Top, Dik/Hamann, Rob Frits Koolhoven 1886-1946

De meest briljante Nederlandse Vliegtuigconstructeur

The inventive Frits Koolhoven survived the years of occupation as a broken man. He died on 1 July 1946 of a brain haemorrhage. His great misfortune was that he built aeroplanes in the same country as Tony Fokker. While the name of his great rival is still known worldwide, Koolhoven himself has been almost completely forgotten, even in the Netherlands. With this publication, Dik Top aims to change that and give Koolhoven the place of honour in aviation history that, according to insiders, he undoubtedly deserves. Charles G. Grey, editor-in-chief of the leading English aviation magazine The Aeroplane from the very beginning, wrote shortly after the First World War about the F.K.23 Bantam fighter plane, which Koolhoven had built in 1918 during his time in England: One of the most elegant single-seat fighter planes of its time. Shortly after Koolhoven's death, Grey said the following about the man he had often met and spoken to personally: One of the best engineers in the world, both in the field of aircraft and engines. This book comprises 445 pages and contains more than 800 photos and other illustrations of the aircraft that Koolhoven designed and built in the course of just thirty years. The foreword is by retired General Dirk Starink. A DVD compiled by Rob Hamann with over 300 additional photos and a wealth of supplementary information, including the life story of most of the aircraft, dimensional drawings and short film clips, is also included.