The Breitling Jet Team was the largest civilian aerobatic display team in Europe. Based in Dijon , France , it flew seven Aero L-39 Albatros jets. The team flew a display lasting 18–20 minutes that included formation flying, opposition passes, solo routines, and synchronized maneuvers. The team performed across Europe and the Middle East, with multiple engagements per year, including international airshows and Breitling corporate events. Breitling withdrew sponsorship in 2019 and the team discontinued performances.
20-435: The Breitling Jet Team was established in early 2003 with four L-39s. With the addition of two aircraft in 2004 and three in 2008, the team now has a total of nine jets. The Team's roots go back to 1980. Jacques Bothelin, the team leader, began performing in airshows in 1980 with a French-designed Mudry CAP 10 aircraft. In 1982, he began to fly as part of a team of three SIAI-Marchetti SF260s sponsored by Martini . The team
40-603: A Swiss firm, Adia, forming Adecco . The team's name changed to Patrouille Adecco , and its colours shifted to Adecco's red and white. In 1998, the team suffered a setback when Adecco pulled out of its sponsorship. Jacques Bothelin and Philippe Laloix flew during 1999–2001 in two PC-7s as "Les Apaches"; the name was derived from the Apache Aviation firm. In late 2001, a group of Algerian companies founded by Rafik Khalifa offered to sponsor Apache Aviation. The PC-7s were sold, and L-39 jets arrived as their replacement. The new team
60-556: A far derivative was the most successful family of the Cap 23x competition single seaters. More than 200 were built, mostly for aero-clubs all around the world. A huge number of European champions have started aerobatics on a Cap 10. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89 General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Robin Aircraft Robin Aircraft
80-500: Is a French manufacturer of light aircraft . It succeeds to Centre-Est Aéronautique , Avions Pierre Robin and Apex Aircraft ( Avions Robin and Robin Aviation ). Centre-Est Aéronautique was formed by Pierre Robin and Jean Délémontez , the principal designer of Jodel aircraft, in October 1957. It began manufacturing aircraft at Darois , near Dijon , France . The first aircraft
100-646: Is the popular DR400, which is a wooden sport monoplane, conceived by Pierre Robin and Jean Délémontez . The Robin HR200 had a different designer, Chris Heintz , and is fully metallic unlike the wooden DR series. It is a light aerobatic aircraft aimed at flight training. The Robin R2000 series was developed from the HR200 and is produced as the Alpha 2000 by Alpha Aviation in Hamilton, New Zealand , since 2004. Avions Pierre Robin
120-549: The CAP 10C is produced by Robin Aircraft as the CAP 10C NG since 2021. The CAP 10 is one of the most successful aerobatic training aircraft in the world. About 200 aircraft are still flying in the late 2000s and nearly two generations of aerobatic champions made their classes with it. In the late 70's the CAP 10 was developed to the single seater family of the CAP 20 , 20L and 21. In the 1980s,
140-641: The DR401 aircraft, a DR400 upgraded with a glass cockpit , larger cockpit, electric trim and flaps, and available with several engine options. The company also offers the aerobatic aircraft CAP 10C NG, an updated version of the Mudry CAP 10 . The type certificate was transferred to CEAPR in 2015, and the first aircraft was delivered in 2021. Robin Aircraft reported bonding issues in seven batches of DR400 wing spars in December 2022. Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2022-0267-E
160-712: The Huntington Beach Airshow in Huntington Beach, California . On 15 September 2012, the Breitling Jet Team #2 crew had to eject, and the L-39 jet crashed on a field near Kleine Brogel Air Base . Nobody was injured. Mudry CAP 10 The Mudry CAP 10 is a two-seat training aerobatic aircraft first built in 1970 and still in production in 2007. The plane was developed from the Piel Super Emeraude and
180-627: The Robin Aircraft company's workforce to resume production of Robin and CAP aircraft. CEAPR already made or bought all the components for Robin and CAP aircraft and owns the land and the buildings at the facility in Darois, the Type Certificates and the Robin Aircraft name. CEAPR has Part APDOA, Part CAO and Part 21G. It has been operating in Darois for over sixty years with a core business of design and approvals, parts manufacture and maintenance. CEAPR
200-481: The advertising of alcohol forced Martini to withdraw its sponsorship. Ecco , a temporary employment agency, replaced Martini and the team was renamed Patrouille Ecco for the 1991 season. The team's colors changed from Martini's white to Ecco's green and white, and a fourth PC-7 was added. During the 1990s, Patrouille Ecco performed at airshows around Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. In 1997, Ecco merged with
220-775: The outfit to expand from four planes to the seven-ship formation it flies today. In 2015, the team embarked on a two-year tour of North America with performances at notable events like the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, the Vectren Dayton Air Show , Jones Beach, NY, Rhode Island, AirVenture at Oshkosh and the Abbotsford International Airshow as well as the Canadian International Air Show in Canada. Their final North American performance concluded on October 23, 2016 at
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#1732854916173240-425: Was acquired by Apex Aircraft of France in 1988. Aircraft continued to be manufactured at Darois under the names Avions Robin and Robin Aviation . By 2008, about half of the production were fitted with diesel engines supplied by Thielert. Thielert went into liquidation because of alleged fraud, cutting off the engine supply to Apex Aircraft. Thielert were taken over by a receiver, and the price of engines and parts
260-498: Was born as the CP100. The name changed to CAP 10, CAP for 'Constructions Aéronautiques Parisiennes'. The CAP 10 was manufactured by Mudry (name of its designer) in Bernay, France, bought by CAP Industries which then became Apex Aircraft . Following the bankruptcy of Apex in 2008, rights to produce spares were awarded to Dyn'Aviation. After the bankruptcy of DynAero in 2012, manufacture of spares
280-524: Was called Patrouille Martini , ( patrouille is French for 'patrol' or 'team'). Also at that time, Jacques Bothelin established Apache Aviation at the team's Darois home base to handle the operational aspects of running a full-time aerobatic team. The Martini Team flew for five years in the SF260s, until the team took delivery of Swiss-manufactured Pilatus PC-7s , in 1988. In 1990, new regulations in France banning
300-571: Was designed by Robin and Délémontez. It was based on the D10, a four-seater designed by Édouard Joly and Délémontez at Jodel, that was shelved when work on the Jodel D11 became more urgent. In collaboration with Robin it became the 'Jodel Robin'. It later became the DR100 model (Jodel's models all had D followed by a number). Robin and Délémontez continued to upgrade the design between 1957 and 1972. The DR100 range
320-480: Was increased. This pushed the price of finished aircraft too high for the market to bear, with the result that Apex Aircraft went into liquidation in 2008 . CEAPR, based in the same premises at Darois and responsible for making the components for Apex Aircraft, continued to supply parts . Aircraft manufacturing resumed in May 2011 under the name Robin Aircraft . (All type certificates are held by CEAPR.) The company offers
340-652: Was issued by EASA on 27 December 2022. This EAD was reviewed by EASA following submission of data that showed that all the wing spars exceeded their design specification. The Airworthiness Directive was finally cancelled on 12 June 2024. In their Cancellation Notice, EASA stated: "investigations carried out have shown that the bonding of the main wing spars…is acceptable and does not constitute an unsafe condition". The EAD nevertheless precipitated Robin Aircraft being placed in safeguard on 22 February 2023, in receivership on 12 September 2023 and in liquidation on 16 November 2023. In December 2023, however, CEAPR re-hired half of
360-449: Was known as the "Khalifa Jet Team", launching in March 2002, and making its airshow debut in May 2002. Over the summer of 2002, the team worked up from a two-ship formation to a four-aircraft team. Over the course of 2002, the team appeared at 43 events in six European countries. In early 2003, Khalifa pulled out of the sponsorship, and Breitling SA stepped in. The Breitling investment allowed
380-592: Was succeeded by the DR200 range. Production continued in November 1970 under the name Avions Pierre Robin . The Robin DR400 first flew in 1972 and is still in production. It has a tricycle undercarriage and can carry 4 people. The DR aircraft have the 'cranked wing' configuration, in which the dihedral angle of the outer wing is much greater than the inboard, a configuration which they share with Jodel aircraft. The best known today
400-564: Was taken over by CEAPR in Darois. The prototype C.P. 100 was first flown in August 1968 and was followed by the production variants, the CAP 10 and CAP 10B which had revised tail surfaces. The CAP 10 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of wooden construction, with the CAP 10C having a carbon sandwich wing spar. The engine is a 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming AEIO-360 fuel injection engine, fully lubricated in inverted flight. 300+ aircraft were built between 1970 and 2007 and an updated version of
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