AIA Stampe SV.4C
Museum quality on the ramp
But the unusual aerobatic AIA Stampe SV.4C built in North Africa appealed to pilot and photographer Edwin Remsberg. He is a somewhat late-to-life pilot, having gotten his pilot certificate after age 40 and the charm of a vintage airplane won him over.
“The Stampe is just about the most perfect airplane I could imagine,” he said. “It checks all the boxes for me: the freedom of an open cockpit, it’s a warbird, it’s aerobatic, it’s experimental, it has a great history, international vibes, and yet mine also has a modern powerplant.”
The two-seat trainer was first designed and built by Stampe et Vertongen in Antwerp, Belgium in the 1930s. After the war, between 1948 and 1955, a successor to the company, Stampe et Renard, built 65 of the type of aircraft for the Belgian Air Force. Remsberg's airplane was built by Ateliers Industriels de l'Aéronautique d'Algier in 1949.
“I have authentic Golden Age vintage styling with a lower maintenance cost and fuel burn of a modern Lycoming engine in a head-turning classic airplane that is roomy, comfortable, nimble, and very forgiving to fly,” Remsberg said. “It is like living my childhood dream every time I lift off the runway.”
Versions of the SV.4C were built in France by the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) and in Algeria. The two firms built 940 aircraft; many were used as trainers in the French military. The Rothmans Aerobatic Team flew the SV.4 in the 1970s.
A spotter’s guide
Natural habitat: Museums, antique aircraft shows; owner Edwin Remsberg often shows off his Stampe at Massey Aerodrome (MD1) on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Distinguishing traits: Many owners honor the aircraft’s history with historic livery from the time period.
How much: We found a 1949 Stampe SV.4 listed at 78,000 euros ($90,000).
Did you know: A modified SV.4 is in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with a German paint scheme and a machine gun turret in the cockpit. Two SV.4Cs are in the movie High Road to China portraying World War I aircraft even though they were built after World War II.
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