Pilot Spotlight: Luca Perazzolli, CrewRV8 Leader

This Italian aerobatic flight team constantly amazes us with their smooth maneuvers and dedication to their craft!

First up, Luca Perazzolli, the leader of CrewRV8. Learn what he loves most about flying and how it all started! 

Stay tuned for a spotlight on CrewRV8 wingman, Franz! 

Q: Why did you learn to fly? How did you start?

A: I've loved airplanes since I was a child so was natural for me trying to become a pilot. I live so close to our city airfield and that made things even easier! I sold my motor bike to pay for flight lessons when I was 25 years old.

Q: How long have you been flying?

A: I've flown since 1989 for about 1500 hours with aerobatic and mountain rating. I’ve flown more than 25 different types of airplanes.

Q: What type of plane do you fly?

A:  I built and fly a Van’s RV-8. I’ve mounted a Smoking Airplanes 3.5 gallon smoke tank in the forward baggage compartment and have the on/off switch on my stick.

Q: What advice would you have for a young pilot?

A: Wanna learn to fly? Do it if you can, and you’ll become a better task oriented person. In the next future, there will be a lot of pilot career opportunities.

Q: What do you love about flying?

A: When I fly my RV-8, I feel really alive and free in all dimensions. Soft aerobatic and formation flying make me addicted.

Q: What are your favorite flying or airshow memories?

A: I love every flight in my plane and I have two special airshow memories: I had the opportunity to see Mr. Bob Hoover and his Shrike Commander at Sun ‘n Fun in 1997, and I love to see the great energy of Sean D Tucker at Oshkosh (on the ground too); I've visited Oshkosh five times and it's never enough!

Q: Why do you love having a smoke system on your plane?

A: When I'm flying alone and perform aerobatics, it's beautiful to see my path in the sky. When I fly in formation aerobatic with Franz, my wingman, we use the smoke trail to check our position and it’s very helpful to verify our performance.

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