July 21st is a special day in Belgium—it marks our National Holiday, commemorating the day our first king took the constitutional oath in 1831.
This year, it was an especially memorable day for me. As part of the Air Force Youth Ambassador program, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in the military parade (or ‘defilé’)—from the air!
A few weeks beforehand, I was thrilled to find out that I would be flying in an NH90 TTH, which was my first choice. (Well, second choice after the Marchetti, but unfortunately, there weren’t any spots available for us there.)
I arrived around noon at Beauvechain Air Base, where the NH90s are stationed. The NH90 TTH is the dark green version used for land-based operations, while the light gray NFH version, based in Koksijde, is used primarily for Search and Rescue missions over the sea. (Though that’s not its only task—more on that in another article 😉.)
As per tradition, the National Holiday also doubles as a family day at all the airbases, so the base was buzzing with people and helicopters. The BBQ for later in the day was being prepped, and several air rides were already underway.
Once I arrived, we received a safety briefing and were given earplugs, as passengers don’t wear headsets, and helicopters can be pretty loud. After that, we were ready to go. We were driven to the helicopter, and within ten minutes, we were in the air!
The flight itself was incredible. We flew with the cargo doors open, in formation with other NH90s, making a grand tour across the country to ensure we arrived over Brussels at the exact right moment, in sync with all the other aircraft. The entire flight lasted over two hours, and I captured some amazing photos and videos. Seeing Brussels from such a low altitude, in a way you normally never could, was unforgettable.
Another unforgettable experience thanks to the Youth Ambassador program. A day I will cherish forever!
