French connection

Flying nine Alpha Jets—advanced trainer and light attack jets, wearing new paint applied especially for the U.S. tour—the team presented an energetic 25-minute performance to open Tuesday’s airshow, impressing a somewhat light opening-day crowd likely diminished by weather stretching across north Florida and slowing aircraft arrivals. Streaming red, blue, and white smoke that lingered despite a stiff breeze, the Alpha Jets flew in formations of eight, four, and two aircraft, with some solo maneuvers for good measure.

The team is supported by a large Airbus A400M airlifter, a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft, which did not participate in Tuesday’s performance.

The Patrouille de France has not performed in the United States since 1986, when it flew over New York City and then performed over Coney Island. It commemorated the Battle of Yorktown by flying over Yorktown Battlefield Monument in Yorktown, Virginia, in 2009. The Sun 'n Fun performance, honoring French and U.S. history, was part of a tour honoring the 100th anniversary of America’s April 6, 1917, entry into World War I.

The team left Sun 'n Fun for scheduled performances at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. When the U.S. tour concludes, the team will return to Salon Air Force Base in France.