Frank Versteegh

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Frank Versteegh
Red Bull Air Race World Series Record
Date of Birth	September 19, 1954
Team	Versteegh
Year of Début	2003
Country	Netherlands
Best Position	8th (2005)
2006 Position	11th (0 points)
Plane	Extra 300L
Website	aerobatics.nl

Frank Versteegh (19 September 1954) is a renowned Dutch aerobatics pilot. He is also known as an airshow organiser, a flight safety committee member, a FAI judge and a freestyle aerobatics competitor.

Versteegh was born in Oosterbeek and started his flying career in 1972 at the age of 18. Between 1982 and 1994 he competed in European and World Championships. During his career he flew in over 1250 aerobatic displays at major aviation events all over the world, using over 160 different types of aircrafts.

He flew his first display in a Cesana 150 aerobat in 1983. Between 1987 and 1989 he flew in the Pitts S25 G-SOLO , which also flew in the Rothmanns team as a solo aircraft. In 1989 the Pitts was sold to Germany. He flew back in his new aircraft, the Zlin 50 LS which he overtook from Manfred Strossenreuther, who died in earlier that year towards Teuge. In this aircraft Versteegh managed to win the Open Dutch National Unlimited Aerobatic Championship in that same year.

His sponsor "Shake 20" made it possible to purchase his new Extra 300, a mid-wing composite mono-plane. Versteegh flew three years in this plane under a Shake 20 license, but changed to a new sponsor "Volny" in 1995. During 1996 Volny made it possible to purchace his current airplane, the Extra 300L. In July 1997 he was the first pilot ever making a touch and go with an Extra 300L (D-EZOZ) on a 70 meter long vessel in the Rhine at Rhenen in his home country. This was unique because during the landing in the Extra 300L the pilot is unable to see the landing gear and therefor unable to see the ship, while flying over with 150 km/hr. Versteegh only had 1.5 seconds to land the aircraft on the boat due to the approaching speed of 80 knots. The stunt took place during an airshow which was attended by 50,000 spectators.

After participating in the FAI World Cup of Aerobatics for three years he specialized in freestyle aerobatics and skydancing. Currently Versteegh is one of the selected pilots in the Red Bull Air Race World Series, already participating since the event started in 2003. He was however unable to score any points in the 2005 and 2006 series finishing in 8th and 11th position.

Versteegh has a Jack Russell Terrier called Joe the Co, who his known as his mascotte and co-pilot. Joe the Co was born on 12 July 1996 and has been flying alongside Versteegh in the Extra 300L, the Bucker Jungmann, Robinson 44, A26 Invader and many other aircrafts. The dog joins Versteegh in most of his airshows.

[edit] Competitions and tournaments

• 1982-1994 Dutch Aerobatic Champion
• 1985 South African Masters La Mercy, Durban, South Africa
• 1987 Eurobatics Speichers-dorf, Germany
• 1989 Masters Palaborwa, South Africa
• 1989 Eurobatics Becescaba, Hungary
• 1990 Masters Ocana, Spain
• 1990 World Championship, Yverdon, Switzerland
• 1991 International Masters of Aerobatics, Argentina
• 1991 Eurobatics, Toulouse, France
• 1992 World Championship, Le Havre, France
• 1993 Contest director World Glider Aerobatic Championshop, Venlo, Netherlands
• 1993 Breitling World Cup of Aerobatics
• 1998 Freestyle Cup Sassuolo Italy (Winner of the Reggiani Freestyle Cup)
• 2000 Freestyle Cup Milano Bresso Italy (Silver medal)
• 2002 Italian Free Style Championship Sassuolo (Second position)
• 2003 World Air Race, Budapest, Hungary (Fourth position)
• 2003 Melilla Masters, Spain and Morocco
• 2003 Italy Reggiani Trophy (Fouth position)
• 2003 Red Bull Air Race World Series
• 2004 Red Bull Air Race World Series
• 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series (Eighth position)
• 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series (Eleventh position)
• 2006 Italian Freestyle championships (First position)

[edit] References

• Official website
• profile at air-races.com