|
Volkel April 2nd 2009,
Today we were invited by
Volkel Air Base courtesy of Spotting Group Volkel for the first public
viewing of the new demo bird for the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16
demo team. At 10 o'clock the old demo F-16 (J-055) left Volkel AB
together with a dual F-16 to pick up the new demo F-16 (J-015) at
Woendrecht AB.
Air Force Photographer Eric Vorstenbosch took the backseat of an F-16BM
(J-269) for an air-to-air photo shoot. During the photo shoot typical
Dutch places were visited, like the Delta waterworks, Keukenhof (bulbfields)
and Kinderdijk (windmills) providing some great scenery for the 'Dutch
Lion'.
The new colour scheme, orange and black also sports a lion, part of
Dutch heraldry. Orange refers to the name 'House of Orange', where the
Dutch royals trace their ancestry, although outside the Netherlands the
Dutch 'orange' is becoming more well-known as the trademark for the
national soccer team and its dressed-up fans.
The black nose of the F-16 takes us back almost 30 years as all F-16's
delivered in the late seventies had a black radome, all of which were
later replaced with grey ones.
On arrival at Volkel, the
F-16's made some passes before landing. The old bird was parked at the
cross servicing. After a hot-pit refuelling, the new demo took off in
front of the crowd. Ralph 'Sheik' Aarts performed the 2009 demo in
beautiful weather..
After the demonstration Sheik (from now on aka 'The Lion King') parked
his Lion in front of the crowd. The Chief of the Royal Netherlands Air
Force General Jac Janssen walked up the stairs to shake hands with Sheik
and showed his appreciation for the new design and the new demo.
Captain Ralph 'Sheik' Aarts (30) is in his final year as demo pilot. He
is a seasoned F-16 pilot with 1.500 hours. This winter he rotated into
the Dutch detachment at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan in support of
ISAF ground forces. “Being an operational pilot is my job and - although
a demanding one - the demo comes in second. You have to keep your skills
honed" replied Aarts when posed the question whether being a demo pilot
is regarded a honorary job. The Dutch air force F-16 demo is in its
thirtieth year, pilots selected serving a three year stint. Starting out
as a show of force to the public at large, the display is more and more
aimed at attracting young professionals to enrol into the air force. As
international requirements put a drain on people and material, finding
new pilots and technicians becomes harder. The F-16 demo plays an
important role in getting the attention of potential 'employees'.
After the interviews and fliming was done we had the opportunity for
some pictures on the flight line. We would like to thank the PAO of the
Royal Dutch Air Force and Spotters Group Volkel for the opportunity to
take part in this event.
|
