Not wanting to be outdone by their neighbours Belgium, Holland also sent along an F-16 from their RNLAF F-16 Demo Team which opened Sunday's programme.
 

With a plane painted in a metallic orange camouflage design, the Dutch display was also very good. Under the command of Captain Tobias Schutte from Leeuwarden Airbase, it takes a lot of people to keep this plane in the air. Apart from the pilot, the team consists of two coaches, six technical specialists, and two advisors.  As always, there are advisors!


"One Team, One Task" is the motto of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and the Demo Team is not an exception to this.  Not only do they perform their demo duties but, if required, they can also be deployed to worldwide airforce operations during the demo season.




The F-16 was designed with a bubble canopy, giving the pilot superb surround visibility.  A Heads-up-display is projected onto the canopy, so that the pilot seldom has to look down at his controls.  This greatly reduces chances of motion sickness and dizziness.


Unlike many other aircraft, the joystick controller in the F-16 is not mounted in the center, but on the right-hand side.  This allows the seat to be more reclined which further reduces the motion-sickness and G-force effects.  I wonder if they have left-handed models for left-handed pilots?  Are there any left-handed F-16 pilots?



 You can view more posts on the airshow by clicking on the "Festa al Cel" label below.