Every country has it's own vintage plane that has a special place in it's aviation history. For the Netherlands one of these planes is the Fokker S-11 "Instructor". During the week of April 26th till April 30th the Fokker Four display team had display training for the 2010 airshow season.

I was present on one of these days and had a little talk with Stephen van Dijck, one of the many members of the Fokker Four team. Let me however first start with a little bit of history about the Fokker S-11.

When you think about a vintage historic plane, you soon think P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, there is however another historic plane that was a very important part of Dutch aviation history, the Fokker S-11.

After the second world war a new aircraft for the Royal Netherlands Airforce (RNLAF) had to be developed by Fokker. It had to be a two seater where student and instructor could sit side by side. The Royal Netherlands Airforce, back then named the LSK (LuchtStrijdKrachten in Dutch) and Frits Diepen, who owned an airplane trade company, participated in the development of this new trainer.

In december 1947 the first prototype was built. This prototype was transported from the Fokker Factory in the north side of Amsterdam to Schiphol. Gerben Sondeman the famous test pilot for Fokker made the first flight in the S-11. After thorough testing and adjustments 101 Fokker S-11's were built, for the Dutch, Italian, Israeli and Brazilian airforces. The  S-11 was used for the Basic Flight Training for the Royal Netherlands Airforce (RNLAF for short).

The S-11 was used all the way up to 1972 by not only the RNLAF but also the Royal Navy, after that they were sold, 2 of them were given to the Aviodrome aviation museum in the Netherlands. I suggest you read more about the history of the S-11 on the site of the Fokker Four (a link can be found below).

Thank goodness there's a dedicated team of volunteers keeping these beauties in the air. The Fokker Four team, the team consists of display pilots who have all flown or are still flying with the RNLAF, then there are the technical staff and the people that do the administrative side of things.

On arriving on the airfield the hoods were open on 5 of the S-11's, 4 of the S-11's are owned by the Fokker Four foundation, the fifth is rented from a private owner. During this week the pilots hone their skills and practice the different maneuvers in the display.

Different checks were made and it was like you were watching routine maintenance. I asked Stephen how much time goes into a scheduled maintance.

Stephen: "Difficult to say, but basically our dedicated crew of maintenance technicians get the planes at the end of the flying season and using lots of their spare time, work on the aircraft throughout the winter so that in spring the Fokker Four is ready for another flying season."

Alot of sorties were flown, either in pairs or 4 at the same time. Before every flight there's a thorough briefing which includes every maneuver in the display, what to do incase problems arise, who is lead, etcetera, etcetera. This all might seem a bit much, but is absolutely neccesary for safety.

One of the things that I noticed was that there's a great number of pilots and not even all of them could attend on this day. Why the big number of pilots?

Stephen: "We all have private lives and work commitments so in order to maintain our goal of exposing people to this delightful aircraft as much as possible during a short summer flying season we need a reasonable number of pilots. Some of our pilots have been flying the S-11 during their own military training and again since the establishment of the Fokker Four 25 years ago. Most have stepped down from display flying and have left that to the “younger” pilots."

After briefing it was time to get in the S-11 and start the engine. For this season alot has changed for the display sequence and having seen the display it's a positive change. I asked Stephen what are some of the trickier maneuvers in the display sequence?

Stephen: "Well this year we have revamped the display and I think that with the small power and speed margins we have the “tulip break” will be the manoeuvre which when entered and flown well will be very impressive. The landing is always tricky after a demonstration flight. You must not relax as the flight is not over until after the debrief and usually airfields are a little chaotic during airshows so time to really watch out."

Inverted flight is something that basically every aerobatic's capable plane can do, but does the S-11 have a special system to fly inverted?

Stephen: "We can fly inverted but do not have a fuel or oil system to fly with negative G loads."

Watching the display I see very tight formation flying and experienced pilots, you sometimes wonder how these little planes can still pull 3 or 4 G's not being the youngest anymore. Stephen gives a little explanation about the age and performance of the S-11's

Stephen: "They are all approximately fifty years old. Each aircraft has recently been totally overhauled including the engines. In fact an old Fokker engineer who flew with us and once worked on the aircraft stated that they were better than when they first left the factory."

The weather was good that day, a little hazy toward the end of the day and almost no wind. Though I have seen displays where the wind would slowly push them of center. I wondered if the Fokker Four ever had to stop a display because of strong winds.

Stephen: "No. The display may get a little asymmetrical as we have to alter bank angles and maybe fly a little longer away from the crowd to ensure the wind doesn’t push us over the display line but in my 10 years flying displays with Fokker Four we have never busted a limit or had to stop the display."

After a training sortie the planes land and a debrief follows, in the debrief the pilots discuss what went right and what didn't go too well and how to improve it for the next sortie. I haven't seen a single pilot on the team that had a sad face when stepping out of the Fokker S-11. Stephen explains what is so special about flying the S-11 instead of say a jet.

Stephen: "It has a very proud and fine history. Every time I sit in the cockpit I feel I am part of that history and I become part of this continuing legacy in aviation. It is not a showy or brash aircraft but a really classy lady, and she shows this dignity in the air. She has been part of many military pilots’ lives before me and deserves the respect and care that we give her. She has earned her own place in our hearts."

Most of the shows are over here in the Netherlands, though some are a little further away, like the airshow in Luxemburg the team will be attending. How excited is the team?

Stephen: "This is a huge occasion for us and you can be assured that we will be putting in our best effort to not only display the aircraft but to be a fine example of Dutch Historical Aviation on the ground and in the air. We feel privileged to be able to introduce a great number of people to the Fokker Four who have never heard of us let alone our aircraft."

Besides flying displays at airshows, there is something else the team does, fly with "ordinary" people, for a small fee you can fly with the team, besides having a great time and having the joy of formation flying in a military trainer aircraft. Having flown in formation myself I can recommend it, it's a great opportunity, though I think Stephen can explain why a little bit better.

Stephen: "Flying with us is a totally unique experience. All our pilots are current or ex Royal Netherlands Air Force pilots. We fly formation and aerobatics very well, in aircraft that have a history that spans over half the time that man has been flying. The Fokker S-11 has a special place in Dutch Aviation history and you get the whole package presented in a very personal manner. We go out of our way to ensure that each person who flies with us becomes part of this legacy which lies at the heart of Dutch Aviation."

And what are some of the responses you got after people flew with you?

Stephen: "All our responses are positive. They may range from a 70 year old man who trained in the same exact aircraft 50 years ago and who relives those wondrous times of his youth to young boys and girls who fly for the first time and land with tales of flying loops and rolls themselves, and every conceivable emotion in between. Our passengers and their reasons for flying with us are diverse as the universe."

If flying is not your cup of tea, you can also support the team in other ways, by becoming a friend of the Fokker Four, you will receive a magazine "Verenigde Vleugels" (United Wings) and can attend the open day once a year, to interact with the team and see the planes ofcourse.

Since the team does so many displays in the Netherlands, people take seeing the team at airshows for granted. Every display team needs money to fly, but how important is the financial support for the existence of the Fokker Four team?

Stephen: "This is of paramount importance. Without sponsor support and our donators we couldn’t continue to display the aircraft and still take the public for the unique formation aerobatic flights that we provide together with the Aviodrome."

Having spent a day with the Fokker Four and seeing the passion that goes into flying and preserving these historical aircraft, you can't help but to get even more enthousiastic about the team yourself. Please be so kind and support the team. Go to www.fokkerfour.nl for more details (in Dutch only). And ofcourse don't forget to see them at one of the airshows the team will display at, the show is refreshed and looks good besides giving you excellent photo opportunities.

A big thanks to the team for inviting me to their training and an extra thanks to Stephen van Dijck for taking the interview.