Lima Lima Flight Team
Encyclopedia
The Lima Lima Flight Team is a precision formation flying demonstration team based in Naperville
, Illinois
.
The name derives from the FAA identifier of the field where the team originated. Naper Aero Club (LL-10) is located in the western suburbs of Chicago. It is a airport community, with 100 homes connected to its two runways via taxiways behind the homes. The original flying club (Mentor Flyers, Inc.) which spawned the Lima Lima team is still based at LL-10, but the founding members who lived there have since moved on, and the team is now a truly national team, with members in Illinois, Ohio, and Florida.
The Lima Lima Flight Team flies the Beech
T-34 Mentor
. The Mentor was the brainchild of Walter Beech
and was the last airplane he designed. Beech developed the T-34 as a private venture, hoping to sell it to the military as a replacement for the North American
T-6/SNJ
trainer, which had trained thousands of military aviators during World War II
. First flown in 1949, the Mentor was demonstrated for civilian audiences nationwide by famed aerobatic pilots Betty Skelton and Bevo Howard
.
The Mentor eventually won a competition to determine the new primary trainer, beating out entries by Ryan
and Temco
. The T-34 entered USAF
service (T-34A) in 1953 and Navy
service (T-34B) in 1955. The USAF phased the T-34 out in 1959, but the Navy continues to fly a later version of the Mentor (T-34C) today. T-34s were built under license in Canada, Japan,America and Argentina. The Lima Lima Flight Team flies a civilianized and much-improved version of the original Mentor, with modern avionics
and more powerful engines.
The military recognizes different levels of formation skills, from basic tactical formation flying to the air show performances of the Blue Angels
and Thunderbirds
. Lima Lima has evolved in the same way. Charter members of the team were at the forefront of the civilian formation certification program instituted by the T-34 Association in 1983, and eventually adopted by all civilian warbird organizations. The skills developed in this program have been expanded to include a series of formation maneuvers which mirror those of the jet teams.
The Lima Lima Flight Team demonstration showcases the full range of the T-34 performance envelope. Though the T-34 is much slower than the jets flown by military teams, the turn rates are over double those of the F-16
and F/A-18
. The result is a performance which has no “dead time”. There is smoke and action in front of spectators for the entire 20 minute demonstration.
The Lima Lima Flight Team celebrates its 19th year of professional air show performances in 2006. In that time, the team has traveled from coast-to-coast and border-to-border and beyond, performing in Alaska
, Mexico
, and the Dominican Republic
. The 2006 team is made up of professional airline pilots, retired military pilots, medical professionals, and successful businessmen. This eclectic mix of personnel provides a unique team personality.
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
The Lima Lima Flight Team flies the Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
T-34 Mentor
T-34 Mentor
The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
. The Mentor was the brainchild of Walter Beech
Walter Herschel Beech
Walter Herschel Beech was an American pioneer aviator.-Biography:He was born in Pulaski, Tennessee on January 30, 1891. Beech started flying in 1905, at age 14, when he built a glider of his own design. Then, after flying for the United States Army during World War I, he joined the Swallow...
and was the last airplane he designed. Beech developed the T-34 as a private venture, hoping to sell it to the military as a replacement for the North American
North American Aviation
North American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
T-6/SNJ
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
trainer, which had trained thousands of military aviators during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. First flown in 1949, the Mentor was demonstrated for civilian audiences nationwide by famed aerobatic pilots Betty Skelton and Bevo Howard
Bevo Howard
Beverly "Bevo" Howard was an American aerobatic pilot and aviation businessman.-Life:...
.
The Mentor eventually won a competition to determine the new primary trainer, beating out entries by Ryan
Ryan Aeronautical Company
The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California in 1934. Part of Teledyne after 1969, Northrop Grumman purchased Teledyne Ryan in 1999...
and Temco
Temco Aircraft
The Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company , also known as Temco Aircraft Corporation, was a U.S.-based manufacturing company located in the Dallas, TX area...
. The T-34 entered USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
service (T-34A) in 1953 and Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
service (T-34B) in 1955. The USAF phased the T-34 out in 1959, but the Navy continues to fly a later version of the Mentor (T-34C) today. T-34s were built under license in Canada, Japan,America and Argentina. The Lima Lima Flight Team flies a civilianized and much-improved version of the original Mentor, with modern avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
and more powerful engines.
The military recognizes different levels of formation skills, from basic tactical formation flying to the air show performances of the Blue Angels
Blue Angels
The United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
and Thunderbirds
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds are the air demonstration squadron of the U.S. Air Force , based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. The squadron tours the United States and much of the world, performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked USAF jet aircraft...
. Lima Lima has evolved in the same way. Charter members of the team were at the forefront of the civilian formation certification program instituted by the T-34 Association in 1983, and eventually adopted by all civilian warbird organizations. The skills developed in this program have been expanded to include a series of formation maneuvers which mirror those of the jet teams.
The Lima Lima Flight Team demonstration showcases the full range of the T-34 performance envelope. Though the T-34 is much slower than the jets flown by military teams, the turn rates are over double those of the F-16
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
and F/A-18
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
. The result is a performance which has no “dead time”. There is smoke and action in front of spectators for the entire 20 minute demonstration.
The Lima Lima Flight Team celebrates its 19th year of professional air show performances in 2006. In that time, the team has traveled from coast-to-coast and border-to-border and beyond, performing in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. The 2006 team is made up of professional airline pilots, retired military pilots, medical professionals, and successful businessmen. This eclectic mix of personnel provides a unique team personality.