Siai-Marchetti SF.260

 

Siai-Marchetti SF.260 N730W

Without doubt the most notorious design by Stelio Frati, the SF.260 is in use in military and airline flight schools alike. Its aerobatic capabilities even make it useful for fake air combat which is becoming a popular aerial sport in the US.

 

SF.260MB ST-04, Belgian Air Force showing its sharkmouth
SF.260MB ST-07 of the Belgian Air Force aerobatic team 'The Swallows' is manhandled to a public-free area in order to be able to start up the engine. Evidently, this picture was taken years ago when airshows were not as over-organised as nowadays...
SF.260MB ST-25, Belgian Air Force.

It wears the commemorative paint scheme for 25 years of Marchetti service in the air force.
SF.260MB ST-25, Belgian Air Force in the original standard color scheme. This has since been modified in several forms.

SF.260MB ST-35, Belgian Air Force.

The aircraft is one of the members of the Swallows aerobatic team which initially flew 3 aircraft but was reduced for budgetary reasons to a 2-ship team. After several years of inactivity, the team was reformed for a short time, their aircraft receiving a smart blue paint scheme.
Typical airshow crossover manoeuvre for the 2 Swallows aircraft, this shows the skill of the pilots. Whereas most aerobatic teams consist of pilots that fly only airshow routines, the Belgian pilots are full-time instructors, using their spare time to rehearse or participate in airshows.
Ground-level view of the cockpit of Belgian Air Force SF.260MB ST-35

 

SF.260M BF8431, ex-Burkina Faso air force

 

SF.260 D-EGMR

 

SF.260 HB-EML

 

SF.260 I-APAA, I-APAB and I-APAC of the Patrouille Martini performing a nice flyby.

 

SF.260 OO-SMK of the Belgische Luchtvaartschool (BLS).

These were some of the aircraft operated by BLS on behalf of Sabena as basic training aircraft for future airliner pilots. Several of these nice machines were in use throughout the seventies and eighties before Sabena decided to move its pilot training facilities to the US. The surviving aircraft were sold, mostly to Belgians but some also making it to the States.
SF.260 OO-SMP of the Belgische Luchtvaartschool (BLS).

 

 

Another nice aeroplane, the SF.260, is Hendrik van der Veen's subject on his interesting website.

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Last update : 26/04/01 - (c) Guido Van Roy