An aeroplane with royal connections arrived at Gilze-Rijen near the end of 1997, when a Stinson L-5B Sentinel was received from the Dutch Dakota Association on a long-term loan. During the latter part of World War Two this aircraft was made available to HRH Prince Bernhard (see Aeroplane August 2017) to commute between Dutch units operating with British forces. It was donated to him post-war and registered as PH-PBB in October 1949. The aircraft was sold in 1956 and ended up in Belgium as OO-PBB. The DDA then brought it back to the Netherlands, not only as a piece of Dutch heritage but also as a taildragger trainer and for 'royal' pleasure flights. When the association came to the conclusion that it could no longer operate the Stinson, a new home was sought and found. The aircraft now has a red and silver colour scheme with the inspector-general of the armed forces' shield painted on the nose.
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