The tenth Talons Over Cordoba was a celebration of a decade of the finest flying and aircraft assembled from all over the world. Attracting over 450,000 visitors during the fortnight the Talons over Cordoba Contest has been another big success with a record breaking crowd. This year Talons was again held at the Cordoba Air Base to limit disruption at the airport. Most of the resident unit, Aerea Regimenta No1, has moved to Mercedes Air Base but two squadrons of I-02 Pulqui fighters remained. Once again this international event is a chance for the best pilots in the world to show off their skills allied with the best fighters available and it is now the world’s foremost fighter exhibition. Air forces from across the world fly and compete to be the best while showing off their latest fighters and comparing them against the best available elsewhere.
The exhibition display area once again attracted many companies eager to make sales. FMA (Fabrica Militar de Aviones) had a large exhibition in one of the hangars with the four prototype I-02 and I-02-II fighters which flew demonstrations most days, four I.Ae 22 advanced trainers were also flown during the event and a production four-engined FMA I.Ae 7 airliner in Aeravias Argentinas S.A. colours that made several flypasts during the event. The I.Ae.20 El Boyero (The Herdsman) two-seat light cabin aircraft was also on display and made some breathtaking short take-off and landing displays. Chile has sent two flying examples of the latest Constellacion Condor: one of the Serie-400 with FMA radial engines, and one of the Serie-410 "African Condors" with the French Clerget diesel radial engines. Chile also showed off the latest ENAER N1E-3 Coati advanced trainer and a production Alicanto. Also on display was a small model of the future Zafiro trainer. France sent four Bloch MB.1050 Milans, four VG.60 Revenants, two Breguet Br.890 Épaulard dive bombers, two Latécoère Late-550 Épaulard torpedo bombers and a Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 400 floatplane. Some of these flew during the event as well. Also a pair of chartered Air France MB.970 Transatlantique airliners flew into Cordoba airport from Europe via Dakar and Brazil. They were available for tours during Talons. Nordmark had single examples of the Saab F-21 Mk 1 and Orkan Mk 4 fighters on display and the VL Puuska light fighter was flown. From America Grumman, Curtiss, Boeing and Bell all sent display items and flew several demonstrators. The usual German firms in attendance included Dornier, Heinkel, Junkers and Focke-Wulf. From Britain Supermarine were displaying two brand-new Spitfire Mk IVs. Hawker flew a display Typhoon and Tornado and had a scale model of the new Tempest as on show as well. Fairey brought a Firefly carrier fighter and made several excellent flying displays with it. From Atlantis both Spartan and Accrisius brought a dozen aircraft between them.
As usual the best fighter pilots in the Fuerza Aerea Argentina made a spectacular aerial aerobatic display every day of the contest in their blue and white FMA I-02 Pulqui fighters. Japan sent a display team only this year. The Navy sending the 11. Air Demonstration Squadron "Blue Impulse" (a.k.a. "The Air Demonstration Squadron Formerly Known as Manzo's Flying Circus").
All contesting pilots have been assigned numbers in the order of application and nationality has not been a factor in the order given.
No 1 Major de Aero Antonio Valdez, commander of Squadron 1/2 of the 1st Grupo of Aerea Regimenta No1 based at Cordoba [two confirmed kills in the South American War], he is flying his personal silver FMA I-02 Pulqui C/N1044 with a blue tail for the third time at Talons.
No 2 Major de Aero Horatio Cisco, commander of Squadron 1/1 of the 1st Grupo Aerea Regimenta No 6 based at San Miguel de Tucuman makes his debut at Talons flying his personal all-black FMA I-02-II Pulqui C/N 1020 powered by a 1,500hp FMA-Spartan V-12 engine.
No 3 Flt. Lt. Bob Stanford Tuck returns to Talons and he is flying a standard production Spitfire F.Mk.III EN780 powered by a 1,100hp RR Merlin IV V-12 engine.
No 4 Flt. Lt. James Edgar "Johnnie" Johnson makes his debut to Talons flying Spitfire F.Mk.III EN791 powered by a 1,100hp RR Merlin IV V-12 engine.
No 5 Captain Robert (Bobby) Gibbes returns again for Australia and is flying the tenth production CAC-54 fighter powered by a Rolls-Royce Vulture engine with a pusher propeller and twin booms
No 6 Captain Roberts also returns to represent Australia and is flying the eleventh production CAC-39 Monarch twin Rolls-Royce Peregrine powered Libellula tandem-wing airship fighter
No 7 Rear Admiral Carlos Castillo Breton is representing Mexico again this year at Talons for the Armada de Mexico. He is a highly experienced pilot and is the head of the naval aviation school. He is flying an all-black C-2 Centellas (Mitsubishi J2M2 Raiden) fighter
No 8 First Lieutenant Joachim Edid is the second Armada de Mexico pilot, he too returns for a second year at Talons and is also flying an all-black C-2 Centellas (Mitsubishi J2M2 Raiden) fighter
No 9 RCNAS Cmdr. Reginald Antilles of the 65th Fighter Group returns this year to represent Canada and he is flying a production Burnelli Aviation CF-38b twin-engined fighter powered by two 2,000hp Orenda Oneida II V-12 engines in standard RCNAS livery, named "Cannon Spike."
No 10 RCNAS Cmdr Mark Stele of the 181st Fighter Group returns to represent Canada for the sixth time and is again flying the forty-sixth production Avro Canada CF-12 Viper fighter powered by a 1,750hp Orenda Oneida III V-12 in a pusher configuration, painted in standard 181st Fighter group livery (including red striping) and named "Doom On You."
No 11 Comandante Gaspar Alencar of the Marinha Imperial debuts for Brazil and is the fighter squadron commander on board the aircraft carrier Brazil. He is flying his personal BL-01 Tufão (Typhoon) (Bloch M.B.1050 Milan) fighter, named Rodando Dançarino (Twirling Dancer), which for the competition is painted in Dark Blue and Medium Grey with the control surfaces stylised with the Brazilian Flag as well as a painting of a traditional Portuguese dancer in a green, yellow and blue dress on the nose. The recent death of the Brazilian king is honoured by black bands on the rear fuselage and wings of both BL-01 fighters.
No 12 Capitão Manoel Santos, also of the Marinha Imperial is another debut for Brazil. He is the currently second in command of the Brazil's fighter squadron, but his transfer to the new aircraft carrier currently under refit in Greece as fighter group commander has been confirmed. He is flying a BL-01 Tufão with the same general paint scheme as Comandante Alencar's aircraft with a life-like painting of a young Brazilian woman wearing a very skimpy swimsuit in Brazilian national colours on the nose along with the text Coisa pequena minúscula (Tiny Little Thing).
No 13 Captain Kamol Arthit is representing Thailand for the second time at Talons and the Navy pilot is flying a standard Italian Re-2001 fighter again.
No 14 Major Amnuay Jainukul of the Royal Thai Air Force makes his debut appearance at Talons. He is currently assigned to the Thai Air Force's premier squadron and is the leader of the Air Force's demonstration team. He was one of the first pilots to convert to the Fw-190 and he is flying a standard Fw-190A in standard Thai markings while, the nose bears a traditional picture of a monkey in pink and gold.
No 15 Oberleutnant Heinrich Bär returns to represent Germany from Jagdgeschwader 51, flying a Focke Wulf Fw-190A powered by a BMW 801 radial engine.
No 16 Stabsfeldwebel Anton Hafner also returns to Talons and is also from Jagdgeschwader 51 and is flying an identical Focke Wulf Fw-190A.
No 17 Captain Mihailo Bodi from No.62 Squadron makes a debut for Yugoslavia’s first showing at Talons and he is flying a standard camouflaged Soko Jastreb fighter
No 18 Lieutenant Djorde Popovic, also of No.62 Squadron is another newcomer to Talons and he too is flying a standard Soko Jastreb.
No 19 Captain Andreas Schrieber returns this year to represent Denmark and is flying a white production DAF(s)4v3 Falcon III twin-boom swept-wing fighter powered by a 1,850hp Hispano-Suiza V-12 engine.
No 20 Lt. Bo Qvist returns for Denmark and is flying a red production DAF(s)4v3 Falcon III fighter.
No 21 Capt. José María Bravo Fernandez-Hermosa, senior instructor at the Ejército del Aire's Advanced Air Combat School returns yet again flying a red Focke Wulf Fw-190 A-1 fighter powered by a BMW-801 radial engine.
No 22 Capt. Fernando Sanchez-Arjona Courtoy, senior test pilot at the Ejército del Aire's flight testing squadron returns for Iberia flying a camouflaged Focke Wulf Fw-190 A-1 fighter.
No 23 Enseigne de vaisseau de première classe Roger Sauvage, a black West Indian (Martinique) pilot is France’s latest new pilot to fly at Talons. Sauvage has attended the FAR Aerial Warfare School in Limoges and graduated fifth in the Class of 1940 and then was assigned to Flotille 32F to assist their transition to the new M.B.1050 and he has logged more flight hours in the Milan than any other pilot aside from Bloch's chief test pilot. He is flying a standard Bloch M.B.1050 Milan fighter.
No 24 Capitaine Edmond Marin La Meslee returns to Talons for the second time, he was recently promoted to the command of Escadron de chasse 01.002 "Cigognes" and is flying a standard Arsenal VG.60 Revenant fighter powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Z V-12 engine.
No 25 Comandante de Escuadrilla Carlos Matta, commander of 110 Escuadrón, 3rd Fighter Regiment, makes his third Talons appearance, his ENAER-built I-02 Pulqui fighter is named "Laura Fiora II" for his wife and is painted in the stock-standard Chilean desert camouflage.
No 26 Capitan de Corbeta (Lt. Com.) Patricio Mistral makes his fourth Talons appearance. He has now served for two years as an instructor at the FAR Aerial Warfare School in Limoges and this year he is flying the new Chilean-built ENAER F4E-2 Corsair fighter.
No 27 Flt. Capt. Bertus Brase is a newcomer representing the SAE. He is the squadron leader of No. 210 Squadron, during the war in South America where he was credited with six confirmed victories. He is flying a production radial-engined Walter F-11C Falcon fighter named "Slightly Dangerous" and painted in green and light grey.
No 28 Flt. Capt. Emil Trubshaw is another newcomer for the SAE. He is squadron leader of No. 78 Squadron in Buenos Aires and started his career flying the A-18 Havik light bomber during the early stages of the South American war before he became a fighter pilot and achieved two confirmed kills in air-to-air combat. He is flying his personal JFM F-12D Sparrow "Shady Lady" newly painted with a white forward fuselage, red tail aft of her cockpit section and a fine nose art on her cowling.
No 29 Colonel Fabris "Jester" Lavidicus, the commander of the Atlantean Air Force adversary training squadron, returns again to represent Atlantis and he is flying the sixty-eighth production Spartan SP-35 "Viper" in an all-over red scheme.
No 30 Lt. Colonel Tyrus "Bulldog" Hadrian also again returns to Talons, this year he is flying the tenth production Spartan Sp-40A “Spirit II” fighter, a Spartan-built I-02-11 Pulqui powered by a 1,500hp Spartan V-12 engine and painted red overall.
No 31 Yarbay (Lieutenant Colonel, squadron commander) Sabiha Gökçen returns to Talons representing Turkey and is flying the twelfth Heinkel He-100 B-6 fighter to be delivered to Turkey painted in a fetching red and black scheme.
No 32 Vecihi Hürku also returns again representing Turkey and is flying the twenty-ninth Heinkel He-100 B-6 fighter to be delivered to Turkey in natural metal finish.
No 33 Major Henry Pillichody, representing Colombia again this year, is flying a production Spartan Sp-35 Viper pained in the national colours.
No 34 Teniente Delfín Torres Duran also returns to represent Colombia this year and is flying his usual black Ripon-Bloch RB.132 "Renegade II" fighter.
No 35 Captain Kenan Sunay returns to Talons to represent Byzantium flying a new Spartan Sp-40 “Spirit” fighter, a Spartan-built I-02 Pulqui painted purple and red
No 36 Flight Lieutenant Nurettin Tural after a break returns to Talons to represent Byzantium and he is also flying a Spartan Sp-40 “Spirit” fighter in standard camouflage.
No 37 Episminagos (Squadron Leader) Ionnis Leventis represents Greece for the second time for Greece. Leventis is leader of 4 Sqn based in Tanagra and is again flying a Boulton Paul P.94 powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine.
No 38 Capitano Barton from the Scuola Bergamini in Italy makes his Talons debut in a production Fiat Centauro Serie III which is the latest production type. The performance is similar to the previous Serie II but the agility at high speeds is markedly improved by the introduction of spring-tab ailerons and a revision to the power-assisted elevator.
No 39 Capitano Sacconi is another Scuola Bergamini graduate and he is also making a debut at Talons and is flying an identical Fiat Centauro Serie III.
No 40 Second Lieut. Charles H. MacDonald, USAAF, makes his debut for the United States flying a Lockheed P-49 twin-engined fighter.
No 41 Second Lieut Gregory Boyington, US Marine Corps, is another newcomer to Talons and he is flying an F4U FG-1.
No 42 Group Captain Otto Larsen returns to Talons from his desk job to represent Nordmark again and is flying his favourite mount, a specially painted yellow and blue SAAB F-21 Mk 1 pusher-engined fighter.
No 43 Lieutenant Ilmari Juutilainen, a young and promising pilot makes his third appearance at Talons for Nordmark flying a camouflaged SAAB F-21 Mk 1 pusher-engined fighter.
No 44 Porucik (Senior Lieutenant) Lidiya Ivanova returns to Talons yet again to represent Bulgaria, this year she again flying a Fairey Firefly Mk I fighter powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon V-12 engine
No 45 Kapitan Dobri Kolarov returns to Talons to represent Bulgaria flying a Supermarine Spitfire III roughly identical to those of the RAF team
No 46 Capitan Maurice Huber returns to represent Switzerland this flying the sixth production example of the brand-new EKW D-3802 fighter with a 1,250hp Saurer YS-2 V-12 engine and painted in a fetching red and white scheme Swiss flag scheme.
No 47 Lt. Marcel Gehrig is a newcomer to Talons and is also representing Switzerland flying the twelfth production EKW D-3802 fighter painted in standard Swiss camouflage
No 48 Kapitán Karel Kuttelwascher is representing Czechoslovakia for the third time this year flying the twenty-eighth production Fokker-Avia B-139 fighter powered by a 1,450hp Minerva-Avia 105 V-12 inline engine.
GROUPS
The groups are arranged according to engine horsepower to make the events closer and to give the lower-end fighters a chance to shine.
Group 1 Numbers 40, 9, 5, 11, 12, 23 (MacDonald, Antilles, Gibbes, Alencar, Santos, Sauvage)
Group 2 Numbers 44, 26, 27, 19, 20, 41 (Ivanova, Mistral, Brase, Schrieber, Qvist, Boyington)
Group 3 Numbers 7, 8, 38, 39, 6, 10 (Breton, Edid, Barton, Sacconi, Peters, Stele)
Group 4 Numbers 14, 15, 16, 24, 21, 22 (Jainukul, Bär , Hafner, La Meslee, Ferdandez-Hermosa, Courtoy)
Group 5 Numbers 28, 2, 29, 30, 33, 42 (Trubshaw, Cisco, Lavidicus, Hadrian, Pillichody, Larsen)
Group 6 Numbers 43, 48, 31, 32, 1, 25 (Juutilainen, Kuttelwascher, Gökçen, Hürku, Valdez, Matta)
Group 7 Numbers 35, 36, 37, 46, 47, 17 (Sunay, Tural, Lenventis, Huber, Gehrig, Bodi)
Group 8 Numbers 18, 34, 3, 4, 45, 13 (Popovic, Duran, Tuck, Johnson, Kolarov, Arthrit)