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Jan Flinterman is one of those drivers who have flitted across F1 and disappeared almost without trace. Even Steve Small's book has no biography or photograph, only dates of birth and, I am sorry to say, death:
born 2nd October 1919, died 26th December 1992, Leiden.
This paragraph from Sheldon vol 5, page 209 may shed some light on your questions though:
"The hard work of the organisers of the Dutch GP over the past two or three years bore fruit when their race was admitted to the World Championship series. Over the next few years the organisers gained a reputation for being somewhat idiosyncratic in the way they issued invitations to drivers or teams to compete but this year, everyone who mattered, with the exception of Maserati were present. One particular form of blackmail that was practiced on occasions was the granting to an entrant of a multi-car team being dependant on one of the seats being made available to a local driver. This art seems to have been at work in 1952. The third Baneirantes [sic] Maserati went to Jan Flinterman who was well known as a jet pilot but not at all as a racing driver. The same could be said for Dries van der Lof who was placed in an HWM instead of the better-qualified top rally driver, Maurice Gatsonides....
Flinterman broke his differential and the Bandeirantes team went overboard in cow-towing to the locals by calling in Landi and making him hand his car over to the Dutchman. Perhaps Landi was not too worried because the car did not seem to be going particularly well and finished a long way back."
I have seen a reference somewhere else to Flinterman being a pilot in the Dutch Air Force, which would fit with Sheldon's comment that he was a jet pilot.
Hope this is helpful!!
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