AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2015 - 40

PILOT BRIEFING
NEWS

|

Breitling jets plan U.S. tour
Schedule includes 18 appearances in 2015
BY JIM MOORE
THE BREITLING JET TEAM is coming to
America in 2015, with an itinerary of North
American appearances that will begin at the
Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo
April 20 through 26 in Lakeland, Florida.
The team, sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Breitling since 2003-when it grew
from four to seven Aero L-39 Albatros
jets-is making its first North American
foray, appearing at major airshows across
the United States and Canada, including the
biggest of them all: EAA AirVenture. The
itinerary was announced in December at
the International Council of Air Shows convention in Las Vegas.
The team performs a 25-minute routine
of precision formation aerobatics similar
to a military jet team, and the pilots bring
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1. Antonov AN-225 (275 feet, 7
inches), Boeing 747-8 (250 feet, 2
inches), Airbus A380-800 (238 feet,
7 inches), Hughes H-4 (218 feet, 8
inches).

3. The Lockheed Blackbird series
(the A-12, YF-12, and SR-71) was
manufactured at the Lockheed factory at the Burbank (California) Airport
and then transported in speciallybuilt trailers to Groom Lake (Area 51)
in Nevada or the Palmdale Airport in
California for their first flights.
4. Cirrus was once considered to be
the highest cloud and was ninth on
the list of basic clouds. Someone
"on a cirrus cloud" or "on cloud
nine" was high indeed. We now
know that the tops of some thunderstorms are higher, and someone
40 | AOPA PILOT February 2015

EMAIL james.moore@aopa.org

from page 39

2. This is when the Hindenburg
erupted in flame at Lakehurst, New
Jersey, which abruptly ended the
use of hydrogen-filled airships, the
only aircraft providing trans-Atlantic
service at that time. Boeing 314
flying boats enabled the resumption
of service in 1939.

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military training and experience to bear,
with at least 5,500 flight hours apiece.
Team leader and founder Jacques
"Speedy" Bothelin has more than 10,000
hours, and has led the team under its various names and iterations since 1980, when
Patrouille Martini hit the airshow circuit
with a formation of Mudry CAP 10s.
"We are so excited to share our performances with North American fans and
show them what we can do," Bothelin said
in a news release.
Bothelin and his fellow Breitling pilots
pride themselves on polish, precision, and
safety. The team toured Europe and Asia
in recent years.

on that-the tenth cloud-would be
especially high (and in store for a
ride that might not be so euphoric).
5. He flew his Nieuport 11 (which
has a wingspan of 24 feet, 8 inches)
through the Arc de Triomphe (which
has an opening width of 47 feet,
6 inches) during the parade. The
event was filmed and is on YouTube
(search for Charles Godefroy).
6. (b) When the pylon slips behind
the wing tip, the aircraft is below
its pivotal altitude for the airspeed
being used. The pilot should gain
altitude, reduce airspeed, or both.
7. In 1931 Mario Bellanca modified
a 225-horsepower Packard DR980 diesel engine to make it light
enough for an airplane. It was then
installed and flown in a Bellanca CH200 Pacemaker.
8. False. Compressed induction air
from the turbocharger results in a
much higher induction temperature,
which usually results in less horsepower (especially if the engine is not
equipped with an intercooler).
http://www.gleim.com/PL314 http://www.gleim.com/PL314 http://www.aopa.org/lifestyles http://www.aopa.org/lifestyles
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2015

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