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GONZALO O'KELLY
Gonzalo O’Kelly adquirió el Yak 52 EC-IAM en 1999. Es presidente y miembro fundador de la Patrulla Jacob 52 y hasta la fecha acumula más de 20.000 horas de vuelo, de las cuales más de 400 son en su Yak 52.
En 1972 ingresó en la Academia del Aire y a posteriormente realizó varios cursos (vuelo instrumental, Caza y Ataque), y completó 2300 horas de vuelo de las que 1900 son en Caza.
Formó parte de la primera plantilla de Spanair en 1988 volando los aviones MD-80, Boeing 767 y Airbus 320/321.
Se retiró en 2012 pero sigue al frente de la asociación Jacob 52
JUANJO BARTA
From Madrid, Spain, Patrick is a charismatic pilot and one of the most experienced on the team, with almost 20 years of aerobatic and formation flying experience on the Yak 52.
In 2022 he was selected to be the flight leader of the YAKSTARS and he is the first pilot with no previous military flying experience leading the team, which reveals his capacity and talent.
He loves everything related to the air. Since his childhood he wanted to be a pilot, making his dream come true in 1996 when he obtained his SE and ME private pilot license. Since then he has been accumulating as much experience as possible, flying all kinds of airplanes, including single-engines, multi-engines, tailwheels, radials, Citation Jets and highly aerobatic aircraft like the Extra 300 and 330.
Patrick is also the team manager of Juan Velarde's professional racing team, a well known and respected Red Bull Air Racing Pilot.
TOMAS CASTRO
Nico was born in Mallorca, Spain, from an Irish/Canadian family. In his ground life, he is co-founder and Managing partner of a technology venture capital firm called Adara Ventures.
Nico started flying gliders at very young age in Boston while studying Aerospace Engineering at MIT and transitioned to powered flight in Paris when he began his professional career. Throughout his aeronautical life, Nico has continuously flown as a competition and display pilot. He has flown more than 20 different types of aircraft and is qualified in 15.
Nico shares a passion for formation flying with the rest of the YAKSTARS team. Since 2022 he flies the “Blue Devil” as #2 (right wing).
JAVIER "CURU" PEREZ
Javier Cruz Pérez es otro miembro de nuestra patrulla. Acumula 3300 horas en el Ejército del Aire, en las que 3000 son en aviones de caza. En la actualidad es Comandante de Spring Airlines (Shangay, China).
Llegó a Jacob 52 en 2011 como copropietario de Yak52EC-IAR. Además vuela el avión acrobático VansRV-7 y diversos tipos de ultraligeros de los que es instructor.
Hasta la fecha acumula más de 9000 horas de vuelo en quince modelos distintos de avión.
PEDRO CERVEIRA PINTO
From Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain, Manuel Rey Cordeiro, affectionally known as "Coco", is the team's lead solo, position that he has been occupying for more than 15 years. He also flies in the slot position.
Coco is one of the most talented and versatile pilots in Spain and Portugal, being able to fly commercial jets like Airbuses, extreme aerobatic aircraft like the Sukhoi SU-29M, Extra 300/330, Cap 10, Yak 52 and a wide range of single engine and multi-engine aircraft, ULMs, para-gliders, hang-gliders, etc. And he is also a parachutist!
In his daily life, he is a A319/320/321 captain flying for Vueling.
JORGE FACHADAS
Fernando was born in Aveiro, but raised in Alenquer, Portugal, has logged over 19,000 flight hours, with more than 3,000 in formation flight aerobatics and low level aerobatics. With the YAKSTARS he flies in the slot position and Left Outer wing. When required he also leads the flight team.
He graduated from the Portuguese Air Force Academy and earned his pilot wings after attending the Undergraduate Pilot Training in the USAF. In the Air Force he flew Chipmunk, T-3ormances under his belt, flying all kinds of airplanes ranging from military jets, Extras 300/330, Pitts Specials, Yaks, RVs, Huskys, etc. He also displays the Antonov AN-2, the largest single engine biplane ever built.
DAVID JIMENEZ
Yakstar 6
Flight Positions: Solo, Left & Right Outer Wing
David is native of Madrid, Spain, and is the team's opposing solo, performing a synchronization duo with "Coco". He also flies in the Left and Right Outer Wing.
His passion for aviation was seeded at the age of 11 when his father took him to the sky for the first time. Since then, he has barely set foot out of an aircraft or away from an airfield.
He obtained his first pilot license still as a teenager and soon after that he started practicing aerobatic flying. Flying a Sukhoi SU-29M and the Yak 52, he competed in several aerobatic championships and was crowned champion in several categories.
Professionally, and throughout the years, he was able to accumulate more than 10,000 flight hours and qualified in several corporate and commercial aircraft like the Cessna Citation 525, Learjet 35, Bombardier Global Express 6000, Boeing B757 and more recently as a Captain and Instructor (TRI) on the Airbus 320, 330 and 340 families.
EMILIO RANZ
Safety Supervisor & Reserve Pilot
From Madrid, Spain, Emilio is the team's safety supervisor and is a reserve pilot qualified to fly in any flying position.
With more than 20,000 flight hours, he started flying the Yak 52 in 1999 and he has been acting as formation flying supervisor and was one of the first pilots flying in the aerobatic team, more than 15 years ago.
He started his aviation career with gliders at the early age of 15. Later on he joined the Spanish Air Force and flew and qualified in an incredible amount of airplane types: T-34 Mentor, T-6 Texan, HA-200 E-14 Saeta, F-5B, F-4C/RF-4C and EF-18A. He was also selected to participate at the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB where he qualified as Experimental Test Pilot (ETP). In this tour he flew the T-37, T-38, F-4D/E, F-15B/D, F-16B, AV-8, A-7D/E, T-2 Buckeye, C-130, C-141, P-3, just to name a few. He retired from the Air Force as squadron leader and ETP on EF-18A.
In his Civilian life he flew for Spanair and Air Arabia. As a Captain, he had the opportunity to fly as a Technical Pilot and LTC on the McDonnell Douglas MD-82/83/87 and as Technical Pilot and TRI on the Airbus A320/321. He was also a Fairchild Dornier FD728/928 Project Test Pilot.
MIGUEL SALAS
Team Support & Coordination
Miguel was born in Reus, Catalonia, but has been living the most part of his life in Madrid, Spain. With over 20,000 flight hours, he is a dedicated team supporter, working very closely with the Chief Pilot.
He started his flying career as a military pilot and then progressed to be an airline pilot with Iberia. As a Captain, he flew the A320, A330, A340 and A350 aircraft and was able to be qualified as an instructor and examiner for all of them.
Miguel is an accomplished aerobatic, airshow and racing pilot and has been flying the Yak 52 since 2004. During this time he participated in several aerobatic and racing competitions, including the Copa Triangular, CEVA and Air Races.
Passionate for vintage aircraft, Miguel is also a member of the prestigious "Infante de Orleans" Foundation, a flying museum at Madrid - Cuatro Vientos, where he enjoys flying the Polikarpov Po-2, a soviet biplane rebuilt in 1956.
CARLOS SARAIVA
Reserve Pilot
From Porto, Portugal, Carlos is Engineer by qualification, Entrepreneur by vocation and Aviator by passion.
Carlos has developed an interest in airplanes still as teenager and was able to solo gliders at the age of 18 and has been passionate about aviation ever since.
Throughout his 38-year aviation career, Carlos has devoted himself to excellence in the air and was able to log over than 8,500 flight hours in several dozens of aircraft types, including gliders, ultralights, tailwheels, single-engines, multi-engines, radials and business jets. At the moment he is qualified and flies regularly in more than 20 different aircraft types, including the Yak 52, Cessna Citation 501, Antonov 2, Beechcraft Bonanza, Stemme S10-VT and PZL-101. He also flies as a Captain on the Cessna Citation 501SP and Citation CJ3.
As an aviation enthusiast and eager to develop his flying skills, Carlos is also completely addicted with aerobatic and formation flying being one of the newest members of the YAKSTARS Display Team, having the Reserve pilot role.
