Rotores de Portugal

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The Rotores de Portugal (Rotors of Portugal) is a helicopter flight demonstration team created in 1976, operated by Esquadra 552 (552 Squadron) of the Portuguese Air Force out of Beja Air Base – BA11, Portugal. They are Portugal's national helicopter display team and use three Sud Aviation Alouette III.

1 History
2 Aircraft
3 Team
4 External Links

[edit] History

In 1976, the aerobatic team Rotores de Portugal was created by order of the Air Force Chief of Staff (CEMFA), with the objective to represent the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) in several festivals all over the country. The demonstration patrol that operates the Sud Aviation Alouette III for 18 years while integrated with the 102 Squadron Panchos executed a total of 41 demonstrations. By occasion of the 53rd PoAF anniversary, in 2005, the Rotores de Portugal were definitively reactivated, integrated with the 552 Squadron, based at Beja Air Base – BA11

[edit] Aircraft

Aircraft	Origin	Squadron	Display Aircraft	Dates
Sud Aviation Alouette III	France	33 Squadron	4	1976—1980
Sud Aviation Alouette III	France	33 Squadron	2	1982—1992
Sud Aviation Alouette III	France	111 Squadron	4	1993—1994
Sud Aviation Alouette III	France	552 Squadron	2	2004—2005
Sud Aviation Alouette III	France	552 Squadron	3	2006—present

[edit] Team

As of 2008, the Rotores de Portugal team is the following:

FLIGHT CREW
Major	Fernando "Garfield" Leitão	Team Leader
Major	António "Attaché" Lourenço	Wingman #1
Captain	Mário "Speed" Marcão	Wingman #2
GROUND CREW
1st Lieutenant	Mestre "Mikoli" Ferreira	Speaker
1st Lieutenant	Paulo "Trinitá" Melo	Flight Coordinator
MAINTENANCE CREW
Senior Master Sergeant	Joaquim "Red Beard" Diogo	Maintenance Chief
Senior Master Sergeant	Luis "Bishop" Vila Real	Electrical Systems
Master Sergeant	Alcides "Dhalsim" Jesus	Flight Mechanic
Senior Airman	José "MacGyver" Pinto	Flight Mechanic
Airman 1st Class	Artur "Forehead" Grilo	Flight Mechanic
Airman 1st Class	José "Big Brother" Abreu	Flight Mechanic