Solo Display Team
Encyclopedia
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
display team of the Royal Netherlands Air Force
Royal Netherlands Air Force
The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with four pilots...
and consists of three elements. The F-16 Solo Display Team uses the fighter jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
F-16
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, the PC-7 Solo Display Team flies the low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft Pilatus PC-7
Pilatus PC-7
The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer is a low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The aircraft is capable of all basic training functions including aerobatics, instrument, tactical and night flying. It has been selected by more than twenty air forces as...
and the Apache Solo Display Team uses the helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
AH-64 Apache
AH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
.
F-16 Solo Display Team
The F-16 Solo Display Team is currently based at Leeuwarden Air BaseLeeuwarden Air Base
Leeuwarden Air Base is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force - Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtmacht , . The airbase is one of the two F-16 Fighting Falcon bases of the RNLAF...
in the Dutch province
Provinces of the Netherlands
A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities, having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The government of each province consists of three major parts: the Provinciale Staten which is the...
of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
and consists of the pilot, two instructors and seven ground crew. The members of the team are always seconded from a squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The 2010 pilot, Kapitein (Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
) Tobias Schutte, flies with 323 Squadron. All members are operational military personnel and, apart from their tasks with the demo team, they perform normal operational duties.
The Dutch F16 demo team moves to another squadron and/or base every two years, season 2007-2009 being the exception. From 2005 until 2009 the demo team was based at Volkel Air Base
Volkel Air Base
Volkel Air Base is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force - Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtmacht , and is located near the town of Uden, Noord-Brabant, in the Netherlands. It is home to three F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons, 311, 312 and 313...
. In 2010 the team consists of members of the operational squadrons from Leeuwarden Air Base. They took over the orange F-16, J-015.
The team was established in September 1979 with the first demonstration of an RNLAF F-16 during an air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
at Twente Air Base (now Enschede Airport Twente
Enschede Airport Twente
Enschede Airport Twente is located north from Enschede, a municipality in the Twente region and the Overijssel province of the Netherlands. It has one runway , though one of the current taxiways has been used as a runway...
). The team has since been seen at air shows in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries and, in 2006, at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
in the United States, winning the prize for the best display team in the jet category at the air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
held at Reims – Champagne Air Base in 2009.
The team has no single colour scheme. The present orange colour scheme was unveiled in April 2009.
The team have had no accidents.
Pilots
The following pilots have flown the F-16 for the Solo Display Team.| Year | Name | Based at | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Flt Lt Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"... (Kapitein) Willem "Snake" Sneek |
Leeuwarden | J-213 |
| 1980–1983 | Flt Lt Gert "Barney" Booij | Leeuwarden | J-252 |
| 1983–1985 | Flt Lt Hans "Midas" Weber | Leeuwarden | J-252 |
| 1986 | Sqn Ldr Squadron Leader Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these... (Majoor) Gert "Barney" Booi |
Volkel | J-616 |
| 1987–1988 | Flt Lt Henri "Basco" Schevers | Volkel | J-864 |
| 1989–1990 | Fg Off Flying Officer Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence... (Eerste-Luitenant) Maarten "Puke" Pladet |
Twenthe | J-058 and J-060 |
| 1991–1992 | Flt Lt Reindert "Dagger" Zwaart | Leeuwarden | J-226 and J-231 (1991), J-213 (1992) |
| 1993 | Flt Lt Gerhard "Garlic" Went | Volkel | J-193 and J-624 |
| 1994 | Flt Lt Peter "Fingers" Jansen | Twenthe | J-251 and J-253 |
| 1995–1996 | Flt Lt Ries "Champ" Kamperman | Volkel | J-001, J-003 and J-511 (stickers), J-508 (paint) |
| 1997–1998 | Flt Lt Patrick "Spout" Tuit | Leeuwarden | J-364 (1997), J-868, J-364 (1998), J-236 (85 years RNLAF) |
| 1999–2000 | Flt Lt Robert-Jan "Woods" Bosch. | Twenthe | J-509, J-511, J-138 and J-144 |
| 2001–2002 | Flt Lt Richard "Tomba" Buijs | Volkel | J-016 |
| 2003–2004 | Flt Lt Christian "Louis" van Gestel | Leeuwarden | J-016 (main), J-063 (spare) |
| 2005–2006 | Flt Lt Gert-Jan "Goofy" Vooren | Volkel | J-055 |
| 2007–2009 | Flt Lt Ralph "Sheik" Aarts | Volkel | J-055 (2007-2008), J-015 (2009) |
| 2010 - | Flt Lt Tobias "Hitec" Schutte | Leeuwarden | J-015 |
PC-7 Solo Display Team
Woensdrecht Air Base
Woensdrecht Air Base is a military airport near the town of Woensdrecht, about 10 km south of the city of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. It is located near highway A58 and the border with Belgium....
in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It flies one of the thirteen single engine turbo trainer Pilatus PC-7 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The team consists of the pilot, two instructors and the ground crew. The PC-7 Solo Display Team has two aircraft at its disposal, unlike the F-16 Solo Display Team, one operational, the other functions as backup.
The team was established in 1995 and performs at air shows in Europe. The colour scheme used for the aircraft is predominantly black, with a single yellow line along the fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
and the tail
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
. The yellow line is repeated on the underside and the top of the wings.
The team have had no accidents.
The two Solo Display Teams sometimes perform together.
Currently (2008–2010) there is no PC-7 solo display active. All PC-7s and instructors are needed for training at the Elementary Flight School EMVO (Elementaire Militaire Vlieger Opleiding).
Apache Solo Display Team
The Apache Solo Display Team is based at Gilze-Rijen Air BaseGilze-Rijen Air Base
Gilze-Rijen Air Base is a military airbase in the Netherlands located between the cities of Breda and Tilburg, in the Noord-Brabant province. It is mainly, but not exclusively used as a base for attack helicopters. The airfield has two runways, the longest, complete with instrument landing...
in the Dutch province of North Brabant and uses the four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
AH-64D Apache. The team was formed in 2002 as a one-off to take part in the air show that was held that year at its airbase. However, the team kept performing at airshows in the following years and, in July 2005, won the "Sir Douglas Bader Trophy" at the Royal International Air Tattoo
Royal International Air Tattoo
The Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust...
which took place at RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, United Kingdom, having performed the previous month at the air show held at their home base. The team consists of two pilots, Sqn Ldr Laporte and Flt Lt Blankenspoor, supported by a crew from 301 Squadron.