Patrouille de France At SNF

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Sun ‘n Fun will have an international flavor again this year as the French air force demonstration team the Patrouille de France has confirmed it will perform at the fly-in, which runs from April 4-7. The Blue Angels are also performing at Lakeland. For the past two years, the Breitling Jet Team has performed at SNF. It will actually be the French team’s second U.S. stop. The colorful squad will start its North American tour at the Melbourne Air and Space Show on April 1-2. After SNF, the troupe heads to an airshow at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 8. No further U.S. dates have been announced but the team will appear at Wings Over Gatineau, just outside Ottawa, Ontario, on April 30 and there will likely be shows in the U.S. in the interim.

This is the first time in 31 years that the French team has appeared in North America. The full formation of the team is eight Dassault Dornier Alpha Jets, which they’ve used since 1981. The Patrouille de France is the world’s oldest military air demonstration team and was formed in 1931 using Stampe biplanes. The last time the team was in the U.S. was in 1986 where it marked the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty with a flypast. They’re celebrating their U.S. dates with new livery that is emblematic of the Stars and Stripes.

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