Nice Bulgarian freighter, named "Хан Аспарух" (Khan Asparukh), who ruled the Bulgars during the last two decades of the 7th century. This aircraft was acquired by Vega in 1998 (ex RA-11976(2), and served with the company until sold in 2007 as UN-11018. It later carried EW-269TI, UR-DWI and EW-338TI. It was still operational in 2016, but by 2017 it was in storage at Minsk, Belarus.

On a one-year lease from Lufthansa (ex D-ABIB).

A rare catch! Amber Air bought this Saab from American Eagle (ex N359SB) in Nov 2004. They operated it until March 2007, when it was sold to Eznis Airways in Mongolia as JU-9905.

It was a pleasant surprise to find this Fokker parked here in some nice sunshine at Rotterdam, because VLM Airlines operated it for a brief period only. VLM leased it from Denim Air in May 2005 and returned it to them half a year later, in November 2005. Despite that, they did take the trouble to add the tail colours and some fuselage and engine titles.

This Sea Prince was delivered to the RAF in July 1952 as WM735. In September 1980 it became G-RACA and was stored/preserved at Staverton for many years. In May 1989 it was transported to Long Marston, to become part of the Stratford Aviation Collection. That collection had closed by 1994, but the Sea Prince still resided at Long Marston by 2017. The "Godskitchen" graffiti dates back to the Godskitchen Global Gathering, which was held at Long Marston Airfield on 31 July 2004. The photo is a one-second exposure at ISO200, taken at 9.20pm.

Delivered in August 1945 as TB-25J 45-8811, this aircraft became N9621C in 1958. As such it went through many owners, initially as a sprayer and later as a warbird, until coming to France in 1992 as F‑AZID. In January 2005 this Mitchell became HB-RDE and it is seen here shortly before returning to France as F-AZZU in June 2009. Unfortunately it suffered a major accident on 31 May 2011, when an engine fire forced it to make a wheels-up landing in a field near Villaroche, Melun, France. The B-25 sustained severe damage to the rear fuselage, left wing, and both engines, and its current status is unclear. Apologies for the obtrusive fences in the photo.

Dirk Sadlowski acquired this fairly rare Beech Twin Bonanza in September 2012, and although US-registered, he usually keeps it at Paderborn-Lippstadt in Germany. The aircraft was built in 1953.

This original Blériot XI is owned and flown by Mikael Carlson. It was licence-built in Sweden in 1918 by AB Enoch Thulin Aeroplanfabrik (AETA), under the name Thulin A and serial number 82-748. In 1986 Mikael found it in a barn in disassembled but complete condition, restored it, and first flew it in 1991. He originally intended to fly his other Bleriot XI SE-AMZ at the 2013 Hahnweide show, but this was damaged at the Dittingen airshow the week before. Mikael keeps his planes at his private airstrip at Kvarnhem, Sebbarp in Löberöd, Sweden.

Josef Schumacher's Harvard was originally delivered to the RCAF on 9 May 1952 as 20286. It served with them until becoming N13631 in 1969. To G-BKCK in 1990 and finally to Germany in 1997. It was fully restored in 2005 and is now based at Aachen-Merzbrück. The name is only carried on the other side.

During the 1990s Balkan operated this sombre coloured former LOT Ilyushin (ex SP-LSF) on their freight flights, with very small and rather worn 'Bulgarian Airlines' titles. They never bothered to paint it in their colours, because the aircraft didn't do much flying and spent most of its time in storage at Varna. They disposed of it in 1998, and became EL-ALD, then EX-601. It was still operational as recently as 2014, now as EX-18007, but had been withdrawn from use and stored at Fujairah a year later.

Coming in to land on runway 19R, undoubtedly to collect unfriendly things for use in the Iran-Iraq war. A year after this welcome visit to Amsterdam, it was sold and became CCCP-76491, and later RA-76491. As such it operated for Aeroflot until withdrawn from use in 2001 and reduced to scrap in 2009.

DDR-STH landing on runway 06, with construction work for the new R-apron going on in the background. The carrier mostly used the Tupolev 134 on their services to Amsterdam, but every now and then Ilyushin 18s and 62s could also be seen. This aircraft did not have am eventful career. It was delivered to Interflug in 1964, and remained in use with them until 1990. It then went on display in the Flugausstellung L + P Junior museum near Hermeskeil, Germany in 1994, and was still there in good condition by 2016.

LZ-BEU passing over the lights for runway 19R. During the 1980s Balkan was one of the very few carriers that sometimes operated the Ilyushin 18 into Amsterdam. The type was not a regular though, so every visit was a treat. Pictured here is LZ-BEU, acquired by Balkan from Yemen Airways in 1984 (ex 4W-ABO). In 2000 it became EX-75427 with Daallo Airlines, and following a brief spell with GR Avia as 3X-GEZ in 2008, it was broken up in 2009.

HI-515CT enters Miami's customs apron, where it will park for about 20-30 minutes to settle customs affairs, before continuing to the cargo aprons. This procedure was followed by almost all foreign cargo flights arriving at Miami. This "City of Santo Domingo" (built 1956, ex USAF 54-173) ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico after an engine fire during take-off on 5 April 1990.

After the re-unification of the two Germany's on 3 October 3 1990, the Luftwaffe saw itself operating an entire fleet of Soviet-built aircraft. This IL-62 is ex DDR-SEV, which had been an East German government VIP aircraft in Interflug colours. Its career with the Luftwaffe was short-lived, ending up with Alim-Air Lines in the mid 1990s as UK-86933. It was broken up in 2010.

In May 2015 Aer Lingus painted EI-DEI in these "Green Spirit" Irish Rugby Team colours, to promote their new partnership with the Irish Rugby Football Union. Also note the "IRFU" logo on the front fuselage.

Air Malta often had nice colour schemes. Their 1980s scheme is shown here on this A320 in retro colours. This aircraft was delivered in 2004.

In October 2017, KLM operated its last Fokker 70 flight, which ended a 97-year cooperation between KLM and Fokker. To commemorate that, and to thank Fokker, KLM painted this Fokker 70 in special colours in June 2017. It depicts Dutch aviation pioneer Anthony Fokker on the fin, and carries the titles "Fokker - Thank you". PH-KZU was already 22 years old when this photo was shot, having originally been delivered to Air Littoral (as PH-RRU / F-GLIU) in June 1995. It joined the KLM fleet in March 2009.

A superb retro scheme on this Aer Lingus A320.