By JOE FERNANDEZ
One of the more unique biplanes flying over the state of Texas is N11SV, a 1946 Nord Stampe SV4C, based at Castroville Municipal Airport (KCVB), just minutes west of San Antonio.
While exact numbers are hard to pin down, owner Tim Barrow believes his Nord Stampe is one of only about 20 that are flying in the United States.
Barrow, who also owns two Piper Cubs, took ownership of the rare Nord Stampe about two and a half years ago in a trade with Jared Calvert, the force behind Ranger Airfield in Texas.
Barrow, a Marine fighter pilot and mechanic and retired Southwest Airlines Captain, explains that Calvert contacted him to see if he might be interested in swapping the Stampe for his 1928 Travel Air 2000.
“I had never even heard of a Stampe and the Travel Air was just sitting here, so I flew up to Ranger Field with a friend and went to have a look,” he said. “It was underwhelming to say the least, because it had been in storage for quite a while. But I saw potential in the little biplane. It was solid and had all the parts, so we swapped.”
The prototype Nord Stampe was designed in 1933 by the Stampe Et Vertongen company in Antwerp, Belgium, as the SV4A, an advanced aerobatic trainer. The company built 35 of the planes before World War II closed it down.
After the war, Stampe et Renard took over manufacturing the model and produced an additional 65 for the Belgium Air Force. Further production of the aircraft, now known as the SV4C, was done in France by Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord, better known today as simply Nord, and in Algeria by Atelier Industriel de l’Aéronautique d’Alger. Both companies produced more than 900.
Back in Texas, the disassembled Stampe was transported to KCVB in a trailer.
“It had good fabric overall,” he said. “The engine and wings were off. As part of the reconstruction, we rebuilt the engine, the prop, gave it full paint, and installed new instrumentation.”
The two-year restoration was a group effort, Barrow added.
“I was fortunate to have a great group of guys help on the project — Chris Hiatt, Randy Smith, Dave Heberle, Dave Ortega, and Rich Beardsly, just to name a few,” he said. “Most of the folks in our local EAA chapter also pitched in to get it in top shape.
He added it was a “slight challenge” to rebuild the engine, a 140-hp Renault 4P-03, a 4-cylinder engine with inverted-flight Zenith carburetor. That’s because all the manuals were in French.
“But the team put it all together,” he said.
With the restoration complete, Barrow is enjoying flying the Stampe over the Texas Hill Country.
“The aircraft has good power,” he said. “It has a great roll rate and is easy to fly, compared to others from the same era. It handles great, much like a good sedan, and is very smooth when landing. It’s just a joy to fly.”
If all goes as planned, the rare wooden aircraft, already painted with full French markings, will be flying to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2026 with several Piper Cubs and a Taylorcraft.
A special thank you to John Klaerner and Dave Heberle for making the photo flight possible.
Writer and photographer Joe Fernandez passed away unexpectedly Dec. 8, 2025. He will be missed by all of us at General Aviation News, as well as the general aviation community in the Texas Hill Country. A celebration of life will be planned later.
More Photo of the Nord Stampe
The lure of the bi-plane, and its longevity, says a lot about these aircraft. Perhaps more than bringing back the past, these appealing aircraft have a forever place in the flying community. They look great, perform exceptionally well, and are the link to our past in fixed wing aircraft design. In a January 2017 Kitplanes article I recall a Bearhawk kit (exceptional STOL aircraft) buyer first imported a Stampe into New Zealand prior to embarking on the kit build. At the time I asked myself why, but over time it makes more sense, as 1940s state-of-the-art is ingenious and infectious still today. https://www.kitplanes.com/bearhawk-duo-in-the-land-of-the-long-white-cloud/
Beautiful job, well done, and what great teamwork. Semper Fi!
Congratulations on the restauration of the SV4, superb job.
And I agree, it is great fun to fly the SV4.
There is actually a 100% ULM replica of the plane available : the JMB Stampe.
The aircraft is equiped with a 110hp Rotax 912, has an BRS integral parachute and weighs about 250 Lbs less than the original.
Visit http://www.jmbaircraft.com
Joe touched many with his articles and photos, I was proud to help contribute a little as he had me along for the ride. He is, and will be, missed deeply by all who knew him.
Brian, So Thankful for your contributions in this article. I just told my wife about the Sunset picture you took from the Skymaster and a few more….You are correct. Joe will be sadly missed.
The Stampe was the aircraft that Neal Williams, a future world aerobatic champion, initially learned aerobatics on when he was in the British military.
The article talks about the struggles of restoring a rare aeroplane but makes no mention of the extensive trove of knowledge in the Belgian aviation community AND the Stampe en Vertongen museum at Antwerp Airport, where several flying examples can be found.
Maybe the reported challenges could have been eased if the owner and his team of helpers had reached out to the font of resources in Belgium (the spiritual home of the Stampes) and then they could rely on English-speaking experts.
We absolutely communicated with the folks you mentioned however this was a grass roots, small team effort, in the end, we actually enjoyed the challenges throughout the restoration. We are currently in the process of converting to Lycoming power.
RIP Joe, you will be forever missed.