Patrulla Águila Explained
Spanish; Castilian: Patrulla Águila (Spanish for "Eagle Patrol"), formed 4 July 1985, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Spanish Air and Space Force. It is based at San Javier Air Base at the location of the academy of officers of the Spanish Air and Space Force, near Mar Menor and La Manga, in the Murcia region of Spain. Flying seven Casa C-101 Aviojets, they are the only team to use yellow smoke and are also known for their formation landings.
History
During the 1950s and 1960s the Spanish aerobatic teams which preceded the creation of the Patrulla Águila were:
On 4 June 1985, Patrulla Águila made its first training flight from pilots were selected among the teachers of the Air Force Academy and equipped with the Casa C-101 Aviojet.
Members of the team
| Pilot[1] | Position |
|---|
| Miguel Puertas (Granada) | Chief of the team |
| Ignacio Sánchez-Heredero (Madrid) | Leader |
| César Piquer (Valencia) | Right Point |
| Antonio Monge (Madrid) | Left Point |
| Pedro M. Monleón (Valencia) | Dog |
| Antonio Gutiérrez (Granada) | Solo |
| Moisés Roca (Murcia) | Right pair |
| Mariano M. Navarro (Murcia) | Left pair |
| Alberto Bello (Cadiz) | Reserve |
|
The team has seven pilots (plus a chief and support personnel).
- Leader or Eagle 1: in the standard formation of the team, the leader occupies the head, the other extending to the sides and behind him. The leader directs the whole team.
- Points right and left or Eagles 2 and 3 : the points go behind and on both sides of the leader.
- Dog or Eagle 4: the 'dog' flies behind the leader and of the points, forming the four one diamond.
- Solo or Eagle 5: the one in charge of the maneuvers that show off the aircraft.
- Pair right and left or Eagles 6 and 7 make up the sides of the formation. They are responsible for the maneuvers that require more precision and coordination.
Information
- To mark the 25th anniversary of the Patrulla Águila Aviojet #5 was painted.
- Aviojet #5 has got stickers that say "World Champion 2010", which were given by the Netherlands Air Force, who planned to put them on their planes but finally it was Spain who won the football World Cup.
In January 2022, at the entrance to the Ciudad del Aire neighborhood, located in the Madrid town of Alcalá de Henares, a C-101 of the Patrulla Águila was installed as a tribute to Commander Eduardo Garvalena, who died in the line of duty on February 27, 2020. The plane bears the pilot's name on the fuselage and the number five on the tail.[2] [3]
Incidents
- 27 Feb 2020: Commander Eduardo Fermín Garvalena was killed when his #5 jet crashed into the ocean near La Manga.[4]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Patrulla Águila > Los pilotos. 16 December 2011. Ministerio de Defensa de España. Spanish. https://web.archive.org/web/20160625091543/http://www.ejercitodelaire.mde.es/ea/pag?idDoc=5C2D1FF0E733F15AC12574640020F20D. 25 June 2016. dead.
- Web site: The installation of the C-101 aircraft begins at the entrance of Ciudad del Aire. . 17 January 2022 . Dream Alcalá . 3 February 2022 .
- Web site: The City Council of Alcalá and the Air Force agree on the transfer of a C-101 aircraft that will be located at the entrance to the "Ciudad de Aire" neighborhood. . 17 December 2021 . City Council of Alcalá . 3 February 2022 .
- Web site: Spanish Air Force Display Team’s Soloist Has Crashed into The Sea. Pilot Killed. . Cenciotti . David . 27 February 2020 . The Aviationist . 28 February 2020 .
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