The bi-annual Oostwold Airshow tradition on Whit Monday started out in 1999 with a limited number of participants and a few hundred visitors. Since then the event evolved into a solid show on the European mainland. In 2013 no less than 15000 spectators came to see the event which prides itself on presenting a rare number of warbirds every single time. Oostwold airport is a small grass-strip airport in the northern region of the Netherlands. The airfield is owned by Tom Karst van der Meulen, who also owns the P-51D PH-PSI Damn Yankee.
Tom's father started a small crop dusting business in the Netherlands back in 1954. Came the 80s, his company was already one of the biggest crop dusting companies in Europe.
Stricter environmental legislation in 1995 was the cause of a serious setback in crop dusting over the Netherlands, so the van der Meulen family had to look for other means of business. Nowadays they maintain and restore aircraft, provide scenic tours over Holland, do all kinds of commercial and photo flights and offer skydiving services.
The P-51D Mustang was acquired in 1993 and began flying demonstration flights at several airshows.
This year, they changed things a little for their 8th edition: the event was now spread over two days: Pentecost and Whit Monday. Twice the fun with more activities on the ground such as simulators, re-enactors, the Storyteller, … and more aerial participants. The Pentecost Sunday was all about the aerial fun of flying and aerobatics such as the Aerosuperbatics wingwalkers team, O'Briens Crazy Flight, Mark Jeffries Air Display, the Fokker Four demo team and much more.
Whit Monday would be the show everyone grew fond of: a great variation of aerobatics combined with some warbird gems. A true tribute would be made to the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Holland. It always seems to amaze how the organizers succeed in attracting so many warbirds to their event. This year they pulled out all stops with two P-51 Mustangs, three Supermarine Spitfires, a Hawker Hurricane and a Corsair! Dutch aviation history was also well represented.
A “frustration” many of the public had was that the view on the runway was usually blocked with visiting and participating aircraft parked between the runway and the crowd line. The organizers sympathized with this and reorganized the showground layout which now offered an unobstructed view to the runway.
The show opened on Sunday with a paradrop of the Airmoves Skydiving Oostwold club, after which the man himself, Tom van der Meulen, presented his warbird to the public.
P-51D-30-NA 44-74425 was delivered by North American Aviation to the USAAF in 1945 where she served briefly with the 356th FG. After the Second World War, it went on to serve with the Royal Canadian Air Force. After being sold to several civil US owners, she was acquired by the Stichting Dutch Mustang Flight at Lelystad, Netherlands. She was painted in the colors of 356 th FG, 359 th FS 474425/OC-G/Damn Yankee. It wears the colors of the Squadron, but has a fictional name. You can read more about Damn Yankee here.
The thrilling Mustang display with its distinct howling was followed by Oostwold regulars: the Aerosuperbatics Wing Walkers, commonly called the Breitling Wingwalkers.
The team is based in the UK (Rendcomb) and consists out of four Boeing Stearman aircraft painted in a nice white and orange paintscheme. As their team name mentions, they are sponsored by Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling.
The team is the only aerobatic wingwalking formation team in the world and have been displaying all over the UK and Europe for over 28 years now. Each aircraft consists of a pilot and a wingwalker girl. The girls strap themselves on top of the wing before taxiing and take-off. Once in the air, the pilots perform a breathtaking sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres, including loopings, barrel rolls, stall turns and even inverted flight, all with the wingwalkers on top of the wing. During the display the girls demonstrate their skills by doing acrobatic manoeuvres while they are strapped to the top of the wings of the aircraft. The girls face speeds of up to 150mph and up to 4G of g-force. They even climb back into the cockpit when they have finished their display, all whilst the aircraft is still in the air.
They represent a combination of barnstorming and wing-walking, which historically portrays the “roaring-20s” in aviation.
Barnstormers were pilots and aerial stunt people who made a living entertaining crowds with breathtaking feats within the United States and Canada in the 1920s. However, if barnstormers were the most exciting daredevils of the late 1920s, then wing walkers were the most extreme and intrepid individuals among them. Wing walkers were the ultimate risk-takers of their day.
After WW I the Americas starting hosting the first “airshows” where members of the public could take joyrides for a few dollars. There were also some dazzling displays of terrifying loops and rolls and some upside down flying. The more dangerous the stunt seemed, the more the public liked them in those days.
As far back as 1918, an American flier called Ormer Locklear came up with a stunt that was guaranteed to wow the crowds: he would climb out of the aeroplane and walk along the wing and even climb from one aeroplane onto to another. Apparently Locklear first clambered out of the cockpit to fix a technical problem while training during the war. A normal person would have landed and then sorted out the problem. Pretty soon you couldn't operate a flying circus that didn't have a wing walking act and Locklear was soon joined by numerous other daredevils including the wonderfully named Ethal Dare, the world's first female wing walk who like Locklear would walk from plane to plane.
These wing walk pioneers were operating without a safety net: no parachutes, no safety wires tethering them to the aircraft. A slip of the foot meant plummeting to a certain death!
The Boeing Stearman was a biplane used as a primary military trainer aircraft during the 1930s and early 1940s, so in the Breitling Wingwalker team we really have the best of both!
The roaring 20s were followed by some modern day formation aerobatics in the form of Mark Jefferies and his Global Stars.
The Global Stars are Mark Jefferies, Tom Cassells, Chris Burkett, Steve Carver and Michael Pickin, all British Champions. They provide spectacular formation air displays or solo air displays.
Mark is flying the new EXTRA 330SC; Tom flies the Extra 300L or CAP 232, Chris the Extra 300s and Steve the Extra 260. Back up reserve pilot Michael Pickin is also flying a CAP 232. Together the team presents one heck of a formation aerobatics act and they are welcome guests at a lot of international events such as New Zealand, China, Korea and the United Arabian Emerates.
Mark Jefferies has also achieved great success and worldwide recognition as one of the most accomplished aviators in the UK. His aerobatic skills have earned him a 3rd place in the 2011 World Aerobatic Masters, he ranked 8th in the World in 2007 and 10th in the World 2009. He is a nine times British aerobatic champion (ADV & UNL). After the Global Stars display, Mark Jefferies showed off some of his spectacular manoeuvres, tumbles and spins in his Extra 330SC
Oostwold regularly sport several special formations in the air. A nice formation flypast especially for this event was an unusual one: Tony De Bruyn in his OV-10 Bronco flying together with the Yaks of the Dutch Thunder Yaks. After a couple of passes they split up and Tony was up first to display the unbelievable maneuverability of the Bronco.
The Bronco Demo Team was founded in 2010. The team consists of a number of enthusiastic people whose aim is to represent the unique Bronco aircraft to the public. Driving force behind the project is the Bronco display pilot Tony De Bruyn.
It all started way back in 2000 with the OV-10 Bronco Association and its German Wing of the OV-10 Bronco Association (GWOBA). With this association, Tony and his partners acquired two former German Air Force OV-10B Broncos from the Technische Schule der Luftwaffe 3 (TSLw3) at Fassberg, Germany. Their ultimate goal from the start was to restore both aircraft and get them back to an airworthy condition.
The North American Aviation Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is a turboprop light attack and observation aircraft conceived in the early 1960s by W.H. Beckett and Colonel K.P. Rice of the US Marine Corps. The goal was to develop an airframe designed for close air support (CAS), forward air control (FAC) and counter insurgence (COIN) combat missions.
The airframe needed to be rugged, extremely maneuverable and simple as it would need to be operated from expedient forward air bases using roads or unpaved runways. As a FAC and CAS aircraft, it also needed extreme maneuverability at slow speeds and it needed to be able to loiter around the target area much longer than a pure jet.
Both gentlemen took a gamble because at that time the US Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters and the USAF was not interested in CAS aircraft at all.
However, during World War II, the US military had made use of light aircraft for directing artillery and close air support, and found the results very effective.
Fortunately for both gentlemen, a "tri-service" specification for a Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) was approved by the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Army in late 1963. In August of 1964 the Rockwell design "NA-300" was selected and the company was awarded a contract for seven prototypes in October.
The first NA-300, military designation “YOV-10A” flew on July 16th , 1965 with Rockwell chief test pilot Ed Gillespie at the controls.
Following a period of intensive evaluation which resulted in a couple of changed to the design, the Bronco was cleared for production in early 1968. The USMC obtained 114 aircraft and the USAF 157.
The aircraft featured twin turboprop engines, one in a boom on each side of the aircraft, a high-mounted wing and tail plane between the booms. This positioning of both engines and fuselage underneath the wings allowed service crews access to most systems from ground level and allowed the pilot and observer an unobstructed view from the office. To further improve visibility from the air, the canopy was bulged.
The engines rotate in opposite directions to reduce the effects of torque.
The pilot sat in the front seat with an observer just behind him. The aircraft also featured a cargo compartment behind the observer. The end of the fuselage hinged open to the left to allow access at a convenient low level to the ground.
Just after entering service, the Bronco already saw combat in the Vietnam War. The last Broncos went out of service in 1994.
West Germany obtained a number of Broncos for the target tug role to replace British Hawker Sea Furies. They continued operating them until they were retired in the early ‘90s due to the increasing difficulty in obtaining spares.
The Bronco which was displayed at the show is 99+18, which was acquired back in 2006.
OV-10B 99+18 made her final flight out of Manching in 1991, when she was destined for the Internationales Luftfahrtmuseum Pflumm in Schwenningen, Germany. On July 28th , 2006, the museum was struck by a severe hail storm, destroying 90% of the hangar and its exhibits. They were in dire need for money and after a visit of members of the GWOBA in September 2006, a deal was made to sell the Bronco to them.
After being grounded for 21 years, 99+18 made its first flight on May 26th , 2012, with Tony at the controls.
The Dutch Thunder Yaks are a group of 5 Russian Yak-52 aircraft stationed at Wings Over Holland at Lelystad Airport. They perform formation aerobatics in their Yak-52s.
The team consists of pilots Chris van den Broek, Hans Hollink, Erik van der Pluym, Stephen van Dijck and Willem Doorduin.
The Yakovlev Yak-52 is a Soviet primary trainer aircraft which first flew in 1976. Although it might seem an old aircraft, it is actually still being produced in Romania by a company named Aerostar, which gained manufacturing rights under agreement within the now defunct COMECON socialist trade organisation. The Yak-52 was designed originally as an aerobatic trainer for Soviet students.
Since the early 1990s and the fall of the Soviet Union, many Yak 52s have been exported to the west. Of the approximately 1,800 produced to date, most now fly in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and other western countries
A descendant of the single-seat competition aerobatic Yakovlev Yak-50, the all-metal Yak-52 is powered by a 360 hp Vedeneyev M14P 9-cylinder radial engine.
The aircraft has inverted fuel and oil systems permitting inverted flight for as long as two minutes.
At 998 kg (2,200 lb) empty weight, the Yak-52 is responsive and very capable as an aerobatic aircraft.
The Yak-52, like most Soviet military aircraft, was designed to operate in rugged environments with minimal maintenance. One of its key features, unusual in western aircraft, is its extensive pneumatic system. Engine starting, landing gear, flaps, and wheel brakes are all pneumatically actuated.
The tricycle landing gear is retractable, but it remains partially exposed in the retracted position, affording both a useful level of drag in down manoeuvres and a measure of protection should the plane be forced to land "wheels up."
More stunning solo aerobatics followed, this time by the Sky Unlimited Pitts Special PH-PEP flown by Dirk Evers. He presented the Pitts capabilities to the fullest and started off with a spirited takeoff followed by an action packed demonstration full of high G positive and negative turns. The Pitts also sported a new color scheme this year.
From high powered aerobatics to more graceful lower power aerobatics: the Twister Aerobatic Team. Formed in 2010, they have performed at events across Europe and the Middle East, showcasing the highly efficient Silence Twister aircraft. The Team is very versatile, performing daytime aerial ballets and unique, sparking evening displays with specially developed pyrotechnic effects streaming from the aircraft's wingtips. In 2011 the team engaged in a three year sponsorship deal with the Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) and saw their aircraft repainted in the corporate colours of SWIP and registered G-SWIP and G-ZWIP. Team pilots are Peter Wells, Guy Westgate and Jon Gowdy.
The Silence Twister is a German ultralight designed by Silence Aircraft for amateur construction, either from plans or kits. The prototype first flew on September 30th, 2000.
It is a single-seat low-wing monoplane with elliptical wings and tailplane. It has a retractable conventional landing gear with a fixed tailwheel. The design drew inspiration from the Supermarine Spitfire, and the shapes of the Twister's wings, fin and tailplane all recall the famous World War II fighter.
A huge Antonov An-2 biplane took to the skies now, owned and operated by Classic Wings. The Antonov An-2, nickname Annie, is the largest biplane in the world and was designed by the USSR in 1946.
It was, well IS used as a light utility transport, parachute drop aircraft and agricultural work aircraft. Is used, because remarkably enough the type is still operated by many around the globe today! As a matter of fact, the Russians continued to build the type until late 2002!
Its two large biplane wings give it an extreme maneuverability at slow speeds and make it an ideal aircraft for use on short, unimproved fields. Several design features were incorporated to take further maximum advantage of operating from those fields:
Because it is Russian, it also has another advantage: it is extremely rugged and can withstand extreme temperatures.
It was designed to meet a 1947 Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement for a replacement for the Polikarpov Po-2, which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay biplane of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with room for seats accommodating up to twelve passengers. Over 18000 examples of the An-2 were built.
The first prototype flew on August 31st , 1947. The An-2 is powered by a Shvetsov ASh-62 engine and used about 43 gallons of avgas per hour.
In its handbook, the Antonov An-2 has not stall speed listed. As a matter of fact, a note in the pilot's handbook reads: "If the engine quits in instrument conditions or at night, the pilot should pull the control column full aft and keep the wings level. The leading-edge slats will snap out at about 64 km/h (40 mph), and when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph), the airplane will sink at about a parachute descent rate until the aircraft hits the ground."
Pilots of the An-2 say one can fly the aircraft in full control at 30 mph (50 km/u) (as a contrast, a modern Cessna four-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around 50 mph). If it flies into a 35 mph headwind, it can even fly backwards whilst under full control!
Time for some warbird action above the Oldambt to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. The nation was liberated largely by the First Canadian Army, which included in addition to Canadian forces the British I Corps, and the 1st Polish Armoured Division, as well as, at various times, American, Belgian, Dutch and Czechoslovak troops. Parts of the country, in particular the south-east, were liberated by the British Second Army, which included American and Polish airborne forces, (cfr. Operation Market Garden) and French airbornes (cfr. Operation Amherst). On May 5th, 1945, the Canadian General Charles Foulkes and the German Commander-in-Chief Johannes Blaskowitz reached an agreement on the capitulation of German forces in the Netherlands in Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen. One day later, the capitulation document was signed in the auditorium of Wageningen University, located next door.
For the occasion, no less than 7 warbirds participated at the show.
First to take off were a Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb, a Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX and a Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIb. The Hurricane is actually a “Hurribomber” and is a true restored gem. The original aircraft was a Hurricane Mk.IIb with registration “5403”, and was manufactured by Canada Car and Foundry Company Limited in Langley, Canada. It served as a home based fighter with the RCAF 135 squadron from 1942 to 1945.
The airframe was decommissioned after the war, refurbished and sold in June of 1947. Most aircraft sold in Canada were used for spares to keep farm equipment going but fortunately 5403 survived mostly intact until being discovered in 1991 by Hawker Restorations who then transported her over to the United Kingdom.
Peter Teichman bought 5403 and restoration began in 2005 by Hawker Restorations Ltd and after 28.000 man hours she was completed and ready for her first flight as “BE505” on January 27th , 2009 from North Weald airfield, flown by Stuart Goldspink.
The Hurricane Mk.IIb, had a more powerful Merlin engine (Packard Merlin 29 fitted in BE505) and more effective armament than the Mk.I Hurricanes. The b's wings were capable of housing twelve 0.303" Browning machine guns but were generally reduced to ten when carrying either two 250lb or 500lb bombs. BE505 has the latter configuration. When equipped with bombs the Hurricane was known as a 'Hurribomber'.
The aircraft is painted in the color scheme of RAF serial number “BE505” XP-L which had been issued to 174 Squadron at Manston, Kent, which was formed from Hurribombers in March of 1942.
The original “BE505” was flown Flight Sergeant C. Bryce Watson and saw action during the Dieppe amphibious landing on August 19th , 1942. Watson was shot down by flak and became a prisoner of war.
Hurricane Mk.IIb BE505 (5403) XP-L is part of Peter Teichman's "Hangar 11 Collection" based at North Weald.
The Dutch Spitfire 3W-17 is owned and operated by the Stichting Koninklijke Luchtmacht Historische Vlucht (RNLAF Historic Flight) or SKHV.
The SKHV was first started in 1969 as an aero club (Stichting Vliegsport Gilze-Rijen) by a group of former Air Force and Navy fighter pilots. The commander of the Gilze-Rijen Air Base at that time supported the renovation of a small hangar in which a Harvard and a Piper Super Cub were restored. The initial aim of this aero club was to provide private pilots with the possibility of advanced flying training. In the following years several historical aircraft were added to the fleet after having been carefully restored to an airworthy condition. From 1976 onwards the club has dedicated itself to the restoration and the maintenance of propeller-driven aircraft formerly used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Navy.
In 1998 the Stichting Vliegsport Gilze-Rijen and the Dutch Spitfire Flight merged to form the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historical Flight thereby bringing the only airworthy Dutch Spitfire and a Beaver into the collection. On September 24th, 2004, during the 35th anniversary, the merge of the Duke of Brabant Air Force (DBAF) and the SKHV was announced. Since then the DBAF flag-ship, the B-25 Mitchell, has been part of the SKHV fleet.
The SKHV fleet mainly comprises aircraft formerly flying with the RNLAF or RNL Navy Air Services, with the exception of Prince Bernhard's Stinston L5B.
The Spitfire LF Mk. IX of the SKHV was built at Castle Bromwich in early 1942 and flew during the D-Day Landings.
In June of 1948 she was sold to the Royal Netherlands Air Force where she joined 322 Sqn as H-25 in the Dutch East Indies. After returning back to the Netherlands she was stored before being assigned to the Jacht Vlieg School. After a landing accident she went to Fokker for repairs in November of 1949 after which she went to 322 Sqn in April of 1951 where she received a new serial number 3W-17. The aircraft was retired in September of 1953 and was relegated to decoy use in June 1954 until 14 (RAFG) Sqn acquired it as the 124 Wing Trophy at Oldenburg in Germany. She was airfreighted to the UK in 1969 and went to RAF Coltishall as spares for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in October of 1974.
Her remains went back to 322 Sqn at Leeuwarden in March of 1984. She was moved for storage at Gilze-Rijen in November of 1985. In 1991 she joined the Dutch Spitfire Flight and awaited complete restoration. Her final re-assembly took place in the UK as G-HVDM, and her first flight was made June 10 th , 1993. She was transferred back to the Dutch Spitfire Flight in July of 1993.
In March of 2000 she got painted in a overall silver color scheme as 3W-17 and fitted with clipped wings. G-HVDM transferred to the Dutch Civil Register as PH-OUQ in October of that year, with first flight as PH-OUQ on June 26th , 2001. She is the only airworthy Spitfire flying in the Netherlands.
PH-OUQ was joined by another Spitfire, a LF Mk. Vb, owned and operated by The Fighter Collection, based at Duxford, UK.
This particular Spitfire was also built at Castle Bromwich and was delivered via 45 MU (Maintenance Unit) to 501 Squadron on June 4th , 1942. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Northcott accounted for seven German aircraft over the year following his joining 501 Sqn, six of them whilst he was flying EP120 so she is a true combat veteran.
With her seven kills, she is the most credited Mk V in existence and maybe the most credited WWII fighter. She got damaged in a ground collision with Spitfire AB403 on July 16th , 1942 and returned to Castle Bromwich for repairs. Following her repairs she went to 19 Sqn for a short period until ending her operational flying career with 402 (RCAF) Squadron.
In April of 1944 she was taken on charge with 402 Sqn “City of Winnipeg” RCAF, coded AE-A, which are the colors she wears today. She joined The Fighter Collection fleet in 1993, underwent a full restoration and returned to the skies in September of 1995 under British civil registration G-LFVB.
This trio was followed by a quartet of warbirds in the form of two another Supermarine Spitfire, a Change-Vought Corsair and two North American P-51 Mustangs.
The Spitfire was the Old Flying Machine Company's Mk. IX MH 434. It was built in August of 1943 at Vickers, Castle Bromwich. It was test flown by none other than Alex Henshaw and was delivered on August 19 th of that same year to the 222 Sqn.
There, she saw combat in the hands of South African pilot Flt. Lieutenant Henry Lardner-Burke who scored 7.5 kills and damaged 3 others with this very same Spitfire which still flies over 80 years later!
During her 79 operational sorties in WWII she was briefly transferred to the Belgian 350 Sqn, then back to N° 222 Sqn and then back to Belgium once more to fly with the 349 Sqn. She was retired in March of 1945 and was stored until 1947. At that time she flew another 2 years with the Royal Netherlands Air Force 322 Sqn as H-105. After a restoration following a belly landing she was sold back to the Belgian Air Force where she served with the Advanced Pilot School at Koksijde and with the 13th Wing at Brustem. In 1963 she was acquired by Tim Davies and moved back to the UK under registration G-ASJV to be handed over to Spitfire Productions Ltd. In November of 1967 where she participated in the movie “Battle of Britain”. In the early 90s she was acquired by the OFMC and underwent a lengthy restoration in 1994 and 1995. She was repainted in her authentic 222 Sqn color scheme as the personal aircraft of Flt. Lt. Hendry Lardner-Burke (ZD-B).
The Goodyear FG-1D Corsair KD345/A-130 was built and delivered too late to see combat in WWII. She was dispatched to Guam in May of 1945 where she served with Fleet Air Wing 2 in the Pacific until December of that same year when she returned to the US.
After almost being scrapped, she passed through several civilian owners and ended up with the Fighter Collection in 1986. She was repainted in 1997 as Corsair Mk IV (UK name for the FG-1D) with serial number KD345 of 1850 Naval Air Squadron, 13th Carrier Air Group, based on HMS Vengeance.
Mustangs on duty were P-51D-25-NA Ferocious Frankie (G-BTCD) owned and operated by the Old Flying Machine Company and P-51D-25-NT Miss Velma (N251RJ) owned and operated by The Fighter Collection. You can read full biographies of both aircraft in our Mustang section of this website.
Fast forward some 15 years in time with the Hawker Hunter. Presented was the Dutch Hawker Hunter Foundation's Hunter F.6A G-KAXF/‘N-294‘. The Foundation was established in 2005 by a group of military aircraft enthousiasts. Its main goal is the operation and conservation of a Hawker Hunter ex-military jet, both as a tribute to a great classic fighter aircraft and as a memento to the history of the Dutch airforce squadrons who flew the Hunter in great numbers during the 1950s and 60s.
Thanks to the support of many, the Foundation was able to acquire its Hawker Hunter T.8C in the United Kingdom from Elvington Eventes Ltd.
A second Hunter, this single seat F.6A was acquired shortly after the first one. It was built at Coventry in 1956 and joined RAF's 247 Sqn in 1957 as XF515 and later on N° 43 Sqn. She was retired from RAF-service in 1995 after which she entered the civilian market. The DHHF acquired her in 2008.
The Foundation operates its Hunters for some 40 hours a year from Leeuwarden AFB.
The Dutch “Stichting Fokker Four” maintains and flies four Fokker S-11 Instructor aircraft. The Fokker S-11 is a single engine, two-seat propeller aircraft developed after WWII as a basic trainer for the Dutch Air Force. The Air Force used them until 1973, as well as several foreign countries, such as Israel, Italy, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.
The Fokker Four team is the only display team which has been present from the beginning of the Oostwold airshow back in 1999.
O'Brien's Flying Circus is another great act to see. Renowned aviator and airshow commentator Brendan O'Brien has formed his own Flying Circus and displays some really crazy flying in his yellow Piper Cub.
His act mixes barnstorming and innovation to create an exciting and awe-inspiring display, combining the art of Crazy Flying with the precision required to land on the world's smallest runway: on the back of a moving platform!
His Cub is also modified with smoke, lights and pyrotechnics for dusk of night displays.
Jurgen Kraus was next to display in his blue/white T-6 Harvard. The Harvard (or Texan in the US) is another huge success story of North American Aviation (the other well-known type being the P-51 Mustang). The T-6 Texan was developed as a single-engined advanced trainer and was used to train the bulk of the USAAF pilots the years before, during and even after World War II. Besides the USAAF, other significant operators of the Texan were the US Navy (designated SNJ), Royal Canadian Air Force and the RAF. In service with the latter two, the T-6 was referred to as the Harvard.
The prototype first flew on April 1st , 1935, and about 15.495 examples were built. It remained in active service up until 1985 with the Brazilian Air Force. Today, it is still one of the most popular warbirds restored and flown at events around the globe. Because it resembles the silhouette of a Japanese Zero, it often depicts the Zero in movies about the Second World War in the Pacific.
It has been used by such a vast amount of foreign Air Arms that listing them all here would take too long. Amongst the foreign operators were both the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Air Forces.
Final multi-formation team to display was the Seagull Formation team. The team uses four Focke Wulf Piaggio 149D trainer aircraft and was founded in 1986. They operate out of Hoogeveen.
With over 20.000 visitors, this 8th edition of the Oostwold airshow should be considered a huge success and is becoming one of the biggest air show events in The Netherlands. We hope they keep this fabulous tradition and the new format alive and that we can rendez-vous in 2017 for the next event!
We would like to thank everyone involved in organizing the Ooswold airshow and for giving us a warm welcome every single time!
