We’re visiting some iconic hubs, ranging from North Sea coastal bases to the foothills of the Alps. We'll see a mix of the "old guard" F-16s and the rapidly expanding F-35 fleets.

We depart from Vojens (EKSP), also known as Skrydstrup. This is the heart of the Royal Danish Air Force’s fighter capacity. Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is the resident unit. They are currently transitioning from the F-16AM/BM to the F-35A Lightning II.

Our first stop is Wittmund (ETNT), home to the Luftwaffe’s Tactical Air Force Wing 71 "Richthofen". They’ve fully moved on from their legendary Phantoms and now fly the Eurofighter Typhoon. It’s one of the primary Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) hubs for Northern Germany. Next, we hop over to the Netherlands.

Leeuwarden (EHLW) is a massive F-35 hub now. The 322 Squadron operates the F-35A here. The MQ-9 Reaper drones are stationed at this base for ISR missions. Moving south to Volkel (EHVK), we find 312 and 313 Squadrons. While Volkel was the long-time home of the Dutch F-16, by now the F-35A has taken over as the primary teeth of the base.

Crossing into Belgium, we hit Kleine-Brogel (EBBL). This is the home of the 10th Tactical Wing. They still operate the F-16MLU, though the transition to the F-35 is ongoing. Then we track down to Florennes (EBFS), home of the 2nd Tactical Wing. Like their colleagues at "KB," they are F-16 operators, but Florennes is also the first Belgian base to officially stand up F-35A operations and houses the new MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones.

We head back into Germany to visit the big US hubs. Spangdahlem (ETAD) is the home of the 52nd Fighter Wing. They operate the F-16C/D Fighting Falcons of the 480th Fighter Squadron (the "Warhawks") here. Just a short flight away is Ramstein (ETAR). No fighters here; this is the heavy-lift capital of Europe. The 86th Airlift Wing operates C-130J Super Hercules, C-21, and C-37 transport aircraft. Continuing southeast, we reach Neuburg (ETSN). This is the base for Tactical Air Force Wing 74. Like Wittmund, they are a Eurofighter Typhoon unit and handle the QRA for Southern Germany.

Then we cross into the Alps to land at Zeltweg (LOXZ) in Austria. This is the main interceptor base for the Austrian Air Force. The Überwachungsgeschwader (Surveillance Wing) operates its fleet of Eurofighter Typhoons from here, alongside PC-7 Turbo Trainers used for pilot schooling.

Finally, we arrive at Istrana (LIPS) near Treviso. This is the home of the 51° Stormo (51st Wing) of the Aeronautica Militare. While this base was famous for the AMX "Ghibli," those have been retired. The base is now a dedicated Eurofighter Typhoon hub, providing air defense for North-Eastern Italy.

The flight is 1000 miles long with 9 landings. The flight plan is here.

We want to be fast! The F-35, F-14, Tornado, Eurofighter, or any aircraft cruising at about 420 knots are suitable. I will probably be in the IFE Typhoon. As always, please fly what you like.

Recommended scenery:

Wittmund – ETNT

Zeltweg – LOXZ

Zeltweg Airpower Show

Vojens – EKSP

Leeuwarden – EHLW

Volkel EHVK

Dutch Airport Library

Kleine Brogel – EBBL

Florennes - EBFS

Spangdahlem – ETAD

Ramstein – ETAR

You may already own some of these addons. All airports are in the simulator database. The Zeltweg Airpower scenery is heavy and just eye candy.

 

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 3:30 pm local departure.

 

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, March 28, 2025. 1900 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Mike found another scenery:

Neuburg - ETSN