On June 14–15, 2025, the Spanish Air Force’s Patrulla Águila celebrated its 40th anniversary. Officially named AIRE25, this airshow was the largest aviation event held in Spain over the past decade, and of course, it wouldn’t have been complete without the presence of our Aviation PhotoCrew. As one of the event organizers, our #8 Peng was involved in the planning from the very beginning. Acting as a visual consultant, he ensured that air-to-air photography was integrated into the event.

Although the original plan was to use the Bronco as our air-to-air photoship, an unexpected minor incident involving the pilot made that impossible. Fortunately, the Spanish Air Force assigned us a C-295 transport aircraft as the shooting platform instead, which gave us a significant advantage in terms of speed, we maintained 200 to 210 knots for most of the flights.

We have to give special credit to the C-295 crew. Coincidentally, Peng had photographed them back in 2023 during the Sanicole Airshow in Belgium. The captain still remembered being photographed, which helped him quickly understand the kind of cooperation Peng was asking for.

First, a historic three-ship formation featuring the F-86 Sabre, CASA C101, and Pilatus PC-21. This represented the evolution of Spanish military aerobatic display teams: from the short-lived Patrulla ASCUA, formed in 1956 with four F-86s, to the founding of Patrulla Águila in 1985 with CASA C101s, now concluding its 40-year history. The PC-21 is widely expected to be the aircraft of choice for Spain’s future display team. This formation held profound symbolic significance.

More action is the sky was provided by the impressive Chinook and Tiger helicopters. Another highlight was the very rare opportunity to see the two F-5s in front of the camera, as they are soon to be phased out after 50 years of service.

The final key task seemed simple on the surface: a two-ship PC-21 formation. But one of those aircraft carried His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, making close-up shots of him a top priority. Since the King first needed to complete a familiarization flight to experience the aircraft’s handling, our photography window was unexpectedly cut to just 10 minutes. Once the two planes joined up, Peng politely asked His Majesty if he could remove his visor and wave to the camera. He kindly agreed - and that small gesture allowed me to capture some truly special portraits of the King.

All in all, this was an unforgettable air-to-air project, made possible thanks to the tremendous support of the Spanish Air and Space Force, and their trust in Peng and in our Aviation PhotoCrew.