VintageAirRally

TEAM 13: FROG&KIWI. During the #VintageAirRally, Team Frog&Kiwi were flying a stunning old Stampe-Vertongen SV4, designed by Jean Stampe and Maurice Vertongen, two Belgian pilots heading a flying school and distributors of the De Havilland DH 60 Moth and DH 82 Tiger Moth till they decided to set up their own plane factory in Deurne (Antwerp) in 1933.

The aircraft was an immediate hit, mainly due to its exemplary behavior in flight, its maneuverability, robustness and elegant appearance. The Belgian Air Force ordered a series for the basic training of its pilots, as well as the French Army (300 of them!). Unable to provide such production in the Deurne factory, Stampe & Vertongen sell their license to allow production of the aircraft in France. At the outbreak of the II WW, production is stopped and the existing planes are destroyed or simply disappear.

In 1947, production resumes in the Deurne factory and he Belgian army again orders 65 machines. An improved version of the SV4 was born: the SV4-B, with a few modifications to the wings and a latest generation engine, the De Havilland Gipsy Major 10 with 145 hp. Meanwhile, around 850 SV4-A and SV4-C, equipped with Renault engines, were built in France and Algeria.

Team Frog&Kiwi's Stampe carries the number 29 out of the 65 Belgian post-war Stampes. During the Crete2Cape Rally it flew under number 13 - their lucky number - and bore the Belgian and French flag on either side of the tail. It was the first plane to land at the Pyramids of Gizeh, Egypt, in over 80 years. The pilots @Cédric Collette @Alexandra Maingard both run the @Brussels Aviation School. Their blog about the trip: http://500-feet-above.com @Raymond Cuypers