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12 & 13 SEPTEMBER 2026 - Sanicole Airfield (Hechtel-Eksel)

Great Lakes 2T-1A-2

  • Manufacturer: Great Lakes Aircraft Company

Aerobatics were born alongside aviation itself, when daring pilots and purpose-built machines began testing the very limits of flight. Between the First and Second World War, a new breed of aircraft emerged, designed not just to fly, but to perform. At the International Sanicole Airshow 2026, the static display proudly features an American classic from this golden age: the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2.

The Great Lakes Sport Trainer was produced in impressive numbers until the company’s bankruptcy in 1933. Its reputation, however, proved impossible to ground. Demand brought the aircraft back into production in the 1970s and once again in 2011, this time under Waco Classic Aircraft, confirming its enduring appeal across generations of pilots. Its legend was cemented when a highly modified Great Lakes Model 2T-1A set a world record: Piloted by Jim Moss, the aircraft completed an astonishing 131 consecutive outside loops, powered by a Warner Scarab 165 seven-cylinder radial engine in the 1930s.

The aircraft on display at Sanicole on 12 & 13 September at Hechtel-Eksel is a Great Lakes Model 2T-1A-2, built in 1974. It is currently based at Aachen airfield. While it preserves the unmistakable lines of its pre-war ancestors, it packs a modern punch with a Lycoming IO-360 engine, offering more power than the originals ever had.

They say legends never die, but the Great Lakes has come back from the dead more than once, making it a living piece of aviation history.

Sanicole Airshow

The most anticipated event in Limburg. The Sanicole Airshow attracts 40,000 visitors each year.

The biggest and most awarded airshow of the Benelux and far beyond.

Contact

For general information about the International Sanicole Airshow, contact us via email: 
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Future Dates:
2026: 12 & 13 September
2027: 11 & 12 September

DATES

Saturday 12 Sept 2026
Sunset Airshow (17h00 - 20h15)

Sunday 13 Sept 2026
Sanicole Airshow (10h00 - 17h30)

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