Last April 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 (bulb fields) 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.
The “old” J-055 (photos: Fernando Puppio, San Javier, Spain, June 2006)
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After the demonstration the pilot, Captain Ralph ‘Sheik’ Aarts (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 aircraft. After the interviews and filming was done the public had the opportunity to take some pictures on the flight line.
The Pilot
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.
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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’.
