Face it. For your air show, what you want, what you need is a JET! Nothing else will do. Nothing else grabs the crowd like a big, fast-moving kerosene burner. Nothing else will put your show into the big time or keep it there like a jet act. A small or new air show needs something to draw the crowds. A large, established air show needs something new to keep the fans coming back.  

Firecat is your answer.

THE PLANE...

Firecat is a sleek, modern jet, an Aero Vodochody L-39.  Nothing old or out dated, it is a current production military aircraft with all the performance and reliability that implies. To this pedigree, add one of the wildest skinpaints anywhere, a great aerial act choreographed to music, and you’ve got a feature act for your show. Take a look at the photos again. Have you ever seen a more eye-catching paint scheme? Can’t you just picture the Firecat on your air show posters?!

In its former life behind the Iron Curtain, the Firecat was a light attack fighter and trainer called the L-39 Albatros. In its present life in the good ol’ US of A, it’s the Firecat , and it’s like no jet your audience has ever seen!

Firecat has two seats and nearly 4000 pounds of thrust to move those seats along at near sonic speeds. It’s an imposing aircraft: 40 feet of engine, cockpit and streamlining and 31 feet of dagger tipped wings. It stands almost 16 feet tall. It is fast, maneuverable, impressive and (ahem) visible.  Firecat is your showplane.

The Pilot... 

Rich Perkins, pilot of the Firecat, is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and owner of Attitude Aviation, the largest aerobatic school in the western U.S.  A highly decorated U-2 reconnaissance pilot, Rich has flown classified spy missions at altitudes so high he had to wear a space suit.  He taught fledgling pilots to master supersonic jets as a T-38 Talon instructor pilot, and later taught high performance pilots to be high performance instructors.  He has flown tactical missions all over the world in the C-130 Hercules.  Not new to Soviet aircraft, Rich has flown advanced aerobatics in his own Yak 55M, instructs in Yak 52’s and the L-39, and is one of only a dozen or so pilots in the US qualified in the Yak 54.  He holds the highest aviation ratings in both the civilian and military worlds, the Airline Transport Pilot license (for both land-based and seaplanes) and US Air Force Command Pilot wings.  He has flown over a hundred different aircraft, including the largest single pilot jet in the world, and the smallest.  He has flown so high the altitude is classified, so low radar couldn't track him.  He has flown faster than a speeding bullet, slower than he’d like to admit, and even backwards.  He has set unofficial time to climb, endurance and altitude records in classified aircraft.  And he has loved it all.  For Rich, flying air shows is a way of sharing with others his love of flying and the joy of all that he has experienced.

Rich is an aerospace engineer by training, a pilot by profession and an artist by nature.  Given the practicality of most engineers and pilots, many are surprised to learn that Rich is a published author, an accomplished photographer and a talented musician.  As one valued friend put it, "Rich is not just a creative pilot; Rich is an artist who learned to fly."

The sky is his stage, his canvas, his clean sheet of paper.  He weaves precision aerobatics with power, artistry and music to create an experience you will never forget.

Crew Chief For a Day

Our "Crew Chief For a Day" program has been a big hit with sponsors. They are given a crew polo shirt and baseball cap. They spend the entire day with us. They attend the briefing, preflight, servicing, sit in the rear cockpit during any engine runs or taxi ops, and launch and recovery the Firecat.   They get to do it all. In addition they will accompany the team to the chalets and autograph tent.

Firecat Team

Rich Perkins  Performer	Marilyn Bedford  Marketing, GIB	Leigh Whitten  Marketing

Airshow Gallery

Hot Line	Briefing Announcer	In Flight	Going Vertical
Bottom of Loop	7 Point Roll	Negative G's	Low Pass
Gear Down	Landing	Talking to Spectators	Autograph Tent
	Happy Spectator

 

WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY....

2 aerobatic performances per show day--more if you need it.  We're there to fly for you.

2 media/sponsor rides per media day.

A Crowd Friendly Team.  We actively participate in the ground side of your show.  We don't show up just in time to fly, then disappear.  We're there all day, every day of the show.  We work the crowd line, sign autographs, let people take photos by the aircraft, visit your sponsors, you name it--anything to keep your customers, sponsors and media happy.  We want you to want us back!

Beneficial Sponsor Exposure: decals on plane and signage with the plane on the ground to promote your sponsors.  We can place promotional signs strategically around Firecat when it is on static display.  We can put your sponsor's logo on the Firecat.  This requires some lead time and some additional money, but won't your sponsor love it?!

Complete media kits

Assistance with sponsor promotion

WHAT WE NEED TO DO THE JOB....

Mileage: $2.00/mile (straight line) from Livermore, CA 100 gallons of Jet A or JP8 per performance 12 gallons of smoke oil (Corvis or equivalent) per performance. Top off fuel & smoke oil on departure 1 medium size rental car with a lockable trunk 2 hotel rooms 2006 Fee $6995 (for 1 or 2 day show, plus 1 media/sponsor day)

Rich Perkins and Firecat
will make your show The Best! 

Contact us for availability and details.

Contact Firecat Aerial Productions

299 W. Jack London Blvd.

Livermore, CA, USA

Ph. 925-456-2276 Fax 925-456-2201

Email: info@firecatjet.com or AttAvJRP@aol.com

These dates and venues may change.