Part 2 Flying eye-catchers attracting a lot of attention

It will come as no surprise that we see a large number of planes come and go at our airport. We're therefore not that easily impressed by every aircraft. But sometimes special planes come to Schiphol that do immediately attract attention. Here are some examples of such flying eye-catchers.

Dakota DC-3

Not everything that flies here is very modern. The Dakota DC-3, for example, is particularly old. Built in 1944, deployed during D-Day and Operation Market Garden, sold to Prince Bernhard after special permission from Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower and deployed for more than 10 years to fly Dutch government representatives around the world. If the PH-PBA ‘Princess Amalia’ could talk, she certainly would have a lot of stories to tell!

Boeing 777-300ER ‘Orange Pride’

We can see straight away what makes this not so exceptional Boeing 777 special. The bright orange colour scheme immediately attracts attention at airports all over the world. The PH-BVA was KLM blue upon delivery, but in 2016 it was given an orange jacket to be proud of. Since then, the aircraft has been used wherever possible during events involving the promotion of the Netherlands. It provided the 'medal flight' after the Olympic Games in Brazil that same year, and later for the Games in Tokyo (2020) and Beijing (2022).

Dash 8

The coast guard plane is probably not the first aircraft you think of when you think of Schiphol, but this Dash 8 is actually stationed at our airport. The aircraft can be found every day above the North Sea for control and observation flights. It is used to detect pollution from oil or chemicals and to determine the cause, for example. The aircraft is also used for shipping controls and fisheries inspections, and can provide support during search operations on the water. It certainly helps carry out useful work!

State visits

When a head of state comes to the Netherlands, a special aircraft is almost always guaranteed. How about Air Force One, for example? This converted Boeing 747 is used by the President of the United States and was at Schiphol in 2014. But the POTUS is not the only one flying in a striking aircraft. The Boeing 747-8, in which the President of South Korea came to the Netherlands in 2023 (see photo), is also a rare guest. The same applies to the Airbus A310 in which the Spanish royal couple travels and which visited our country in April this year.

Ed Force One

So, you're not royalty and you do not have any great political ambitions. No worries though! Because even as a successful musician or athlete you can fly in a special plane. There's the private jet of four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, spray-painted in his own logo, for example. And how about the even more unique Ed Force One? This Boeing 747-400 was used for years by heavy metal band Iron Maiden. In 2016, the plane, named after mascot Eddie, was at our airport for the band's world tour. Fun fact: singer Bruce Dickinson was behind the controls!

This blog is the second in a series about unique aircraft. Curious about the first one? You can find it here.

Read the previous blogs