There is a new and fun way to fly, and even better, to experience a real dog fight. This amazing flying experience is done in France. If you dreamed about being a fighter pilot, this new experience is for you. With real fighter pilots, you will learn to fly a specially designed and adapted ultra light and engage in a dogfight. This is a truly awsome experience that you can find with Tematis, the specialist in extraordinary trips and experiences. Here is what they say: Become a fighter pilot for a day. Engage your enemy during a laser air combat dogfight in France. This is a unique aerial combat experience, done over the vineyards of Bordeaux. After a full morning briefing about flying techniques and air combat, you will be the top gun pilot engaging in a real dogfight. Each aircraft is equipped with a laser targeting system and smoke system. Aim, shoot, and see your rival aircraft smoke as you hit the plane. This amazing experience is done near Bordeaux in France. Course of the experience You will be welcomed from 9h00 for breakfast Meet the fighter pilots Morning briefing: flying techniques, presentation of the aircrafts, dogfight and aerial combat techniques Lunch: eat with the team (cost at your expense) Afternoon: two flights per person. Each flight last between 40mn to 1hour depending on resistance and strength of participants. Live a unique and extraordinary experience as you engage in a real air combat experience. Each flight follows a mission designed from the start of the flight – see below the variety of missions you can choose from. Late afternoon: debrief. Drinks. 1st mission : The planes take-off within 10s of each other Tight formation flying (1 to 2m) Evolutions in formation flight Follow your leader – one aircraft follows the other within 3s, in formation (enables to get practice for future combat maneuvers) – then switch roles Offensive set-up: Plane 2 positions itself 100m and 45° behind Plane 1: fight is on. Learn to master trajectories and targeting. When Plane 2 is hit, switch positions. Various offensive set-up are repeated. Demonstration of a dogfight by the fighter pilots Back to the airfield in formation flight Landing Debrief 2nd mission: The planes take-off within 10s of each other Tight formation flying (1 to 2m) Offensive set-ups: 2 set-ups are done per person Face to face set-up Back to the airfield in formation flight Landing Debrief For security reasons, controls of the aircraft are held by the fighter pilot when in Leader position. Check out for more: http://uk.tematis.com/aerial-combat-dogfight.html

We have been offline for a while, because we have been flying our jet fighter too much ! We were a bit frustrated as our L39 Albatros went for maintenance, then the weather kept being bad, but now, it’s all clear! The weather is fine again and we are having a lot of fun flying the jet around. You have been many to fly with us since the beginning and we thank you for the support and the passion that drives you. Thank you also for the pics and videos we have received, we will try to put them online soon! Meanwhile, we are waiting for all of you – who haven’t flown yet or wanting to fly again. Do not hesitate to contact us by telephone or email. We will do our best to reply as soon as possible. Let’s fly jet fighters!

The pilot of the Aero Vodochody L39 that crashed near the Boulder City Airport has been identified as Douglass E. Gilliss, 65 of Solano Beach, Calif., according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The passenger on board, as reported by the LVRJ, was Richard A. Winslow, 65, of Palmdale, Calif. According to Red Steel Jet Team spokesperson, Gilliss was flying out of Boulder City for California where he was schedule to take a commercial flight to Kansas City, Mo. for an air show. The pilot of a jet fighter plane that crashed near Boulder City Friday has been identified as Douglas Gilliss by members of the Red Steel Jet Team, of which Gilliss was a member. A note posted on Red Steel’s Facebook page Saturday morning stated “Yesterday just outside of Boulder City, NV we lost Doug in an air plane crash on his way to Van Nuys, California…Doug's aviation resume is and will remain one of the most respected in the industry.” The accident occurred Friday around 12:30 p.m. about a half-mile west of the Boulder City Airport. According to Federal Aviation Administration, a Czech-made Aero Vodochody L39 jet crashed for unknown reasons in a mostly barren desert area near a string of power lines. Local authorities have confirmed that two people aboard the plane were killed, but have not officially identified either victim. According to his profile on Red Steel’s website, Gilliss was a former United States Air Force Pilot who flew more than 5,800 hours during his 30-year career. He was a certified FAA safety counselor and had developed and taught curriculum for the L-39. A second L39 jet that took off alongside Gillis’s jet Friday circled the airport and landed safely, witnesses said. Charles Nevel, a custodian at the airport, said he saw the planes take off in tandem. The jet that crashed peeled off and slowly descended before it went out of sight behind a building, he said. The same plane had safely taken off and landed earlier in the day, he said. According to employees at various businesses at the airport, some of whom monitor aircraft radio chatter, the jet experienced some sort of difficulty when taking off. Moments after a puff of smoke appeared, the pilot radioed “mayday!” before the aircraft crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead investigator in the accident, and will release a report of its findings in the coming weeks.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress April 30 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Japan for a possible sale of an initial four F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft with an option to purchase an additional 38 F-35 CTOL aircraft. The estimated cost is $10 billion. All aircraft will be configured with the Pratt and Whitney F-135 engines, and 5 spare Pratt and Whitney F-135 engines. Other Aircraft Equipment includes: Electronic Warfare Systems, Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence/Communication, Navigational and Identifications (C4I/CNI), Autonomic Logistics Global Support System (ALGS), Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), Flight Mission Trainer, Weapons Employment Capability, and other Subsystems, Features, and Capabilities, F-35 unique infrared flares, reprogramming center, and F-35 Performance Based Logistics. Also included: software development/integration, flight test instrumentation, aircraft ferry and tanker support, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $10 billion. Japan is one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific and a key ally of the United States in ensuring the peace and stability of this region. The U.S. Government shares bases and facilities in Japan. This proposed sale is consistent with these U.S. objectives and with the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. The proposed sale of aircraft and support will augment Japan’s operational aircraft inventory and enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s F-4 aircraft will be decommissioned as F-35’s are added to the inventory. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractors will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas, and Pratt and Whitney Military Engines in East Hartford, Connecticut. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to Japan involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, programs management, and training over a period of 15 years. U.S. contractor representatives will be required in Japan to conduct Contractor Engineering Technical Services (CETS) and Autonomic Logistics and Global Support (ALGS) for after-aircraft delivery.

Become a fighter pilot for a day. Engage your enemy during a laser air combat dogfight in France. This is a unique aerial combat experience, done over the vineyards of Bordeaux. After a full morning briefing about flying techniques and air combat, you will be the top gun pilot engaging in a real dogfight. Each aircraft is equipped with a laser targeting system and smoke system. Aim, shoot, and see your rival aircraft smoke as you hit the plane. This amazing experience is done near Bordeaux in France. CHeck out their page for more information: air combat

Tour dates to fly a jet fighter . We sometime like to travel and tour France to organise jet fighter rides at various locations, because it’s fun, and also because it gives us the opportunity to enjoy other sceneries. So here are a few other locations we will be flying from – on top of our everyday schedule: 3 MARCH: ABBEVILLE 1/2 APRIL: CAMBRAI 1/2/3/4 JUNE: MIMIZAN 12/13/14/15 OCTOBER: CLERMONT – FERRAND Note that in April and October, the dates are during an airshow, so it also fun to come and watch the show, and then get in the backseat to experience for yourself what it feels like to fly a jet fighter.

It’s almost the end of the year, so before we get to it, let us wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2011 has been a fantastic year for us. We are thrilled that so many people, sometimes from really far away, travelled to come and fly in our jet fighters. This means a lot to us as it fulfills our passion. We love to share our passion and you have been so many this year to encourage us. So here are a few pictures of 2011, and we hope you will come back with friends and families in 2011.

As each year since 1958, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has the most difficult task of tracking Santa. Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to phone calls and emails from children all around the world. In addition, they now track Santa using the Internet. Millions of people who want to know Santa’s whereabouts now visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website. NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa cams and fighter jets. Tracking Santa starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America. On December 24th, NORAD monitors the radar systems continuously for indications that Santa Claus has left the North Pole. The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, they use a second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat. Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allows the satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa. The third tracking system is the Santa cam network. NORAD began using it in 1998, which is the year they put the Santa Tracking program on the internet. Santa cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year – for sure. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world. The fourth system is made up of fighter jets. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15, F-16 or the F-22 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeers: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph. Now, how cool is that! Once data is collected on December 24th, it is then pushed into the Google Maps and Google Earth so that families all over the world can also follow Santa.

The Swiss army, who had a bit of spare cash to buy some brand new jet fighters, decided it would go with Saab’s Gripen. This jet fighter has proved to be one of the best exports of Sweden’s military industry. Sweden has many of them, but also do the UK, the Czech Republic, Thailand, South Africa, and now Switzerland. Added to the aircrafts are many layers of partnerships and technological transfer and support. So far so good, but the French who were pushing the Rafale on the deal, are now angry because they were not selected. And this is now a recurring problem for the French Rafale, who looks more and more the part of the nasty contender to whom you can only win. So why is it that the Rafale never sells ? Dassault’s latest jet fighter is a fantastic aircraft, but curiously it never manages to get the upside when a deal has to be closed. And this for 4 reasons. The 1st reason the Rafale does not sell is technology. The Rafale is a great plane, but not as advanced and technologically capable as the F-22 or F-35. The Rafale is not as good as these two, and when technology is a massive factor, the French jet does not come first. You have to mix this with the second reason: purchasing and operating costs. The Rafale is not as good as the F-22 or F-35, but it is almost as expensive to operate. So countries looking for a better deal will be tempted to opt for a similar aircraft, but cheaper, such as the Typhoon, Gripen, F-16, F-15… The 3rd reason is politics. And of course many countries can be easily pressurized in making choices. That explains why so many ex-soviet countries still buy MiGs and Sukhois. It explains also the fascination of some countries like the Emirates, South Korea and Saudi Arabia for US jet fighters. Interestingly, when politics is aside, such as with the Swiss, the natural choice falls back on cost effective aircrafts such as the Gripen. The 4th reason is that French technology is good. And that is also a problem as countries looking to upgrade at low cost can buy a Mirage. It will do the trick. And no need to ruin yourself buying a top of the range jet fighter to perform the same easy tasks. Are these the main 4 reasons why the Rafale does not sell ? The aircraft simply has not found its market. If, as a country, you are very rich, you may want the F-22 or F-35. If you are ok and looking for a great plane, you will be probably go for the Typhoon or Gripen. If you are average and looking for a great plane, you can get, F-16, F-15. If you are poor, get an old Mirage. So basically, all this just makes it even more difficult for Dassault to sell the Rafale.

Can a man fly on his own with two jet fighters alongside him ? Say again ? Yves Rossi, whose nickname is “The Jetman”, has just done that. And this is simply mind-blowing. Yves Rossi is not your traditional thrill seeking crazy man. For one thing, he is 52 years old, so one could say he has reached wise age. He has been a military pilot, flying Hawker Hunter and Mirage III with the Swiss Air Force, and then flying as an airline pilot. But The Jetman always had the dream of flying the more naturally and starting working a unique project. Yves has developed a unique 2.4m wide wing that he carries on his back, with a reactor that allows him to reach a speed of 300Kmh. The best, with the down force and speed, he can actually fly, gain altitude, turn, and truly behave like his body is an aircraft. In 2008, he crossed the Channel, then he tried to cross the Gibraltar straight but had to abort in flight because of bad weather. In May this year, he flew over Grand Canyon. And now, he has achieved another incredible milestone. He flew in formation with two jet fighters of the Breitling Team. The two jet fighters were flying at minimum speed, while Yves Rossi was pushing at max speed. The video is incredible and after that, we are just wondering what will be the Jetman’s next challenge.