Publisher:AirShowsReviewLLC.

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Finally the North American Air Show season is about to kick into a high gear as the Spring finally comes
around.Whiletherearelessshowsin2015thanprioryears,therearesomepositivedevelopmentswhich
includethereinstatementoftheF16ViperDemoTeambytheUSAFAirCombatCommand(ACC)inaddi
tiontotheF22DemoTeam.

For2015therewillbeonlyoneF16TeamoperatingfromShawAFB,SC.TheACCalsomanagestheU.S.
AirForceHeritageFlightprogramandcoordinatesstaticdisplayandflyoversupportofACCaircrafttoair
showsandothereventsintheU.S.andabroad.TheUSMarineCorpsalsoannouncedthattherewillbean
AV8B Harrier and the MV22 Osprey Flight Demonstration Teams. A complete North American Military
Teamschedulein.pdfformatthatalsoincludestheBlueAngels,Thunderbirds,CF18andSnowbirdsTeam
datesisavailablefromoursiteat:http://www.theaviationmagazine.com/2015TeamSchedules.pdf

The Aviation Magazine is looking forward to cover many of these events throughout the
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NormanA.Graf

WOW! TheWingsOverHoustonAirshow,oftenreferredtoasWOH,maywanttoconsiderchangingitsab
breviation after this years show wowed a record crowd. The 30th annual show took place over the first
weekendinNovemberatEllingtonFieldinHouston,Texas.TheshowispresentedbytheCommemorativeAir
Force,theworldslargestflyingmuseum,andis,therefore,dominatedbywarbirds.

Thehighlightthisyearwastheamazingcollectionofvintagejetsintheair,featuringfightersfromWorldWar
IIthroughtheVietnamWarera.Tora!Tora!Tora!onceagainputontheirrecreationoftheJapaneseattackon
PearlHarborandnewthisyearwasaspecialVietnamWartributefeaturingareenactmentofanaerialen
gagementandairassault.AnumberofpremierecivilianaerobaticperformersandtheShockwavejettruck
complementedthearmedforcesdemonstrationsbytheUSCGMH65D,USMCMV22andtheNavysBlue
Angels.Combineallthiswithterrificweatherandyouhadapictureperfectairshow.

Asoftenhappenswithairshows,theflyingscheduleissubjecttochange.WingsOverHoustonthisyearwas
noexceptiontothatrule.Someoftheaircraftwhichwereexpectedeitherfailedtomaterial
izeordidnotflybothdays.Seriousairshowenthusiastsknowwellenoughtoschedule

NorthAmericanF100SuperSabre

attendanceforbothdays,andsomeevenincludearrival,rehearsalanddeparturedaysintotheircalendars
toensurethattheyseetheaircrafttheyreallywantedtosee.Becauseofdifferencesintheflyingschedule
overthecourseoftheweekend,ourreviewisacompositeofbothSaturdaysandSundaysflying.

Thegatesopenedpromptlyat0800.Manyattendeeshadalreadybeenliningupintheearlymorningdark
ness,eagertoclaimaspotalongthefenceorviewthestaticaircraftwithoutcrowdsofpeople.Thisyear,
evenmoresothaninyearspast,thisstrategypaidoff.Therecordcrowdscausedbackupsandsomedelays
forthosearrivinglaterintheday.Similardelayswereexperiencedattheendoftheday,particularlyonSat
urdaywhenacarfireclosedoneofthetwoexitsandslowedtheexodusofvehiclestoacrawl.Again,ex
periencedshowgoerswillstickaroundattheendofthedaysflyingtotourtheaircraftonstaticdisplay,get
autographsorjustspeakwiththeBlueAngelsorotherperformersandotherwiseoccupytheirtimeuntilthe
surgeintheparkinglothaspassed.

TheRE/MAXParachutejumpersflewintheflagtostarttheshowat10AMandreturnedlaterinthedayfor
anotherperformance.JeremyHoltstartedofftheaerobaticdemonstrations,flyingaveryniceroutineinthe
SteenSkyboltbiplane.

Tora!Tora!Tora!(Val,KateandZeroreplicas)

Hewasfollowedbyasearchandrescuedemon
strationbyCoastiesfromthelocalCoastGuard
Air Station Houston. They deployed a rescuer
fromtheirhoveringMH65DDolphinhelicopter,
thencircledaround,zeroedinonhissmokeand
lowered a cable to winch him back on board.
Thedemonstrationtakingplaceundergorgeous
blue skies with calm winds may not have
seemed that impressive, but when one consid
ersthattheCoastGuardwilldeployduringhur
ricanes to rescue boaters in distress their com
mitment to duty is worthy of respect. Semper
Paratus.LocallegendDebbyRihnHarvey,oneof
thehighestrankedaerobaticcompetitorsinthe
UnitedStates,thenshowedthecrowdtheskills
that earned her the U.S. National Aerobatic
Champion title in 2006, 2008 & 2009. She flew
herCAP232knownasHurricane2througha
routine that had many in the crowd gasping in
amazement. The Marines of VMM268 Red
Dragons from MCAS Miramar then combined
the best of both the airplane and helicopter
worldsbydemonstratingthecapabilitiesofthe
MV22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Matt Chapman
inthebeautifulEmbryRiddleEagle580finished
outthemorningsaerobaticflyinginstyle.

Justbeforenoonthesoundsofairraidwarning
sirensfilledtheairasawaveofairplanesflewin
from behind the crowd. Sharpeyed observers
couldseethebrightredhinomarusonthefuse
lagesandwingsastheaircraftsuddenlydovein
at steep angles and began their attack on the
airfield.Tora!Tora!Tora!Thesurprisewascom
plete,justasitwasonthemorningofDecember
7,1941inHawaii.Divebombers,torpedobomb
ers and fighter escorts made numerous passes

over the field, accompanied by pyrotechnics

which soon filled the sky with smoke. A P40
Warhawk managed to get airborne to defend
againsttheattackers,replicatingtheheroicac
tionsof2ndLts.GeorgeWelchandKenTaylor
on that fateful morning. A B17 flew low over
the runway, its single main gear extended,
looking for a place to land, reenacting Major
Truman Landons return from a training mis
sion to find Pearl Harbor under attack. Damn
it! What a way to fly into a war unarmed and
outofgas!

The World War II Airpower Demo started off

withalargenumberofliaison,observationand
traineraircraftfromprimarytoadvanced.This
wasfollowedbytheEuropeanTheaterdemon
stration, featuring bombers (B25 and B17),
attack (A26) and fighters (P40 and P51). In
the middle of one of the bomber passes the
first jet of the day started its takeoff roll. The
worldsfirstoperationalfighterjet,theMesser
schmittMe262wasparticularlyvulnerabledur
ingtakeoffandlanding,whenpilotsneededto
carefullyadjustthethrottletoavoidflameouts.
Just as the newbuild jet took off it was
bounced by a P51. Once it became airborne,
however, the Mustang was no match for its
speed.TheMe262madeseveralstrafingpasses
on the B17, easily outpacing the fighter es
corts. The demonstration ended with the jet
making several highspeed passes, concluding
with a scene perhaps never seen before: the
Me262 and P51D flying by in close formation
inabeautifulbananapass.ThePacificTheater
flying featured a F4F Wildcat, TBM Avenger,
SB2C Helldiver, F4U and FG1D Corsairs and a
rare Lockheed PV2 Harpoon, Attu Warrior.
Opposingthesewasoneoftheveryfeworigi
nal A6M Zero fighters still flying. Warren
Pietsch flew an amazing routine, putting the
warbird through some incredible maneuvers,
concludingwithadogfightwiththeCorsair.

BoeingB17GFlyingFortressTexasRaiderswiththeP51

BoeingB17GFlyingFortresswiththeMe262BMe262B

CurtissSB2CHelldiver

P51CMustangTuskegeeAirmenLockheedPV2HarpoonAttuWarriorFG1DCorsair

P51DMustangBumSteerwithaMe262B

B25JMitchellBettysDreamDouglasA26Invader

BellAH1Cobra

M113ArmoredPersonnelCarriers
BellU
H

1Iroq
uois

The iconic F86 Sabrejet originally scheduled to highlight the

Korean War segment was unfortunately unable to attend.
SteveHinton,the2014LloydP.NolenLifetimeAchievement
inAviationawardwinner,flewanF8FBearcatinstead.How
ever,abeautifullypolishednaturalmetalT33stoodin,fly
ingintheguiseofaP80ShootingStar.RandyBallcontin
ued the vintage jet parade with a spirited display in his
silverMiG17.TheFrescowasthefirstoperationaljetto
employanafterburner,andRandyshoweditoffinstyle.
Knifedge passes showed off the long tongue of bright
TheH
orangeflametoadvantage.
ueys
andt

heCo
brain
SeanD.TuckerendedhisairshowseasonatHoustonand
actio
n
hepulledoutallthestops,puttingonahighenergyjawdroppingdem
onstration of why he is considered one of the alltime best aerobatic performers.
DavidMartinlaterconcludedthecivilianaerobaticperformancesintheBreitlingCAP232,finish
ingbyracingtheShockwavejettruck.Itwasastellarlineup.

LastyearsshowfeaturedaveryniceassemblyofVietnamWareraaircraftonstaticdisplay.Thisyearthose
aircrafttooktotheskiestorecreatetheaerialjetdogfights,airtogroundattacksupportandtheairmobility
ofthegroundtroopsinthattheaterofoperations.Anarmoredinfantrycolumn,composedofjeeps,trucks
and M113 armored personnel carriers took off down the taxiway, simulating a resupply mission. Behind
them,reenactorsdressedasVietCongandNorthVietnameseArmyregularssetuptoambushthecolumnon
theirreturn.AcirclingCessnaO2ASkymasterspottedtheenemycombatantsandcalledincloseairsupport.
AnA1SkyraiderandT28TrojanquicklyappearedonthesceneandtheOscarDeucedirectedthemtoper
formanumberofstrafingruns. TheysoonattractedtheattentionofaMiG17whichthreatenedtoshoot
them down. The aerial engagement escalated with the appearance of an F100 Super Sabre in South East
Asianmarkings.This,inturn,causedaMiG21Fishbedtobescrambled.Thecallwentouttocarrierbased
Navyaircraft.TheiconicF4PhantomIIwasunfortunatelygroundedbydelaysingettingitsenginesrepaired.
Initsplace,aNavyA4Skyhawkjoinedthefight,dogfightingwiththeFishbed.Asthisaerialengagementwas
playingouthighoverhead,thesignaturewhop,whop,whopoftheBellUH1Iroquoiscouldbeheardanda
pairofHueyslickssoonappeared,swoopinginlowtodisgorgeaplatoonofaircavalry.AllthewhileanAH1
Cobracircledlowoverheard,coveringthetroopswithitsnosemounted20mmcannon.Itwasaveryrealistic
demonstrationoftheclassicairassaultwhichwassocharacteristicofUSArmytacticsduringthatconflict.

MikoyanGurevichMiG21Fishbed

a
Skym

naO
Cess

ster

DouglasA4Skyhawk

RobReiderandAirBossRalphRoyce

Havingdefeatedtheenemyaircraft,theNavySky
hawk and Air Force Super Sabre returned for sev
eral simulated ground attack runs, dropping na
palmontheretreatingenemy.Attheconclusionof
the reenactment, both aircraft flew by in review,
their beautifully banked banana passes delighting
themanyphotographersintheaudience.Thenar
rationbyAirBossRalphRoyce,himselfaVietnam
veteran, was spoton and added substantially to
therealismofthedemonstration.

ClosingtheshowwereFatAlbertandtheBlueAn
gels,flyingtheirpenultimateshowofthe2014sea
son.Theperfectweatherconditionsallowedthem
toputontheirfullhighshowandfromwheelsup
totouchdownthespectatorswerefocusedonthe
precision maneuvers. According to their Facebook
page Weather was so nice we decided to put on
our yellow flight suits. Afterwards, the pilots and
crewapproachedthecrowdlinetosignautographs
andanswerquestionsfromtheirmanyfans.

RalphRoyceandRobReiderteameduponceagain
asAirBossandAnnouncer,respectively.Together
they entertained and informed a record crowd of
almost 100,000. Photographers had the option of
purchasingaSunrisePhotoTourPassorPhotoPit
Pass to gain early access or elevated risers, tent
area, drinking water, and restrooms in a chalet
area. The viewing area is west of the 17/35 run
way, meaning that the afternoon sun is behind
you, making for perfect conditions for photogra
phers.Theonlycomplaintwasthelargeamountof
smokeduringthereenactments.Theaction,espe
cially taxiing, takes place quite close to the audi
ence;a300mmlensissufficienttocaptureallbut
thesmalleraerobaticplanesindetail.

The Aviation Magazine would like to thank Scott

Timsfororganizingthemediaopportunitiesandall
the staff, sponsors and volunteers for making
Wings Over Houston one of the worlds premier
Pyro
warbirdairshows.

MiG

17C130FatAlbertF/A18HornetsoftheBlueAngels

ReportandphotographybyCaptainHeikkiTolvanen
HelsinkiMalmiAirportafterfiveyearsofabsencehostedama
jorairshowonAugust1617,2014.Finland'slargestaviation
and entertainment event returned to HelsinkiMalmi Airport
heraldedastheFinlandInternationalAirShow,offeringenter
tainmentforthewholefamily.

Theevent'shighlightsincludedbreathtakingaerobaticdisplays
andplaneridesofferedtothepublic.Visitorshadauniqueop
portunity to take rides on a passenger plane, helicopters and
hot air balloons. HelsinkiMalmi Airport is one of the worlds
bestpreservedcivilairportsfromtheearlydaysofcommercial
aviation, giving a charming backdrop to take images of such
aircraftasthevenerableDC3.Thegrounddisplaypresenteda
wide variety of airplanes, helicopters and other avionics, as
wellassimulators.

Theweatherwasabitonthedampside(alternatingrainand
sunshine)whichgaveadramaticbackdroptotheaerialaction.
The performers included Phil Lawtons Hawker Hurricane, in
WWII Finnish Air Force Markings, the Flying Bulls XA42s, an
Embraer 500 Phenom, military NH90 helicopters, the air
forces Pilatus PC12 NG, Flybe Airlines ATR ATR72500, the
legendaryRoyalAircraftFactoryS.E.5,JurgisKairysterrificdis
play with his Sukhoi SU26, Aalto Universitys Short SC7 Sky
liner3A100,FougaCM170Magistertheonlyjetflyinganda
wholelotmore.

RoyalAircraftFactoryS.E.5
BengtAnderssonintheWaspPittsS2B

ArmyNH90transporthelicopter

FougaCM170Magisterabove,HawkerHurricane,inWWIIFinnishAirForceMarkingsbelow.

The Blue Angels flyby at the Freedom

Tower, New York, on December 13, 2013.
TakenfromtheJerseyCitywaterfrontpark
directlyacrossfromthetower.TheB/Ahad
taken off from Teterboro Airport and was
to do 2 flybys of the Freedom Tower and
callitaday.

TheSpaceShuttleEnterprise(NASAOrbiterVehicleOV101)wasthefirstspaceshuttleitwas
built to perform test flights in the atmosphere aided by a modified Boeing 747. It was con
structedwithoutenginesoraheatshieldandthereforenotcapableofspaceflight.
The shuttle was being transported from the Bayonne Boat Yard to the Intrepid Museum in
ManhattanonJune6,2012.

SkyLeaseCargoMcDonnellDouglasMD11Fabove
TAMBoeing787300ERbelowatMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo

CaymanAirwaysBoeing73736EatMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo

AmeriJetInternationalCargoBoeing727233(A)(F),above
BahamasairDeHavillandCanadaDHC8311ADash8,belowatMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo

WorldAtlanticAirlinesMcDonnellDouglasMD82,atMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo

AviorAirlinesfromVenezuela,Boeing737401,above,DHL(ABXAir)Boeing767281(bottomleft)
DHLAeroExpresoBoeing757200(bottomright)atMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo

LufthansaAirbusA380800atMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo

LibyanWingsAirbusA319Sabove,atMLA/LMML2015ChristopherMifsud
RyanairBoeing737800below,atMLA/LMML2015RayBiagioPace

The Hungarian National Aerobatic Team,

formedin1975.InitiallytheHungarianNational
Aerobatic Team and participated in displays in
severalsocialistcountriesandalsointhe1976
European and World Championships using a
Zlin 526 AFS. The Teams name "Aerotriga", in
Greekmeansathreehorsechariot.
In1992,fourZlin50LS(oneasareserve)were
leased from the Hungarian Flight Association.
In the same year they obtained sponsorship
from MALEV the national airline and it the
teamwasrenamedtothe"Aerotriga/Malev"
Team. 1997 marked a landmark in the history
of "Aerotriga" as the team celebrated its 20th
anniversary, performing at several interna
tionalairshowsinEuropeincludingMalta.
The team disbanded in 1999 due to financial
difficulties,andtodatetherearenoHungarian
NationalTeams.

The Breguet Br.1050 Aliz ("Tradewind") was a French carrierbased reconnaissance and antisubmarine
warfareaircraft.Itwasdevelopedinthe1950s,basedlooselyonthesecondprototypeBreguetVulturattack
aircraftwhichhadbeenmodifiedintotheBreguetBr.965paulardantisubmarinewarfareaircraft.
In1947,theFrenchAirMinistryannouncedthattheywerelookingforanewtypeofaircraftformultimis
sions: antiship, attack, close air support, and against enemy submarines at that time, the Naval Aviation
used Grumman TBF Avenger for its antiship missions and anti submarine warfare. Severalmanufacturers
respondedtothecallamongthemBreguet.TheproposalbyBreguetincludedauniqueaircraftthathadan
innovativepropulsionsystemconsistingofaturbojetandturboprop.Theturbopropwassupposedtoallow
tohaveagoodandeconomicalcruisingpatrol,whilethesameturbopropcoupledtothejetenginewould
then boost the speed when it was necessary to escape an enemy fighter aircraft. On paper, the project
seemedinteresting.BreguetdecidedtomakeoneBr.960andbaptizedastheVultur.Twoprototypeswere
builtforevaluation.
TheBr.960Vulturwasalowwingmonoplanewithaconventionalstabilizerinhorizontalplanes
havingadihedralaccentuated.Thecockpithadatwoseattandemconfigurationforthepilot

and a weapons specialist. Armed with airtorurface missiles carried under the wing and under the fuse
lage.Theprototypewasnotintendedforthecarriageofaninternalarmament.Theaircraftwaspoweredby
an ArmstrongSiddeley Mamba turboprop and a Rolls & Royce turbojet Nene, both of British origin. The
Br.960firstflewonAugust3,1951.
Themixedpropulsionseemedtoshowsomedeficiencies,especiallywhenturningitonduringflightofthe
turbojet. This dual engine configuration also had issues with sea spray that might reach during certain
phasesofflightatlowaltitudeoverthesea.In1953,oneoftheBr.960wasusedforafewmonthsfortech
nicalevaluationbytheflighttestcenterunderthedesignationBr.963however,itwasshelved.Butthesec
ondprototypewasusedforanotherprogramthatwouldgivebirthtoaFrenchaircraftwithlongevity:the
BreguetAlizBr.1050.

RuthASWiki.wikimedia.org

TheBreguetBr.1050Alizwascreatedmakingsurethat
it can fulfill its antisubmarine warfare missions. The
cockpitwasmodifiedtocarryacrewoffour,withextra
seats behind the pilot and the navigator for the radar
operator(s). The pilot was seated in front on the left,
thenavigatorinfrontontheright,andtheradaropera
tor(s)behindthem.
The Aliz was powered by turboprop engine only,
a RollsRoyce Dart RDa.7 Mk 21 turboprop, yielding
1,975hp,asearchradarARAD2Amountedinaretract
able platform in the former jet engine bay instead and
sonobuoys were placed in fairings of the main retract
ablelandinggear.
Breguet1050AlizNo.01wasdisplayedatthe
1957ParisAirSalontothepublicforthefirsttime. ThefirstAlizmadeitsinitialflightinOctober1956.The
prototypeBreguet1050AlizNo.01wasdisplayedatthe
1957 Paris Air Salon to the public. The two pre
production planes made their maiden flights on June
21st1957(No.04)andAugust1st1958(No.05).ThefirstproductionaircraftwasdeliveredMarch20th1959,
andthelastoneinJune1961.Atotalof92examplesoftheAlizwerebuiltbetween1957and1962,includ
ingfivepreproductionprototypes.75productionaircraftwereacquiredbytheAronavale,withinitialser
vice delivery in March 1959. Initially, 100 aircraft were planned, but eventually the order was cut to 75
planesin1958(afirstbatchof50andasecondbatchof25).TwelveaircraftwereexportedtoIndia.Pro
ductionaircraftwerealsoequippedfittedwiththeThomsonCSFDRAA2Bretractableradar,insteadofthe
APS33,rightbehindtheweaponsbay.
AtypicalAlizmissionwouldlast4hours,theplanehadtocarrymin.of2000litresoffuel,thetypicalcon
sumptionratewas500litresperhour.Aftereachofthesemissions(duringwhichtheairframewaslimited
to3.5Gs)theplanerequired30hoursofmaintenance(includingmajoroperations).Tohelpfightsaltwater
corrosion,theplanewasthoroughlywashed,every3weeksatseaand6weekswhenlandbased.
TheAronavaleprovidedtheAlizwithaseriesofupgrades.
Thirtyairframes(No.10,12,13,16,17,18,19,25,26,28,29,31,32,33,36,37,39,40,41,42,43,44,48,49,
60,61,64,72,74,76)wereoverhauledin196465andreceivedthefollowingequipment:
Jezebelsonobuoysystem.
Mk.43torpedo.
AS12antishippingmissile.

InNovember1974,theFrenchNavydecideditwouldusetheAlizuntil1990,andavastupgradingprogram
waslaunchedattheCuersPierrefeuaviationworkshopsin1978,andendedin1983.The28airframesin
volved(No.11,12,22,24,25,28,31,34,36,41,42,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,55,56,59,60,64,65,73,76,
80,87),weredesignatedALM(ALizModernis/ModernizedAliz,Br.105Mstandard),andwerefittedthe
followingequipment:

ThomsonCSFDRAA10AIguaneradar,sameasusedontheAtlantiqueNGoceanpatrolaircraft.
ARAR12ARWR.
ARR52sonobuoysystem.
OmegaEquinoxenavigationsystem.

Anotherupgradeprogramintheearly1990sfitted27oftheseaircraftwithanewdecoysystem;amicro
computerbaseddataprocessingsystemthatcouldhavehardlybeenimaginedwhentheaircraftwasnew;a
datalinksystem;andothernewavionics.
Thelastmajorupgradetookplacein199697, againatCuersPierrefeu,andconcerned15planes(former
ALMs)whichwerenowcalledALH(ALizmisHauteur/UpgradedAliz).Theyreceivedanewautomatic
pilot, new heading system and ESM. Despite the upgrades even with the ThomsonCSF TTD Optronique
Chlio forwardlooking infrared (FLIR) imaging sensor, the Aliz was clearly not up to the task of hunting
modernnuclearsubmarines,theirtaskwasreducedtooceansurfacepatrol.
Aslateas1997,theAronavalewasstilloperating24examplesforsurfacepatrol,thoughtheywereclearly
ontheirwayoutbythen.TheAlizwasusedoperationallyduringtheNATOaircampaignagainstYugoslavia
overKosovointhespringof1999,withtheaircraftflyingoffthecarrierFoch.ThelastAlizsquadronwas
finally disbanded on 15 September 2000 at NAS NmesGarons, with the retirement of the aircraft carrier
Foch.ThesquadronwasreplacedbythreeE2CHawkeyeII.India,whichwastheonlyotheruserofthisna
valaircraftintheworld,decommissionedtheiraircraftinApril1991.
During the Alizs operation history the aircraft operated from the French
aircraftcarriers;Arromanches,ClmenceauandFoch,andwerealsousedin
shorebasedtraining.TheIndianNavyoperatedtheAlizfromshorebases
and from the light carrier Vikrant. The Aliz was used for reconnaissance
and ASW patrol during the IndoPakistani War of 1971, during which one
AlizwasshotdownbyaPakistanAirForceF104Starfighter.
TheAlizmainmissionsevolvedwiththepassingyearswere:
Antisubmarinewarfare
Maritimesituationcontrol
Surfacesurveillance
Airtogroundobservationandguidance
ElectronicIntelligence
Radiorelay
CSARairbornerelay
Searescue
Maritimepollutionprevention.

TheaircraftcarrierFoch(R99)during
exerciseDragonHammer'92,with 6Aliz
onboard. It was the second Clemenceau
classaircraftcarrieroftheFrenchNavy.In
operation from 1963 to 2000. The vessel
wassoldtoBrazilandrenamedSoPaulo.
US.Navyphoto

Alizwarminguponthe
deckofthecarrierFoch.
CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine

Builtin1961,intheBreguetfactoryatBiarritzParmeitwasdelivered
totheFrenchNavyinJuly1962.Duringitscareeritwasusedinflotil
las4F,6Fand9Fandthesquadrons2S,3Sand10S.In1982theair
craftwasrefurbishedtoALMstandard(AlizModernised)andin1997
becamethefirstALH(Alizhighlevelstandard)deliveredtotheNavy.
On9March2000itmadeitslastflightinflotilla6Fandwasputinstor
age.InSeptember2000flotilla6FwasdissolvedandAlizofficiallyde
commissioned.ItwasstoredwithsixothersimilarAlizinashedfor
saletoapotentialSouthAmericancountry,afterupgradingbyThales.
In2003,thecontractfailedtobecompletedandthesevenaircraftun
fortunatelywereleftoutsidewheretheysufferedtheravagesoftime
andsouvenirhuntersforseveralyears.

In 2006 the Association Aliz Marine was formed by Patrick Hilbert

(formerNavypilotandcurrentlyflightinstructoratEurocopter)toac
quire and restore a Br.1050. With about fifteen members, all former
navypersonal.Inthesameyear,afterintensivenegotiationswiththe
FrenchNavalauthorities.theAlizMarineAssociationobtainedfrom
theHeritageCommissiontwoAlizs,numbers56and59asthesetwo
air frames had the best potential for restoration. Both aircraft were
putinstoragebeforetherestorationworkcommencedin2010.

InFebruary2010alongperiodofhardworktogettheplanebackto
lifebegan.Technicalandadministrativeproblemsresultedintheasso
ciationkeepingonlyNo.59thatwasofficiallydonatedbytheNavyin
late2011.Atthebeginningof2012theworkwasdoneandthestatic
testscouldbegin,alongwiththeworktogettheclearancefromthe
FrenchAviationAuthoritiestoflytheaircraft.Thefirsttaxitestswere
heldinAugust2012anditwasnotuntilearly2013thattheDGACal
lowed the aircraft to perform five test flights under the registration
FWZYI,thusobtainingCNRACcertification.
On May 18, 2013, more than 13 years after its retirement from the
Naval forces, Aliz No.59 was flown again in the French
airspace,foratotaloffivetestflights.Thistimeunder
thecivilianregistrationofFAZYI.

AlizN59in1972(escadrille2S)WorkstartedatNmesGaronsin2010

CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine

FinallythefirstflightatNmesGaronsin2013

Piloted by Jean Ivars, former Navy

AlizandSuperEtendardpilotas
sistedbyPhilippePerezformerNavy
radar navigator. On May 28, 2013
theDGACgrantedtheCNRACcertifi
cate for the Aliz No.59 with regis
trationFAZYI,asnotedearlier.
Aliz No.59 should provide many
years of flying pleasure due to the
low service hours in the flight his
torylogbookfortheframe,withthe
three new engines and the parts
inventoryavailabletotheAlizMa
rineAssociation.
CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine

CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine

CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine

No.59receivingsometenderlovingcareabove.
TheAlizMarineTeammembersinfrontofNo.59.with
PhilippePerez(leftflightsuit)andJeanIvars(rightflightsuit).

Of course the association still has to have a budget in place to cover related expenses; the flight insurance,
hangarrent(NmesairportCamargue)andthereplacementofsomepartsthathaveexceededtheirexpirydate
suchashydraulichosesforexample.Theyareactivelylookingforsponsorswhocanhelpwiththeoperating
andmaintenancecostsof20,000annually.ThisamountwouldallowtheassociationtomaintainAlizNo.59
inflyingconditionandenabletheaircrafttoparticipateinmajorairshowsinFranceandEurope.

In2014theBr1050AlizALMNo.59,participatedinfourairshowandmorethanlikelywillbeattheParisIn
ternationalAirShowinJune,2015.
Contactinformation: ALIZEMARINE
240routedelaforet

40180SaugnacetCambran

France

Email:alizemarine@orange.fr
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aliz%C3%A9Marine/374738642658150

BR1050AlizALHSPECIFICATIONS
LENGTH
13.86m[45ft5in]
Flotilla6Femblem
WINGSPAN
15.6m(7mfolded)[51ft2inor22ft11.5in]
HEIGHT
4.75m[16ft5in]
WINGAREA
36m[387.5sqft]
EMPTYWEIGHT
5,700kg[12,566lb]
MAX.TAKEOFFWEIGHT
8,200kg[18,078lb]
INTERNALFUEL
2100litres[462impgal]
(noinflightrefuellingcapability)
EXTERNALFUEL
490litres[108imp.gal]droptanksforatotalof2500litres[550imp.gal]
ENGINE
ROLLSROYCEDARTRDA7MK21TURBOPROP1975hp
PROPELLER
4blade3.4mdiameter[11ft2in]
MAXSPEEDATSEALEVEL
460km/h[248knots]
MAXSPEED
520km/h[280knots]
CRUISE(PATROL)SPEED
240370km/h[130200knots]
CLIMBRATE
421m/min[1,380ft/min]
SERVICECEILING
6,5250m[20,500ft]
ENDURANCEWITHRADOMEEX
TENDEDATNORMALPATROL 5h12min
SPEED
ENDURANCEWITHMAXFUEL 6h557h40
MAXRANGE
CREW
ARNAMENT
ELECTRONICEQUIPMENT

2,500km[1,349miles]
1pilot+1navigator,1or2radaroperators
1xMK46torpedoor3depthchargesinternalbay,6x127mmrockets,2
xAS12ASMairtosurfacemissiles,underwingpylons,14xsonobuoys.
ThomsonCSFDRAA10AIguaneradar,sameasusedontheAtlantiqueNG
oceanpatrolaircraft,ARAR12ARWR,ARR52sonobuoysystem,Omega
Equinoxenavigationsystem.

PerformingattheAERONAUTIQUENAVALElaBANdHyres,June15,2014

No.59istheonlyflyableAlizintheworld!

RuthASWiki.wikimedia.org

ThecockpitoftheNo.59whichistheonlyflyableAliz
in the world, right. Image courtesy of the Association
AlizMarine.

Thereareafewnonflyingsurvivorsleftandonpublic
display,inFranceapartfromtheoneinIndia,Mostof
these survivors are stored outside in aviation related
museums or private collections exposed to the ele
ments.Unfortunatelyafewofthemareinmanyways
nothingmorethanglorifiedjunkyards.

No.1,(?)and15areatthe
Muse de lAronau
tiqueNavaleRochefort(AssociationNationaledesAmisduMusedelAronau
tiqueNavaleANAMAN)preservingandshowcasingthenavalheritage.

No.4isattheMusedelAviationChteaudeSavignylesBeauneinBur
gundy, on a 12 hectare park of the castle. In the
privatecollectionsofMichelPontthereare70air
craft.

No.5isattheAssociationAilesAnciennesTou
louse Ailes Anciennes Toulouse, since January
2012.

No. 8 is displayed at the Rondpoint Albert

Bignon,RochefortsurMer

No.10isattheMusedelAiretdelEspaceLe
Bourgetnotondisplaybutstoredinastoragefacilityofthemuseum.

No.47isattheEspaceexpositionsanimesE.A.L.CAssociationEspaceAro
LyonCorbas

No. 49 is at the Muse Europen de lAviation de chasse Montlimar image

rightbelow.

No. 50 is at the Conservatoire de lAir et de lEspace

dAquitaine near Bordeaux, however it is closed to the
public for viewing, according to their website informa
tion.

No.55 is at the Muse aronautique dOrange in the

industrialsectionofthecity.

No. 86 is at the Base Aronautique navale De Lann

Bihou

Visit on November 23, 2014 and photography by Ray Biagio Pace

TheRAFMuseumLondonislocatedinGrahameParkWay,Colindale,London.ItcanbereachedfromJunc
tion4oftheM1in10minutesoraround45minutesbytubefromCentralLondonandeithera7minutebus
rideora15minutewalkfromtheColindaleUndergroundstation.TheMillHillBroadwayisthenearestrail
waystationandisa15minutewalkawaywhilstthenearestairportsareHeathrowandLondonCity.The
MuseumcaterstopeoplewithSpecialNeedsandthestaffmembersarehappytoassist.EntranceisFree,
howeverthereisachargeof3/4foronsiteparking.
TheMuseumopenedonthe17thDecember2003,andsincethenthousandsofaircraftenthusiastsandtheir
familieshavevisitedit.Itisverylargeandimpossibletovisitinjustonedayunlessyouwanttojustskim
throughit.Thereare5mainhangars,namelytheMilestonesofflightattheentrancehall,theBomberHall,
The Historic Hangar, The Battle of Britain Hall and the GrahameWhite Hangar. The Historic Hangars are
scheduledbuildingsdatingbacktotheHendonAerodrome.TherearealsotheWingsRestaurant,theWessex
CafandtheMuseumSouvenirShop.TheAeronautsInteractiveCentreisahandsonflightsciencecentre
wherethechildrendiscoverhowaircraftfly.Childrenmustbesupervisedbyanadultatalltimeswhilstat
thiscentre.

Thereareover100historicandgroundbreakingaircraftonviewincludingtheF35JointStrikeFighterJet
(mockup)whichistheonlyoneondisplayinEurope.OtheraircraftincludetheBuccaneer,themightyVul
can, Avro Lancaster, Canberra, Southampton, Spitfire, Hurricane, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Bleriot X1, North
AmericanP51DMustang,MesserschmittMe262,EurofighterTyphoon,BoeingB17G,AugustaWestlandMer
lin,HawkerHunterFGA9,EnglishElectricLightning,Sunderlandandmuchmore.

UponenteringtheMuseumyouwillbeabletowatcha10minuteCenturyandtheTimelinegivingdifferent
viewsonthedevelopmentofflight.Thereisalsoa3DAviationcinema.TheMuseumhostsanumberofex
hibitionsanddisplaysnamely;theBoeingChinook,theAirTrafficControl,thePrincessMaryRAFNursingser
viceandtheFirstWorldWarintheAir.OurFinestHourisa13minuteaudiovisualpresentation
ontheBattleofBritainwhichshouldnotbemissed.

The Milestones of Flight

Exhibition covers the
achievements in the first
100 years of flight. The
Museum has two simula
tors The Black Hawk
SimulatorandtheHistoric
Hangars Simulator which
give you the opportunity
toexperiencethethrillsof
flying various aircraft in
cluding the Eurofighter
Typhoon, the Red Arrows
andaTornadoJetforjust
3perperson.

Group Visits, Tours and

Educational Visits are ac
cepted via Booking in ad
vance. At the RAF Mu
seumShopyouwillsurely
findsomethingtobuyasa
souvenirincludingspecial
ist books, DVDs, models,
toys, RAF and vintage
themed gifts and much
more.TheWessexCafis
located exactly opposite
theRoyalWessexhelicop
ter and ideal for a light
snackandteaorcoffee.

We highly recommend a
visit, and further details
about opening hours and
exhibits can be found on
their website: http://
www.rafmuseum.org.uk

BlriotXIaboveintheforeground,aEurofighterTyphooninthebackground.

HawkerHartIIaboveandtheNorthAmericanP51DMustangbelow.

HawkerTempestVaboveandbelowaretheGlosterMeteorF9/40,Britainsfirstjetfighterforegroundwiththe
GermanMe262A2ainthebackground.

The Milestones of Flight

Exhibition covers the
achievements in the first
100 years of flight. The
Museum has two simula
tors The Black Hawk
SimulatorandtheHistoric
Hangars Simulator which
give you the opportunity
toexperiencethethrillsof
flying various aircraft in
cluding the Eurofighter
Typhoon, the Red Arrows
SikorskyR4BHoverfly,wasthefirsthelicopterusedbytheRoyalAirForceandenteredservicein1945,above.BAe
andaTornadoJetforjust
HarrierGR3,theHarrieristhefirstjetfightercapableofverticaltakeoffandlanding,below.
3perperson.

Group Visits, Tours and

Educational Visits are ac
cepted via Booking in ad
vance. At the RAF Mu
seumShopyouwillsurely
findsomethingtobuyasa
souvenirincludingspecial
ist books, DVDs, models,
toys, RAF and vintage
themed gifts and much
more.TheWessexCafis
located exactly opposite
theRoyalWessexhelicop
ter and ideal for a light
snackandteaorcoffee.

We highly recommend a
visit, and further details
about opening hours and
exhibits can be found on
their website: http://
www.rafmuseum.org.uk

E very year the most influent personalities from all around the world, such as managers of industry and fi
nance,intellectuals,researchersandpoliticalleaders,meettogetherattheWorldEconomicForum(WEF)in
Davos,apopularmountainresortinGraubndenintheeasternregionofSwitzerland,todiscussthemainis
suesfacingtheworld,withaparticularinterestforthisyearabouttheglobalgeopoliticalsecurity.Andevery
year, during the summit, the Swiss Air Force (SAF) ensure the protection over Davos establishing a "nofly
zone"witharadiusof46kmandarangebetweengroundto19500feetonheight.

ThisyearWEFwasheldfromWednesday21toSunday25JanuaryandduringthesedaysSAFprovidedacon
tinuousaircoveragefrom8:00amuntil6:00pm,whileacoupleofF/A18swasmaintainedonQuickReaction
Alert(QRA)forthenighthours,readytotakeoffonfewminutesifrequested.Inadditiontoensuretheairpo
licing,theAirForcecarriedoutalsosurveillanceflightsandairtransportofpeopleandmaterialswithhelicop
ters, which were available to support the cantonal police if it needed quick transportation of police units in
caseofemergency.About4488militarypersonnelweredeployedtocooperatewiththecantonalcivilauthori
ties,providingassistancemainlyinthesettingupandmanagingofthesecurity'sinfrastructures,intheprotec
tionofthepeopleinvolvedintotheForum,inthecontroloftheaccesspointsandinthemanagementofthe
logistics.

TheairbaseinvolvedforCombatAirPatrol(CAP)operationsisdecidedwithanannualrotationbetweenthe
AirForce'sbasesandfor2015themainroleforWEFoperationwasthehomeofFlugplatzcommando13,the
MeiringenUnterbachAirBase,oneofthemostbeautifulmilitaryairportinEuropeduetoitslocationintoa
narrowvalleysurroundedbyhighmountains.

Both the squadron of Flugplatzcommando 13 provided air coverage: the Flieger Staffel 11, with its F/A18C/D
"Hornet"flewbyprofessionalpilots,andFliegerStaffel8,equippedwiththeF5E/F"TigerII"flewbybothprofes
sionalandreservistpilots.TheparticipationoftheF5swasuncertainuntilthelastdaysbecauseatthebeginningof
theyearacrackwasfoundduringtheroutinechecksonastructuralcomponentofasingleseater"Tiger".Allthesin
gleseaterfleetwasgroundedinordertocheckalltheairframes,butfortunatelysomefighterswerereadyjustin
timeforoperationaluse,whilethechecksontheremaining13jetswillbecompletedinthesecondquarterof2015.
Duetothisevent,someF5Efrom"PatrouilleSuisse"nationaldemoteamwereinvolvedintothepatrols,arareop
portunitytoseethefighterswiththespecialred/whiteliverycarrylivemissilesundertheirwings.

Themainroleindefendingthenoflyzonewascompletedbythefastjetswhichprovidedthecontroloftheupper
airspace,withF/A18sflyingontherestrictedareainparticular,whiletheF5scoveredtherestofSwitzerland.Pro
tectionofthelowerpartofthenoflyzoneand"slowmovers"interceptionwereguaranteedbyPC7trainersand
EC365helicopters.Thesurveillancewasintegratedalsowiththeantiaircraftartilleryandtheradarstationslocated
ontheground.AsthenoflyzoneareacoveredalittlepartofAustrianterritory,theCAPmissionsinvolvedalsothe
OsterreichischeLuftwaffewithitsEF2000TyphoonbasedinZeltwegthatworkedinclosecooperationwiththeSAF.

TheF5sflewonlydailymissions,armedwithtwoAIM9Psonthewingtipsandaventraltank.TheF/A18swerein
steademployedforbothnightanddayflightandatypicalmission,flownwithapairofaircrafts,lasted

betweenonehourandanhalfandonehourandthreequarters.ThestandardconfigurationofthecoupleofF/
A18s was composed by two AIM9Xs on the wingtips for both the jets, two AIM120C on the rails, one of
which (left station) was replaced in the second aircraft by the AN/ASQ228 pod, used for targets' tracking.
Both the fighters carried a ventraltank with the "STBY 121.50" words in red, which was theemergencyfre
quencyinuse.DuringatypicalmissionthetwoF/A18s,oncereachedtheoperationarea,separatethemselves
andbegintoflightstraightparallelandoppositeroutesso,flyingintheoppositedirection,theycancoverwith
theAPG73radarallairspaceassignedand,ifnecessary,theycanachievethetargetbyperformingatmosta
90turn.ThepilotsareassistedduringtheCAPwiththeinformation'sreceivedbythetroopsoperatingonthe
groundonradarstations,mobileradarsandSTINGERantimissilewarningsystem.Incaseofanunauthorized
airplanewouldpenetrateintothecontrolledairspace,theprocedurewastoapproachtheintrudertogetvis
ualcontactwithitandtoordertoswitchtheVHFradiofrequencyinto121.50,whereitwouldreceiveinstruc
tionstoflyitbackintoauthorizedareasoreventoforceittoland.Intheextremecase,theycanalsousethe
weaponstoshotdowntheintruder,butthefinaldecisionwasuptotheDepartmentofDefense'sChief.

Fortunately,thisyeartherewerenoviolationoftherestrictedairspaceoverDavoswererecordedandthanks
to the great efficiency of the military personnel and to the wellestablished safety procedures between the
ArmyandthelocalpoliceforcestheprotectiontotheWorldEconomicForumendedsuccessfullywithoutany
sortofproblemorincident.AsunderlinedbyColonelWalterSchlegel,commanderoftheGraubndencan
tonalpolice"ThecollectiveuseofpoliceforcesfromalloverSwitzerlandandtheArmyisagreatexampleof
theconcreteoperationoftheintegratednetworkforsafetyofSwitzerland".

Articleandphotographyby
SteveBiggand
NormanA.Graf

Forfortyyears,RedFlagexerciseshavetakenplaceatNellisAFBandin
theskiesabovetheNevadaTestandTrainingRange(NTTR).Since1975
theexercisehasgivenitsparticipantstheopportunitytogainexperience
inanenvironmentandwithscenariosthathavebeendevelopedtobeas
closeassafelypossibletothosetheyareexpectedtofightin.Whilethis
stillremainstheprimarygoalofRedFlag,thescopeoftheexercisehas
expanded significantly beyond the original Air Combat Manoeuvring
(ACM)andSurfacetoAirMissile(SAM)threattraining.NowRedFlagin
corporates nearly every aspect of the type of coalition operations that
participants expect their forces to be ready to face, including air to
ground strike attack, suppression of enemy air defences, ground troop
insertion, communications and GPS jamming, all levels of operational
command and control, night time operations and even space and elec
tronicwarfare.

RedFlag151wasathreeweekexercisewhichattractedaround120air
craft, with roughly 3000 personnel temporarily deployed to Nellis AFB.
USAF units from across the US and Europe were joined by Air National
GuardandAirForceReserveCommandunits,aswellassquadronsfrom
theUSNavyandMarineCorps.Coalitionforcesincludedairandground
assetsfromtheRoyalAirForceandtheRoyalAustralianAirForce.Over
thecourseofthethreeweekexercise,29missionswereundertaken,one
perdayduringtheafternoonandanotherundercoverofdarkness.More
thanfiftyfightersandupto10heavies(bombers,tankersandISRair
craft)wereinvolvedineachflight.Fromatargetingperspective,thetar
get sets are largely the same. The kind of threat picture which is pre
sentedtothewarfightersisnormallyabithigheratnightmostlybecause
alotofthejuniorflyers(BlueFours)willflythedaymissionssimplyto
becomemissionqualified.Themoreexperiencedfliersonthenightmis
sionsarepresentedwithtougherthreats.Itisalsoatnightthatmostof
the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft are en
gaged.TheAWACS,EC130s,(E)P3CsandRC135sarerarelyseenflying
duringtheday.Itwasatreat,therefore,toseethetwoRAFSentinelR1s,
whichmadetheirRedFlagdebutthisyear,flydaymissions.TheSentinel
R1 is the RAFs only longrange wide area battlefield surveillance asset,
providingcriticalintelligenceandtargettrackinginformation.Theywere
joined by a number of Navy EA18G Growlers, to provide active elec
tronicattackcapabilitiessuchasjamming.

USAFphoto

AnF15EStrikeEaglefromthe4thFighterWing335thFS,SeymourJohnsonAFB,NC,
onthewaytoRedFlag,imagetakenfromanKC135Rofthe916AirRefuelingWing.

TheSpiritsofLouisianaandPennsylvaniaB2sfromthe393rdBomb
SquadronatWhitemanAirForceBase,Missouri.

Deployed against these Blue Forces

were the resident Red Forces under
the command of the 57th Adversary
Tactics Group. Most visible of these
were the boldly painted F16s and F
15s of the 64th Aggressor Squadron.
This was the penultimate Flag for the
last six operational Aggressor Eagles,
which are scheduled to be retired at
theendofMarch,2015.Thenatureof
the exercise has grown significantly
beyondtheoriginaltacticaldogfighting
exercises and other units, such as the
547th Intelligence Squadron, provide
improved tactics and present threats
of a different nature, such as cyber,
spaceorinformational.Fromanintel
ligenceperspective,I'mstudyingthings
that are real world and in our shop
we'reputtingtogethertheLegopieces
so the guys and gals can come here
andfightthewartheymightbedoing
for real overseas, explained 1st Lieu
tenant Paul Heins, the Deputy Targets
Chiefwiththe547thIntelSquadronat
Nellis. We train towards future wars.
Wetakewhatweknowaboutour ad
versaries at large as a coalition, we
study their tactics, and then we fight
againstit.Itsadynamicplanningcycle.
Were making changes to Red Flag
right now. If the operator sees some
thing that is within our capability to
change for the next day we will do
that.Wereconstantlyworkingtogive
the warfighter the best [training] ex
perience.

Thisexpansionoftheexercisesscope
offersvaluableinsighttothepartici
pantswellbeyondtheirspecificduties.
"It'snotjustabouttheotherfighter
aircraftintheairandthebombers,it's
alsoaboutthenonkineticeffectsthat
youcangetthroughspace,through
cyber,throughallthesedifferentfac
etsthatwe'relearningareoutthere
thatwemightactuallybeabletouse,"

Allimagesonpage6667 SteveBigg

SteveBigg

F16Cs of the 158th Fighter Wing, 134th

Fighter Squadron, Burlington, VT ANG aka
GreenMountainBoys

explained Captain Brendan "Bloc" Bond, a B2 bomber pilot

withthe13thBombSquadronfromWhitemanAirForceBase.
"Formethat'sreallybeeneyeopening.Otherthanjustdrop
pingbombsthere'salotofdifferentwaystodothingstoeffect
change as required and I think that's where Red Flag is really
good."Hewentontosay"Normally,daytoday,we'reprimar
ilyoperatingtheB2,flyingmissionsanddoingairtoairrefuel
ling(AAR)butwedon'tdoalotofintegrationwithassets.Here
at Red Flag we're down the hall from the F22's, the AWACS,
workingwithallthedifferentresourcestheAirForceandcoali
tionpartnershaveandthat'sbeenareallyusefulexperience."

Asthelevelofsophisticationofcombatsystemsincreases,Red
Flag organizers ensure the exercise incorporates elements to
challengeallaspectsofthesesystems.TheRaptorisaperfect
example. Technical Sergeant Guillermo Salcedo, an F22 air
craftmaintainersupportingthe94thFighterSquadron,pointed
outthattheexerciseisconstantlyimproving."Thebiggestdif
ference I've noticed from the maintenance perspective is the
additionofcyberthreats."DuringRedFlag151theirreliance
on network connectivity to support their aircraft was chal
lenged."TheRaptorforexampleisveryintegratedandalotof
oursystemshavetobeimportedoverforustobeabletosup
port flying and (at Red Flag) they have introduced specific
threats to simulate scenarios in which we won't have specific
things we typically have to work with." The result is that the
maintainers are forced to undertake and develop the kind of
problem solving skills that they will need on operational de
ployments. This level of training represents how far the exer
cisehasevolvedfromitsearlydaysofACMandSAMthreats.

Those who will bear the responsibility of commanding future

realworldoperationsgainexperienceatRedFlagthatcan'tbe
foundelsewhere."Theexerciseextendsbeyondtheaircraftin
theairandthecrewssupportingthemontheground."said1st
LieutenantPaulHeins."RedFlagoperationsarerunthrougha
CombinedAirOperationsCenter(CAOC)thatcommandsboth
therealworldassetsattheexerciseaswellasadditionalsimu
lated assets that run in parallel with them in a larger conflict
scenario. Overall the exercise involves the "live fly" that hap
penslocallyatNellis,thevirtualandtheconstructiveelements
thatareallintegratedintotheCAOC.Thisareaisdefinitelyone
ofseveralthatRedFlaghavetheirsightsonforfurtherdevel
opment in order to expand the exercise scope to be able to
provide a training platform that is as realistic and challenging
as possible for not just the pilots and crews that attend but
also for those who are likely to be tasked with commanding
themoncoalitionoperations."

AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg

B2SpiritofLouisiana,above.TherarelyseenRAFSenti
nelR1isamodifiedBombardierGlobalExpresstakingoff,
middle,andoneoftheRAFTyphoons,takingoffbelow.

BeyondthechallengesRedFlagpresentstotheindividualcapabilitiesofparticipants,theywilltellyouthata
majorbenefitofsuchlargeforcecoalitionbasedexercisesistheexperiencegainedandtherelationshipsbuilt
byworkingdirectlywithpartnerstheymayjoinonfutureoperations.WingCommander(WC)DarrenGoldie
oftheRoyalAustralianAirForce(RAAF),theCommandingOfficerof#37SquadronflyingC130JHerculesat
RedFlag151,commentedthat"theRAAFisaverytechnicallyadvancedairforcebutasmallairforcesogen
erallywe'regoingtoparticipateinmultinationaloperationsaspartofacoalitionsoRedFlagisaveryimpor
tantstepinusunderstandinghowtooperateasacoalition."Intimesofcrisis,whetheritbedisasterrelief,
humanitarianassistanceorcombatoperations,knowinghowtoworktogetherpriortobeingcalledtoactal
lowsforcestohitthegroundrunningandnotbeboggeddownfiguringouthowtoworktogether.WCGoldie
continuedthepointtosay"fromanAustralianperspectivetheintegrationwithacoalitionforceoftenhap
pensonoperationsforthefirsttimesoit'scriticalthatwe'repreparedtoparticipateinoperationsandmutu
allyspeakthesametacticallanguageandapplythesametactics,techniquesandproceduresasourcolleagues
and partners." A testament to the value the RAAF sees in such experience is provided by the fact that the
RAAFhasbeenaconsistentparticipantatRedFlagfor30ofits40years.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) believes in the benefits of attending as well. Flight Lieutenant Andrew North, an
AerospaceBattleManagerwith1AirControlCenter,fromRAFbaseScamptonsaid"thetrainingisextremely
valuablewiththeamountofintegrationwe'vehadwithourallies,andtheassetstheybringaswell,hasbeen
extreme,we'velearntalotthroughdoingthisexercisethatwecouldn'tnecessarilyhavedoneathome."He
pointedoutthatoneofthemajordifferencesbetweentheleveloftrainingunitscandoattheirownbases
withtheirownresourcesandparticipatinginanexerciselikeRedFlagistheopportunitytotrainwithavastly
morecompletesetofassetsthatfullyrepresentsthosethatwouldbeinvolvedintheconflictsparticipantsare
trainingtobereadyfor.HepointedoutthatatRedFlag"we'vegotthewholespectrumofintegrationhere
fromunmannedvehiclestospaceassets,toairtoairfightersandmanyotherelementsaswell."Theeight
Typhoonsoperatedprimarilyintheswingrole,performingseveralmissionssimultaneouslysuchasfiringmis
silesintheairtoairroleanddroppingbombsintheairtogroundrole.FlightLieutenantNorth:We'vebeen
doingthewholespectrumofwarfareastheRAFfightsit.We'vebeenpushingthrough,attackingtheenemy,
droppingthebombsandthenheadingbackout.TheTyphoonisdroppingPavewayIVsthatwebroughtfrom
theUK,bothliveandinert.Wevehadsomeairtoairfightsaswell,especiallyintegrationbetweenfourthand
fifthgenerationjets.Wehaventbeentankingjustyet,butwedliketodothatatsomepointaswell.

AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg

SteveBigg

F15CEagle57thWG65thAggressorSquadron

Althoughthemassdeparturesandreturnsoffighter,bomber,tankerandISRaircraftisthemostvisiblepart
ofanyRedFlagexercise,thefeedbackandinteractionduringthepostmissiondebriefsisacrucialpartofthe
learningprocess.ItisforthisreasonthatunitsdeploytoNellisforthedurationinsteadofsimplyflyinginand
meetingovertherangeforthemissions.Itwouldbeapointlessexerciseifwecouldn'tgetfeedbackfromthe
ground.They'regivingusfeedback,forinstance,thatmanoeuvredidordidn'twork,orwedontthinkthatis
worldsbestpractice,ormaybeyouneedtogoandtalktotheseguys[andfindout]howtheywoulddothat.
Sothat'sacriticalpart,thatclosedloopfeedbackonwhetherwhatwe'redoinginfactmakesanysense,ex
plained WC Goldie. Captain Christy Ashby, an electronic combat officer with the 963d Airborne Air Control
SquadronfromTinkerAFBreinforcedthissentiment.FormostofourcrewsthisistheirfirstRedFlag,also
theirfirstmajorexerciseofanysort.Itsabigintegrationpieceforthem.WherewerestationedinOklahoma
werenotcollocatedwithanyfighters;theresjustAWACSthere.Beingabletogodownthehallandputa
facetoanameandtalktothemfacetofaceandseeexactlywhattheyrebringingtothefight[isimportant].
Thebigpieceisbeingabletodebriefwiththemafterwardsandgetthoselessonslearnedsothatwecanim
provenexttime.ThatsthebigpieceforAWACShere.

ForpartofRedFlag151,NellisAFBwasevenbusierthanthetypicalhightrafficthatcomeswithaRedFlag
exercise. During the first week the exercise overlapped with another major exercise held regularly at Nellis
calledGreenFlag.TheairtogroundcomponentofRedFlagcontinuestogrowanddoesincludeelementsre
latedtogroundtroopsupportintheformofairbornetroopinsertion,butGreenFlagspecificallytargetspro
vidingcombattraininginairlandforceintegrationforthesupportoftroopsontheground.Amajorgoalof
GreenFlagistoprovidepilotsandthosetroopsonthegroundthatguidethemduringcloseairsupportmis
sions,thesamebenefitsprovidedbyRedFlag.Realisticcombatsimulations,integrationwithvariousair,space
andcyberassetsavailabletosupportgroundtroopoperationsalongwiththesamevaluablecoalitionintegra
tionexperienceonlyavailablethroughthistypeoflargeforceexerciseareallelementsofferedtoGreenFlag
participants.

TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankthestaffofthe99thAirBaseWingPublicAffairsOffice,inparticu
larMSgtDavidMiller,foralloftheirsupportduringourvisit.

AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg

USAFphoto

RAF Typhoon FGR4 of the 1 (Fighter)

Squadron, RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland,
atRedFlag2015

F/A18D of the 3rd Marine Aircraft

Wing, Marine Fighter Attack Squad
ron225VikingsMCASMiramar,CA

AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg

EA18GoftheCarrierAirWing17,
ElectronicAttackSquadron132,
ScorpionsNASWhidbeyIsland,WA

EP3C from the Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing,

FleetAirReconnaissanceSquadron1,NASWhidbey
Island,WA

AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg

C130JSuperHerculesoftheRAAFfrom37Squadron,
Richmond,Australia,aboveandbelowwiththenose
arttotheleft.

NormanA.Graf

SteveBigg

NormanA.Graf

F16Cs of the 57th Wing, 64th Aggressor Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV, top left and main
image,HH60G,23rdWing,66thRescueSquadron,NellisAFB,NV,lowerleft.

NormanA.Graf
SteveBigg

F16CMs,ofthe31stFighterWing,
555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano
AB, Italy, with F22As of the 1st
Fighter Wing, 94th Fighter Squad
ron, Langley AFB, VA, top left im
age.

F22stakingofffromNellisAFBto
jointheexercisesbottomleftand
rightimages.

F16CLobosofthe114thFighter
Wing, 175th Fighter Squadron,
SiouxFalls,SDANG,midright.

SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf

KC135 from the 916th

Air Refueling Wing, Air
Force Reserve, located
atSeymourJohnsonAir
ForceBase,N.C.

NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf

F16CTheGreenMountainBoysothe158thFighterWing,134thFS,Burlington,VT,ANG,topleft.
KC13522ndAirRefuelingWing,931AFG,McConnellAFB,KA,middleleft.
RC135RivetJointfromthe55thWing,348thReconnaissanceSquadron,OffuttAFB,NE,bottomleft,RAFSentinel,
bottommiddle,andE8JointSTARSfromthe461stAirControlWing,12thAirborneCommandandControlSquad
ron,RobinsAFB,GAbottomright.

SteveBigg
SteveBigg

F15Cofthe48thFighterWing,493rdFighterSquadron,RAFLakenheath,
UnitedKingdomabove.F16CMoftheBuzzards31stFighterWing,555th
FighterSquadron,AvianoAB,Italy,below.

SteveBigg

NormanA.Graf

MiG23FloggerandMiG29Fulcrumdisplayedinside,aboveand
theMiG29scockpitontheright.

InsidethePettingZooakatheThreatTrainingFacility,NellisAFB,NV

NellisAFB,locatedoutsideofLasVegas,NV,ishometotheU.S.AirForceWarfareCenterwhosemissionitisto
ensurethatdeployedforcesarewelltrainedandwellequippedtoconductintegratedcombatoperationsagainst
all threats. Central to this mission are the Red Flag exercises in which Aggressor units employ tactics based on
thoseexpectedtobeusedbyforeignadversaries.Themostfamiliaroftheseunitsareperhapsthe64thandthe
former65thAggressorSquadronswhoseaircrewaretrainedtosimulateforeignfightertacticsandwhoseaircraft
areboldlymarkedinforeignpaintschemes.LesswellknownistheexistenceofotherAggressorunitswhosemis
sions,althoughnotasvisible,areequallyimportant.Behindthemallstandsthe547thIntelligenceSquadronwhich
istheCenterofExcellenceforadversarytacticsanalysisfortheUnitedStatesAirForce.Thesquadronanalyzes,
refinesanddisseminatesintelligenceonadversaryair,airdefense,electronicwarfare,cyberandspacetacticsand
weaponsemployment,condensingthisinformationintotheAirForceTactics,Techniques,andProceduresThreat
Guide:ThreatReferenceGuideandCountertactics.

However,the547thISdoesmorethanjustprepareanddelivertrainingdocuments.Anothermajorfocusistopro
videhandsontrainingwithrealequipment.Todoso,itoperatesandmaintainstheAirCombatCommandThreat
TrainingFacility(TTF).Establishedintheearly1970sduringthelastyearsoftheVietnamWar,thiscollectionwas
designedtoamassabroadvarietyofColdWarthreatsandtargets:aircraft;surfacetoairmissiles;earlywarning,
acquisitionandtargetingradars;antiaircraftartillery;groundvehicles;andsmallarms.Inadditiontobeingableto
testthecapabilitiesofthehardware,thefacilityhasprovidedhandsonaccesstogenerationsofmilitaryperson
nel,gainingittheaffectionatenicknameofthepettingzoo.

"NellisreallyistheAirForceshomeforadversarytactics.Havingforeignmilitarysystemsherewhereallthepilots
comethroughforthingsliketheweaponsschoolandtheRedFlagexercisesandareabletotakeadvantageofthe
incredibletrainingrangewehavehere,itjustmadesensetoputithereatthehomeoftactics."washowLieuten
antColonelGregBrown,oncetheCommandingOfficerofthe547thIntelligenceSquadron,answeredthequestion
ofwhytheThreatTrainingFacility(TTF)hasremainedatNellissinceitsinception."Thisfacilityisagreatexample
ofanopportunitytobringanybodyin,nosecurityclearancenecessary,andshowthemsomeofthethingswedo
intheairforceandsomeofthethreatswe'reupagainstfromhostilecountries."

SteveBigg

ThisassortmentofmostlyWarsawPactweapons,latersupplementedbycapturedIraqiequipmentfromtheGulf
Wars, was accumulated through a variety of channels and remained highly classified until 1993. Started as a
highlyclassifiedprogramtocollectthemilitaryequipmentofforeignadversariesforthepurposeoftrainingUSAF
warfightersandknowledgeoftheprogramandwhatwasgoingonbehindthewallsofthepettingzoowasata
needtoknowlevelformanyyears.Eventuallydeclassificationofthefacilitytookplacein1993.Today,although
itisnotopentothegeneralpublic,thosewithaccesstothebasecanvisitthefacilityandgetupcloseandper
sonal with both historic Cold Warera Soviet and currentRussian military hardware. In addition to the Warsaw
Pactequipment,anumberofAmericanandAlliedsystemsareincluded,sincetheseweaponswereeithersoldto
orobtainedbygovernmentsorentitieswhicharenowpotentialadversaries.

FighteraircraftincludetheMiG17Fresco,SukhoiSu7Fitter,MiG21Fishbed,displayedoutsidewiththeMiG23
Flogger and MiG29 Fulcrum displayed inside. There are actually two MiG29s, part of the 21 MiG29s the U.S.
governmentpurchasedfromtheformerSovietstateofMoldovain1997,adealthatkeptthejetsfrombeingsold
toIran.TheoneinsideisaMiG29SFulcrumCandhasbeenrepaintedinitsoriginalGuardscolorsasitwas
duringthefightersfirstpostingatMoscowsKubinkaAirBase.

TheMig23Floggerondisplayispossiblyoneoftheseveralwhichwereusedbythetopsecret4477thRedEagles,
whoflewMiG17s,MiG21sandMiG23s.The4477thTestandEvaluationSquadron(4477thTES)wasacompo
nentoftheTacticalAirCommand,basedoutoftheTonopahTestRange(akaGroomLakeorArea51)northwest
ofLasVegas.Theprogram,knownasConstantPeg,wasactivefrom1977through1988.Informationaboutthis
unitanditsactivitiesremainedclassifieduntil2006.

RussianhelicoptersarerepresentedbytheMi14HazeandMi24Hind.Groundthreatsincludeanumberofsur
facetoairmissiles,fromtheSA2Guideline,whichisbelievedtohavedownedtheU2reconnaissanceplanepi
loted by Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union in 1960, to the SA6 Gainful which downed Captain Scott
OGradysF16CFightingFalconoverBosniain1995.Thereisaprofusionofradarsystemsalsoondisplay.Many
oftheseacquisitionandtargetradarsaresimulatedintheNevadaTestandTrainingRange,providingUSandal
liedaviatorsexperienceinevadingthesethreats.

HeavyarmorrunsthegamutfromtheT34totheT80.Varioussmallarmsweapons(e.g.AK47,RPGs,etc.)are
housedindoors,alongwithadisplayoflargescalemodelsofSoviet/Russianaircraft.

Theoutdoorexhibitareachangesfromtimetotime,butgenerallyspeaking,themajorityoftheequipmentre
mainsthesame.Thesephotosprovideyouwithapeekinsidethepettingzoo.BelowareGoogleEarthimages
ofthefacilitywiththeMiG17FrescoandSu7Fitterinfrontofthebuilding.TheotherMiG29isdisplayedalong
withaMiG21onthenorthwestsideofKinleyPark,whereseveralUSAFjetsaredisplayed.

NormanA.Graf

Mi14HazeanavalvariantoftheMi8Hip,withalargeradardomeunderthenoseforantisubmarinewarfare,
alsonotetheboatlikefuselageandpontoonstoallowoperationfromwater,above.TheMi24DHindgunship
wascapturedduringthefirstGulfWar,andisstillretainstheIraqimarkings,below.

SteveBigg

NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf

lefttoright,theS200(NATOSA5reportingnameGammon)SAM,theP40or1S12(NATOLongTrack)alsoshown
below,the2S6Tunguska,(NATOSA19Grison)[mockup]whichcombines30mmguns,shortramgeSAMsanda
target acquisition and ranging radar, the 9K31 Strela1 (NATO SA9 Gaskin), and the P40 or 1S12 (NATO Long
Track)alsoshownbelow,andtheP151RL13(NATOFlatFaceA)mountedonaZil157truck.

NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf

The9K35Strela10(NATOreportingnameSA13Gopher)above,andthe2K12Kub(NATOSA6Gainful)mo
bilesurfacetoairmissilesystemisaSovietlowtomediumlevelairdefencesystemdesignedtoprotectground
forcesfromairattack.

NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf

Two S125 Neva/Pechora (NATO reporting name SA3 Goa) SAM

missilelaunchertrailer,above.ThefirstversionofBukadoptedinto
servicewastheAlmazAntey9K37(NATOSA11Gadfly)below.

SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf

DualS125Neva/Pechora(NATOreportingnameSA3Goa)
on ZIS151 transporter vehicle, above. The ZSU234 Shilka
Goa) 23mmSPAAA(Selfpropelledantiaircraftartillery)below.
SAM
optedinto
below.

SteveBigg

SteveBigg

SteveBigg

NormanA.Graf

NIIP 1S91 Straight Flush Engagement Ra

dar,topleft.Su7FitterAinIraqimark
ings,topright,infrontoftheTTF,aswell
as the SAM SA2 Guideline bottom
right.

The filmstrip is illustrating several of the

Cold Warera US and Allied systems as
some of these weapons were either sold
toorobtainedbygovernmentsorentities
which are now potential adversaries, as
wellsomeotherSovietmadeequipment.

MIM23AHawkMIM72AbatteryTheRapierfromtheUKRoland(FrancoGerma

PeterMoose
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf

NormanA.Graf

NormanA.Graf

SteveBigg

n)T80andothertanksAvarietyofAAgunsSS21Scarabmockup

WithbeginnersDSLRyoudonothavetospendafortunetogetgoodqualityimages.Infactforlessthan$1000
Cdn,muchlessinUS$,onecangetadecentpackagethatcanbeusedforaviationphotography.Surethesebe
ginnerscamerashavetheirlimitations,forexamplesmallbuffersandlowerframerates,nevertheless,theyof
fersurprisinglygoodspecificationsbutwhattrulycountsisgoodimages.Eventodaysbeginnerscamerasoffer
muchbetterimagequalitythanmidpricedorevenprofessionalonesfromlessthanadecadeago,ofcourseit
alsodependsonthelensandtheskillofthephotographer.

The D3200 is a compact sized camera that is packed inside

withseriousNikonpower:a24.2MPDXformatCMOSsensor
that excels in any light, EXPEED 3 imageprocessing for fast
operation and creative incamera effects, Full HD (1080p)
movie recording, incamera tutorials and much more. With
Nikon'soptionalWirelessMobileAdapter,youcanshareyour
masterpieces instantly with your Smartphone or tablet too.
Thelistis$399.95Cdn.ItisavailablewithakitlenstheAFS
ZoomNIKKOR1855mm,thatis goodfor staticphotography
but too short in range for anything in the air, list is $529.95
Cdn.
AFSDXNIKKOR55300mmf/4.55.6GEDVRisanallinone
zoomtelephotolens,designedforDXformatDSLRusers.The
300mmtelephotoperformsadmirablythankstobuiltinVRII
(VibrationReduction)imagestabilization.Onthelongendat
300mmitwillhavetheeffectivefocalpointof450mmor9X
closer than a standard 50mm lens. It is a compact and light
weight lens ideal for aviation photography from behind the
flightline.Listpriceis$429.95

Another recommended lens would be the AFS VR Zoom

Nikkor70300mmf/4.55.6GIFED,whichisanFXlens,but
worksequallywellonaDXbody.Ithassimilarspecification
astheDXlens,butthemainadvantageisincaseofanup
gradetofullframecamerabody,thelenswillwork,whilea
DX lens will not cover the full frame sensor. Over all it is
great lens that can be used for sports, nature, portrait and
wildlife photographers that have a tight budget or want to
be able to travel light. Sharpness and contrastwise, it defi
nitely beats any other consumer telephoto lens in the 200
300mmrangecategory.Listis$649.95Cdn.

TheRebelSL1/EOS100DisthesmallestCanonDSLR,butwith
a lot of full sized features: it has an 18.0 Megapixel CMOS
(APSC) sensor and speedy Canon DIGIC 5 Image Processor,
withasecondgenerationhybridAF,givingfast,smoothfocus
inginbothliveviewandmovieshooting. IthasaTouchScreen
3.0"ClearViewLCDmonitorII.TheEOSRebelSL1iscompati
blewithallCanonlensesintheEFlineup,includingcompact
andlightweightEFSlenses.Thecameracanbeboughtbody
onlyorwitha1855mmLensKitandproducesexcellentqual
ityimages,withlownoiseandgoodcolor.Thekitlensisnot
recommended for action oriented photography with aircarft
performingintheairfrombehindthesidelines,azoomlensis
required. The list price of the camera is $629.99 Cdn body
onlyandwiththekitlensisS779.99Cdn,fromCanonCanada,
muchlessintheUSA.

ForacompactzoomtheCanonEFS55250mmF45.6ISSTM
lens is a good choice, as long as you do not lift the camera/
lenscombobythelens,asthelensmountonthelensisplas
tic. It has an effective focal length of of 400mm on the long
end due to the sensor crop of 1.6X. The list price is $399.99
CdnfromCanonCanada.

HowaboutaMirrorlesscamerawhichisverymuchlikeaDSLRbut
somewaysbetter?TheSonyA58hasnonmoving'TranslucentMir
ror'enablesitshighframeratewhichisgoodforaviationphotogra
phy, sports, along with focus while shooting movies. The 20.1 MP
Exmor HD APS sensor has 8 FPS continuous shooting, full HD
1080/60i/24p or 1080/30p MP4 movies with Quick AF, SteadyShot
INSIDEimagestabilizationthatworkswithanylens.Large2.7Tilt
able, 460K dot LCD screen. The sensor's high resolution allows the
A58'sdetailtorivalmoreexpensivecameras.LikemostDSLRsinthis
price category the Sony A58 is bundled with an 1855mm F3.55.6
lens.Overall,theSonyA58isagoodqualitysubstituteforanentry
levelDSLR,forthebeginner.$549.99CdnorlessfromSony.Ca
TheDT55300mmf4.55.6lensisacompact,lightweightzoomlens
that covers focal length equivalent of 82.5450 mm, excellent for
aviationphotography.$229.99CdnfromSony.Ca

MattHall(AUS),PaulBonhomme(GBR),PeteMcLeod(CAN)AwardCeremony14.Feb2015

Britains Paul Bonhomme won the Red Bull Air Race World Championship season opener in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, February 14, with a hard-fought victory over Australia's Matt Hall on the high-speed, low-altitude race track.

ABUDHABIHittingtopspeedsof370km/hwhileflyingjustabovetheturquoisewatersoftheArabianGulf,
Bonhommemasteredthescorchingtemperaturesabove30degreesCelsiusandthechangingwindstotake
tophonorswithatimeof57.787secondsinthefirstofeightracesin2015oftheworld'sfastestmotorsport
series.

Hallwasaclosesecondonagloriousdayforracing,just0.084secondsbehindin57.871seconds,whilePete
McLeodofCanadatookthirdin58.843secondsintheFdrationAronautiqueInternationale(FAI)official
airracingworldchampionship.DefendingRedBullAirRaceWorldChampionNigelLambendedupadisap
pointingfifthafterbeingknockedoutbyBonhommeintheRoundof8.

"Itwasallinabusyday'swork,"saidBonhomme,whowoninAbuDhabiforthesecondconsecutiveyearand
fourthtimeoverall."OurwholeteamhasalotofexperienceandIthinkwe'reabletogetoutoftheblocks
fasterthantheotherteams."Hallmadethemostofhisrevolutionarynew"winglets"750mmhighcurved
tipsontheouteredgeofhiswingsandequaledacareerbestsecondplace."I'mhappytobeonthepo
diumbutit'skindoffrustratingtobesoclosetowinning.Itwasjusteightonehundredthsofasecond!That's
aboutthelengthofanairplanethatseparatedus."

AbuDhabi,withitsknowledgeableandenthusiasticmotorsportfans,hostedtheRedBullRaceWorldCham
pionshipseasonopenerforaneighthstraighttime.Therewere14pilotsfrom11nationsbattlingforchampi
onshippointsintheraceinwhichpilotsnavigatealowlevelslalomtrackmadeupof25meterhighairfilled
pylons at high speeds while enduring forces of up to 10G. Many of Abu Dhabi's highsociety spectators
watchedtheactioninstyleattheSkyLoungeandRaceClub,theofficialandexclusivehospitalityprograms.
ThenextracewillbeinChiba,JapanonMay16/17.

Results:1.PaulBonhomme(GBR),2.MattHall(AUS),3.PeteMcLeod(CAN),4.HannesArch(AUT),5.Nigel
Lamb (GBR), 6. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), 7. Peter Besenyei (HUN), 8. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), 9. Matthias
Dolderer(GER),10.MartinSonka(CZE).11.FrancoisLeVot(FRA),12.MichaelGoulian(USA),13.JuanVe
larde(ESP),14.KirbyChambliss(USA)

WorldChampionshipStandings:1.Bonhomme(12points),2.Hall(9),3.McLeod(7),4.Arch(5),5.Lamb(4),
6.Muroya(3),7.Besenyei(2),8.Ivanoff(1),9.Dolderer,10.Sonka,11.LeVot,12.Goulian,13.Velarde,14.
Chambliss

PressreleaseandImagescourtesyofRedBullMediaPool

PeteMcLeodplaced3rdinAduDabi,above.

NormanA.Graf