Firebird Aerobatics

Firebird Aerobatics was a professional aerobatic display company run by the British aerobatic competition and display pilot Brian Lecomber. Throughout its history the company operated from Denham Aerodrome, Buckinghamshire.

Origins

Firebird was established in 1981 by Brian Lecomber following two years flying with the Rothmans Aerobatic Team. The company's first aircraft was a Stampe, which continued to be operated by the company for many years. Soon after Brian also began operating a Pitts Special, flying in the colours of Dunlop Tyres. This was to be the first of Firebird's major commercial sponsorships, with the company establishing an enviable reputation for working with a number of high-profile organisations.

The "Dunlop Pitts" flown by Brian Lecomber soon became a favourite at airshows in the UK and Europe. This sponsorship lasted for 5 years, and helped to cement Brian Lecomber's personal reputation as a well-respected exponent of advanced aerobatics.

Growth

In the mid-1980s Firebird grew. In 1986-1988 the company expanded to operate two Pitts Specials (as well as the Stampe), with one each sponsored by Toyota, and the Daily Express. Additionally, in 1987 Firebird began displaying the Extra 230 in the colours of Jaguar Cars. In line with this growth, in 1986 Brian Lecomber was joined by the highly experienced aerobatic pilot John Harper and in 1989 by Alan Wade.

At the end of 1988 the Toyota sponsorship ended and in its wake came support from Microlease, an electronic test equipment rental company, starting a partnership which was to last for many years.

Into the '90s

As the 1990s dawned Firebird continued to grow in stature, making appearances each year at the biggest airshows around Europe as well as numerous smaller events like fetes, agricultural shows and motor races.

Although the Jaguar sponsorship of the Extra 230 ended in 1990, a replacement was soon found in the form of Express Newspapers, who followed up their previous Pitts Special support by sponsoring the "Flying Crusaders Aerobatic Team". This was composed of the Extra 230 and the Stampe, and it was noteworthy in that it took the unprecedented step of combining a cutting-edge monoplane with a classic biplane in the same aerobatic act. The "Flying Crusaders" pilots were John Harper (Extra), and ex-RAF Phantom pilot John Connor (Stampe). This team were active for three seasons, in 1991-1993, with the Extra 230 continuing to fly in Express colours as a solo performer in 1994.

Emboldened by the "Flying Crusaders" success, in 1995 Firebird launched the Rover Group Aerobatic Team, composed of two latest-technology Extra 300s. Active in 1995-1997, this team's pilots were Brian Lecomber (leader) and Alan Wade (wingman), the latter graduating from six years flying the Microlease-sponsored Pitts Special. Wade left the team at the end of 1996, and was replaced by John Taylor who flew as wingman for the team's final year in 1997. The "Rover Duo" as they were known were a highly popular act, renowned for flying some unusual and unique manoeuvres including a positive/negative 'G' "mirror loop", line-abreast formation stall-turns and synchronised vertical rolls. In 1996, the team were awarded the prestigious 'Steedman Display Sword' for Best UK Display at the Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford.

Throughout all this time, Firebird also continued its association with Microlease. In 1995, following Alan Wade's move to wingman in the "Rover Duo", the Pitts Special was flown by another new team member, Nick Wakefield. The following year, in 1996, the team also took delivery of a third Extra 300 which they operated as another solo display aircraft alongside the Pitts.

Towards the end

After the Rover sponsorship ended in 1997, the two Rover-marked Extras were sold and Firebird took the decision to focus on its partnership with Microlease. Brian Lecomber went on to spend the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons flying solo displays in the Microlease Extra 300. Building on this success, in 2001 Firebird returned to the format of a two-ship aerobatic team by launching the Microlease Aerobatic Team with two brand-new Extras. Once again the pilots were Brian Lecomber (leader) and John Taylor (wingman), and as in the days of the "Rover Duo" the team blended a range of unique figures together which exploited the full performance of their Extra aircraft. During the Microlease Team's first few weeks of displaying, in June 2001, the team won two awards - the Shell Trophy for 'Best Team Display' at the Biggin Hill Air Fair and the 'Best Overall Display' at the RAF Waddington International Air Show.

The Microlease Team operated for two highly successful seasons, in 2001 and 2002, and were due to continue into 2003. Unfortunately, early in 2003 John Taylor was involved in a road accident, obliging Brian Lecomber to fly a season of solo displays. At the end of this season, Microlease decided to pull out its long-running sponsorship. Firebird could not find a replacement sponsor, and so in December 2003 the decision was made to shut the company down.

Firebird operated for 23 years, during which time they completed over 2800 solo and formation displays in front of an estimated total of 90 million spectators. They gave displays in 15 countries, and had a 100% safety record. They will be remembered as one of the UK's most successful professional civilian aerobatic display company.