Even today the Stampe is a favorite of vintage airplane pilots. All in all, ca. 1400 biplanes of the Stampe SV.4 series were built in Belgium, France, Algeria and Latvia.
Today there are about 250 flyable machines left worldwide: among them 32 in Germany, ca. 60 in England, and ca. 80 in France. The rest are spread throughout the world, between Australia, Canada and Latvia.
 In 1971, Jean Stampe decided that more than half a century of aircraft building and design were enough and at age 82, went into well-earned retirement. He chose a new hobby and began cultivating roses. Stampe spent his final years in Paris with his third wife Andrée. The old pilot was able to look back on an extensive career, in which he had trained more than 450 pilots without a single accident. His SV.4 biplane was and remains a monument to the world of aviation. Whole generations of pilots began their careers in the cockpit of a “Stampe”. On January 15th, 1978, Jean Stampe passed away in Brussels at the age of 89. That same year the last Stampe SV.4 was retired by the Belgian Air Force.
However, many SV.4B and SV.4C biplanes have been given a second chance at the hands of their devout fans and will continue carrying on the tradition of their namesake high above the clouds.
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