{"id":7,"date":"2009-04-02T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-02T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/2011\/09\/03\/dutch-f16\/"},"modified":"2013-05-18T23:44:05","modified_gmt":"2013-05-18T22:44:05","slug":"dutch-f16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/dutch-f16\/","title":{"rendered":"New colours for Dutch F-16AM Fighting Falcon demonstrator"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/dutch2.jpg?w=1140\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new demo F-16AM J-015 `Dutch Lion\u2019 parked at Volkel Air Base, just after the demonstration flight (photo: Robert Nispeling).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p align=\"justify\">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&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">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\u2019.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse\" id=\"table2\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th align=\"center\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-6842223591044281\";\n  \/* AM - Pie de portada *\/\n  google_ad_slot = \"2102090342\";\n  google_ad_width = 468;\n  google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">The new colour scheme, orange and black also sports a lion, part of Dutch heraldry. Orange refers to the name \u2018House of Orange\u2019, where the Dutch royals trace their ancestry, although outside the Netherlands the Dutch \u2018orange\u2019 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\u2019s delivered in the late seventies had a black radome, all of which were later replaced with grey ones.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">On arrival at Volkel, the F-16\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<h3>The &#8220;old&#8221; J-055 (photos: Fernando Puppio, San Javier, Spain, June 2006)<\/h3>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"645\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"322\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/dutch3.jpg?w=1140\"><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"322\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/dutch44.jpg?w=1140\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"justify\">After the demonstration the pilot, Captain Ralph \u2018Sheik\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<h2>The Pilot<\/h2>\n<p align=\"justify\">Captain <strong>Ralph \u2018Sheik\u2019 Aarts<\/strong> (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. \u201cBeing an operational pilot is my job and &#8211; although a demanding one &#8211; the demo comes in second. You have to keep your skills honed\u201d replied Aarts when posed the question whether being a demo pilot is regarded a honorary job.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#c0c0c0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\">Advertising<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-6842223591044281\";\n\/* Link unit for text *\/\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"4669723431\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\ngoogle_ad_height = 15;\n\/\/-->\n<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\n<\/script><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">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 \u2018employees\u2019.<\/p>\n<hr>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just at the beginning of the Europe air shows season, The Royal Netherlands Air Force released his new demonstration F-16AM at Volkel Air Base. An spectacular colour scheme to represent the country\u00b4s air arm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-shows"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/p-7.jpg?fit=640%2C307&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1JKRl-7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6001,"url":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/photo-logbook-the-chilean-f-16-that-brought-down-a-british-sea-harrier\/","url_meta":{"origin":7,"position":0},"title":"The Chilean F-16 that &#8220;shot down&#8221; a British Sea Harrier","author":"Carlos Ay","date":"Monday 11 July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Unique among 30 former Dutch F-16s purchased by Chile at the beginning of the XXI Century is an example which can claim to have shot down a British naval fighter \"in combat\"... read on!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Defence &amp; security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Defence &amp; security","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/category\/defence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Atacama (2009)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3031\/07\/212829467_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3031\/07\/212829467_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3031\/07\/212829467_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3031\/07\/212829467_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10622,"url":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/the-quest-for-the-chilean-mach-loop-goes-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":7,"position":1},"title":"The quest for the &#8220;Chilean Mach Loop&#8221; goes on&#8230;","author":"Carlos Ay","date":"Thursday 25 September 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"For the nearly twenty years we've covered Chile's most relevant national commemoration, the Great Military Parade (Gran Parada Militar), we've tried to find new and different locations to illustrate its flying component away from traditional viewpoints, and this year we propose an exciting \"near air-to-air perspective\". Our initial report back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Air shows &amp; aviation events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Air shows &amp; aviation events","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/category\/air-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Huitre Vipers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/09\/2025-09-19-16-51-25_edited.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/09\/2025-09-19-16-51-25_edited.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/09\/2025-09-19-16-51-25_edited.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/09\/2025-09-19-16-51-25_edited.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/09\/2025-09-19-16-51-25_edited.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/swiss-wef-09\/","url_meta":{"origin":7,"position":2},"title":"Swiss Air Force secures World Economic Forum","author":"Robert Nispeling &amp; Ronald de Roij - Karo Aviation","date":"Sunday 1 February 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"While the world\u2019s business and government leaders discussed effective solutions to battle the current economic crisis at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Swiss Armed forces were responsible for their security. Robert Nispeling and Ronald de Roij from Karo Aviation, report the Swiss Air Force deployment.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Defence &amp; security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Defence &amp; security","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/category\/defence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/p-4.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/p-4.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/p-4.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1018,"url":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/fidae-2008\/","url_meta":{"origin":7,"position":3},"title":"FIDAE (2008): Always surprising!","author":"Carlos Ay","date":"Friday 9 May 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Little over a month after the show closed its doors, we deliver the first recapitulation of our correspondents to the XV Feria Internacional del Aire y el Espacio (15th Air & Space Fair, or FIDAE 2008), held for the second time at \u201cArturo Merino Ben\u00edtez\u201d International Airport in Santiago de\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Air shows &amp; aviation events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Air shows &amp; aviation events","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/category\/air-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/foto00b_g.jpg?fit=652%2C435&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/foto00b_g.jpg?fit=652%2C435&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/foto00b_g.jpg?fit=652%2C435&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10407,"url":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/data-mining-for-argentine-viper-fleet-identities\/","url_meta":{"origin":7,"position":4},"title":"Data mining for Argentine Viper identities&#8230;","author":"Carlos Ay","date":"Monday 24 February 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, visit to Tandil air base for the \"F-16 Weapons System Reception Ceremony\" acquired last year for the Argentine Air Force (FAA) provides an ideal time frame for our first complete forecast of the the 24 Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) airframes that will start\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Defence &amp; security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Defence &amp; security","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/category\/defence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Readying for Have Glass V?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/02\/2025-02-13-F-16BM-Aalborg_Kurt-Saxkjaer-Milfly_Collection_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/02\/2025-02-13-F-16BM-Aalborg_Kurt-Saxkjaer-Milfly_Collection_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/02\/2025-02-13-F-16BM-Aalborg_Kurt-Saxkjaer-Milfly_Collection_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/3025\/02\/2025-02-13-F-16BM-Aalborg_Kurt-Saxkjaer-Milfly_Collection_edited.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26,"url":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/saudi-in-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":7,"position":5},"title":"&ldquo;Green Shield&rdquo;: Arabian Autumn in France","author":"Robert Nispeling - Karo Aviation","date":"Wednesday 6 January 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"During October 2009 the Royal Saudi Air Force deployed haf a dozen F-15 and 175 supporting military personnel to Dijon (France), for the second edition of Green Shield training. Robert Nispeling from Karo Aviation travel to Dijon and reports from Base A\u00e9rienne 102.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Defence &amp; security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Defence &amp; security","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/category\/defence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/p-26.jpg?fit=620%2C336&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/p-26.jpg?fit=620%2C336&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/p-26.jpg?fit=620%2C336&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1981,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions\/1981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}