THE SMIRNOFF INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC TEAM
The Smirnoff International Aerobatic team is lead by Dennis Spence, a South African Airways Boeing 747 Training Captain with more than 16000 flying hours, of which 2500 is on the Pitts Special. Flying the second aircraft is Glen Warden, an Ex South African Air Force Mirage Fighter Pilot with more than 8500 flying hours, flying the third aircraft is Steve Heugh , a South African Airways Boeing 747 co-pilot, with over 9000 flying hours and an ex member of the South African Air Force Silver Falcons Aerobatic Team.
The aircraft they fly are Pitts Special S2B,s powered by 260 horse power engines and are capable of all aerobatic maneuvers including sustained inverted flight.
These aircraft are also known as the " Ferrari of the skies" because of their fantastic performance, incidentally they have the same power to weight ratio of the aircraft that the team members fly for South African Airways.
The daring maneuvers that they perform are breath taking close formation aerobatics and the famous mirror image, where the one aircraft flies inverted and the other formates underneath it, the wings just a few meters apart !!
SMIRNOFF VODKA has sponsored the team since 1986 and only in 1990 did the second aircraft join the team to enhance the displays.
In 1993 the team made its International Africa debut and has been seen at air shows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Kenya, performing for Kings, Presidents and other dignitaries.
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This was just the beginning, and as South Africa was accepted back into the International Community, so was the demand for the team. They returned to Kenya again in 1994, 1995 and 1996 giving displays along the magnificent East Coast at Mombassa and Malindi, before attending the Aero Club of East Africa Annual Air Show at Wilson Airport in Nairobi.
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In May 1995 they flew at Airday '95, in Harare, Zimbabwe, and the Maputo Air Show in August 1995 celebrating the Centenary of the rail link between South Africa and Mozambique. In October 1995 the Team was in Harare again at the Air Force of Zimbabwe Air Tattoo, and had the honor to display at an event with the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team.
In December 1996, a third Pitts S2B joined the Team and the first three-ship formation display took place at the Cape Town Waterfront over the Christmas Period.
The team again visited Kenya in September 1997, for the Nairobi International Air Show, and for the first time ever, a civilian formation Aerobatic Team visited Uganda and gave two shows along the shores of Lake Victoria at the Entebbe Beach Resorts.
In July 2000, the sponsorship was renewed by SMIRNOFF for another year, bringing into it's 16th year of operation.
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This is now the longest running single sponsorship of any Aerobatic Team in the world.
For more information on the team, contact Dennis Spence at: aerobat
The Smirnoff Aerobatic Team also have their own website up and running - visit them at: http://www.aerobat.co.za
All of the above pictures are from the late Herman Potgieters collection.
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| This page was created by:
Dennis Spence
aerobat
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