters are parked.

Getting There

The base is located east of Uden. To get here, head for Uden (probably taking the A50 highway) and follow the signposting towards Volkel (and the air base).
Getting here by public transport takes a while. You can take a bus from either Oss, 's Hertogenbosch or Nijmegen to Uden and change to Odiliapeel there. At the bus stop, take a good look at the departure times back to Uden as this bus does not run very frequently.

Around the Airport

1Runways 24

On this side, a spotters place is located near the threshold of the main runway (24R). For photographers the sun is on the wrong side most of the time, except in the early morning, but to read off everything it is a nice spot. Bring a medium-size stepladder for photography.

2Runways 24 approach

When runway 24 is in use you can take position along the parallel road of the Peelweg to view and photograph landing aircraft. Walking into the fields is forbidden (also by signs) and even potentially dangerous.

3The south side

To photograph the moving traffic on the runways without facing the sun, you can go to the south side of the base. This spot offers this opportunity when either runway (24L or 24R) is in use. Bring a medium-sized stepladder for photography. To get here, park your car along the road and follow a dirt road to the fence.

4Runways 06

Along the road (N264) there are some parking spots. From here you have a good view of the landing and departing aircraft on the runways 06L and 06R. You can also move around a bit from here to find the best spot. This spot also discloses any visiting aircraft parked on the tarmac north of the 06 threshold.

5Main gate

Near the main gate, an F-84, F-104 and F-16 are preserved, also visible from spot 4.

Alpha jet landing on runway 24. (Koen Leuvering)

Backlight conditions at spot 1. (Oscar Pluimer)

Frequencies

386.775Ground
291.100 / 136.080Tower
291.200Arrival
379.925 / 123.180RAPCON South
337.900TMA Delta Monitor
362.950 / 363.525312sq / 313sq Operations
247.750 / 388.600Operations OCC
264.325 / 132.350Dutch Mil (Outside tower hours)

Based Operators

312sqF-16AM
313sqF-35A
ANWB Medical Air AssistanceH135
Nationale PolitieEC135

Preserved

D-8279F-104G near the gate
J-240F-16A near the gate
P-248F-84F near the gate

More Info

Historical Fighters VolkelOrganisation working on the restoration of F-104G D-8114 in hangar 1, among other objectives.
SGVSpotting Group Volkel website
Scramble Message BoardVolkel forum

Send Updates

Do you have updates? Or is something not listed correctly? Please let us know! You can help us and other spotters with your information.
Invalid Input
Invalid Input

0/255

Invalid Input
Invalid Input

Subscribe to Scramble

As a member you get access to all our
premium content and benefits learn more