We were proud to contribute to the many historical aircraft and locations required for this unique production. In close collaboration with external advisors, our team focused on creating a wide range of complex airplane assets based on original Fokker designs from the period 1924 to 1939.
Turbulent Skies (Vliegende Hollanders) is an epic Dutch drama series about the early days of civil aviation in the Netherlands. At its core are two towering historical figures: idealist Albert Plesman and opportunist Anthony Fokker, whose fates are deeply intertwined. During the turbulent interwar years, and despite their many differences, the two succeed in laying the foundations for Dutch civil aviation, just as Europe heads toward another world war.
Blending original archive footage with newly filmed material, the series creates the sensation of stepping directly into history. Moments feel as though they’ve been pulled from the past and brought vividly to life.
For the main title sequence, we collaborated closely with Vliegende Hollanders editor Peter Alderliesten (NCE) who selected and assembled all footage. Planet X Title Design developed the visual treatment, crafting both the typography and the overall title design.
For international audiences, the series is titled Turbulent Skies. We adapted the original Dutch title design to match this version.
(For reference, “Vliegende Hollanders” translates literally as “Flying Dutchmen”)
One of the main challenges on Turbulent Skies (Vliegende Hollanders) was animating the wide range of aircraft featured across the series. With so many planes to depict, manually animating each one in full detail wasn’t feasible within the available production hours. This led to an extensive R&D phase focused on streamlining the animation process.
The solution was to develop automated rigs.
These rigs allowed us to animate flight paths independently, while secondary motions, such as banking, tilting, ailerons, elevators, rudders, and even suspension, responded procedurally to changes. A single adjustment to a plane’s trajectory would cascade through the rig, eliminating the need to manually revise dozens of animation curves. This significantly accelerated the workflow while preserving physical accuracy and believability.
Turbulent Skies (Vliegende Hollanders) is a Dutch drama series that originally aired in 2020, spanning eight episodes of around 50 minutes each.
Set in the years between World War I and World War II, the series follows the complex relationship between two of the most influential figures in Dutch aviation history: Albert Plesman, the visionary founder of KLM, and Anthony Fokker, the brilliant yet headstrong aircraft manufacturer. While vastly different in character (Plesman the principled idealist, Fokker the ambitious opportunist) their paths become inseparably linked as they try to shape the future of aviation in the Netherlands.
Despite frequent clashes, personal disagreements, and the looming threat of global conflict, the two men manage to build something extraordinary. Together, they lay the groundwork for Dutch civil aviation at a time when flying was still in its infancy and Europe was heading toward war once again.
