Solo display team
| Solo display team | |
|---|---|
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| Country: |
 Netherlands
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| Currently used aircraft type: | Lockheed F-16 Falcon Hughes AH-64 Apache Pilatus PC-7 |
| Sponsor: | Koninklijke Luchtmacht |
| Base airfield: | Leeuwarden |
| Founding: | 1979 |
| Colours: | Orange, yellow, black |
The Royal Luchtmacht of the Dutch Armed Forces maintains two permanent solo display teams for aerobatics .
F-16 Solo Display Team
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The F-16 Solo Display Team was founded in 1979 and currently flies a Lockheed F-16 Falcon fighter aircraft from Leeuwarden . The squadron consists of a pilot and two aerobatic trainers as well as the ground crew, with the team alternately being composed of one of the squadrons originally stationed in the three air bases in Twenthe , Leeuwarden and Volkel . After the closure of the Twenthe Air Base, the F-16 Solo Display Team will alternate between Leeuwarden and Volkel. The current pilot, Tobias Schutte , comes from a squadron stationed in Leeuwarden. The team performs in many European countries and also flew at an air show at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 2006 the F-16 was a guest at the ILA in Berlin . Since then, the F-16 Solo Display Team has been invited to many European and American flight days and air shows.
Pilots
| Years | Surname | Air base |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Captain Willem Sneek | Leeuwarden |
| 1980-1983 | Captain Gert "Barney" Booij | Leeuwarden |
| 1983-1985 | Captain Hans Weber | Leeuwarden |
| 1986 | Major Gert "Barney" Booi | People |
| 1987-1988 | Captain Henry Schevers | People |
| 1989-1990 | Lieutenant Maarten "Puke" Pladet | Twenthe |
| 1991-1992 | Captain Reindest "Dagger" Zwaart | Leeuwarden |
| 1993 | Captain Gerhard "Garlic" Went | People |
| 1994 | Captain Peter "Fingers" Jansen | Twenthe |
| 1995-1996 | Captain Richard Kamperman | People |
| 1997-1998 | Captain Patrick "Spout" Tuit | Leeuwarden |
| 1999-2000 | Captain Robert-Jan "Woods" Bosch. | Twenthe |
| 2001-2002 | Captain Richard "Tomba" Buijs | People |
| 2003-2004 | Captain Christian "Louis" van Gestel | Leeuwarden |
| 2005-2006 | Captain Gert-Jan "Goofy" Vooren | People |
| 2007-2009 | Captain Ralph "Sheik" Aarts | People |
| 2010 - | Captain Tobias Schutte | Leeuwarden |
PC-7 Solo Display Team
The PC-7 Solo Display Team flies the Pilatus PC-7 propeller aircraft and has been in existence since 1995. Here, too, there is a pilot, two trainers and the ground crew. These two teams also fly together regularly.
On special occasions, the Dutch Air Force also provides show flight teams with helicopters for flight demonstrations . This is done on the one hand on search-and-rescue machines of the Augusta-Bell AB-412 SP type , which, for example, simulate sea rescue operations. In 2002 the Koninklijke Luchtmacht was also the first armed force in the world to offer special demonstrations with a Hughes AH-64 Apache combat helicopter .
