Projects

Restoration of the Fokker S.IV

The Aviodrome workshops in Lelystad are currently working with dedication and skill on the restoration of a unique piece of Dutch aviation heritage: the Fokker S.IV with registration number 108. This project, which has been in preparation for some time, marks not only a technically challenging undertaking, but also a tribute to an important chapter in Dutch aviation history.

An aircraft with a story

The Fokker S.IV was a biplane training aircraft used in the 1920s by the Aviation Department of the Royal Netherlands Army (LVA). This example, number 108, was delivered in 1925 as the tenth aircraft of a series of 31. These so-called "Fours" stood out for their characteristic light blue plating, officially referred to as "LVA blue" and their unique registration numbers, ranging from 99 to 128.

Thanks to detective work in both the archives of the Aviodrome and those of the Ministry of Defense, the team succeeded in reconstructing a large part of the life of aircraft 108. This was made possible in part by recovering monthly reports from the LVA's technical department, which include mention of the original Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose engine with serial number 5011, the same engine that is still present on the aircraft today.

War years and survival

The history of the S.IV-108 is not without drama. In September 1937, the aircraft was severely damaged in a collision with a Fokker C.V at Eindhoven Airport. It was subsequently transferred to Soesterberg for repair. During the German invasion on May 10, 1940, the aircraft was at Fokker in Amsterdam-Noord for maintenance. Because the aircraft had no strategic value for the occupying forces, it was not put into service, but was eventually transferred to Professor Van der Maas of Delft Technical College. There it served for years as a study object for aviation students.

Only in 1960 was the S.IV transferred to the then Aeroplanorama aviation museum at Schiphol-East, after which it was given a place in the Aviodome at Schiphol-Centre in 1971. In the following decades, the aircraft remained part of the collection, although it was in severely dilapidated condition.

A complex restoration process

When the aircraft was re-inventoried in the 1980s, little remained of the original aircraft: only a stripped tubular structure, a distorted undercarriage, a reasonably complete engine and a few damaged seats. Wings, rudders, instruments and drawings were completely missing. A 1982 report outlined a frankly meager baseline for restoration.

The restoration now underway is therefore characterized by intensive research and reconstruction work. Original technical data such as drawings or performance calculations are not available. Fortunately, employees found material in the archives from the first restoration attempts in 1982, including a list of cockpit instruments. Based on this, the aircraft is being redesigned, with two instruments per cockpit, one set for the student, one for the instructor.

Restoration with an educational purpose

A special aspect of the current restoration is the choice to only partially restore the aircraft to its original appearance. One side of the aircraft will deliberately remain open, so that visitors will soon have a unique insight into the construction of the tubular steel frame and the technical superstructure of the S.IV.

On the way to the future

Although the actual work on the aircraft started only recently, it was preceded by a long period of preparations, archival research and documentation. The restoration is a delicate process that requires a great deal of patience, expertise and historical awareness. Yet the ultimate goal is clear: to return the S.IV to a state in which it not only tells its own history, but also the stories of the people who worked, flew and taught with it.