Introduction
At the Carcassonne airshow, Julie Quèbre will be at the controls of a Cap 10 to perform a basic aerobatic demonstration. She will be the only female demonstration pilot at the Des étoiles et des ailes 2024 airshow.
Julie Quèbre is an aerobatic demonstration pilot on the CAP10BK. This 180-horsepower two-seater aircraft, built by Mudry/Robin, is used for training, improvement, and aerobatic competition. Julie, an aeronautical engineer at Thales in Mérignac, near Bordeaux, and a private pilot, performs aerobatics at the Arcachon flying club. She will present basic aerobatic maneuvers from the first and second cycles during her demonstrations: loops, hammerheads, avalanches, and more. Besides airshow demonstrations, she participates in aerobatic competitions. She is now in the third category (Promotion) for two-seaters. She is a former student of Toulouse aeronautical engineering schools, ISAE-SUPAERO, ENAC, and the Air School.
The CAP 10 is an aerobatic aircraft built by Apex Aviation and later by Robin Aircraft. It is a side-by-side two-seater aircraft whose history began in the 1970s with the long line of Mudry aircraft: CAP 20, CAP 20L, CAP 21, CAP 230, CAP 231, CAP 231EX, and CAP 232. Widely used worldwide, it is employed by many flying clubs and private associations. It has been used by the Air Force and the Navy for initial pilot training.
Under the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe
The CAP 10 is derived from the 1960s Piel Super Emeraude to create a modern aerobatic aircraft in France at a time when world aerobatics were largely dominated by Americans and Eastern countries. The first prototype, named CP100, was destroyed in a fatal accident. Jacques Gomy, the chief pilot of the Beynes center and coach of the French gliding team, invited Gérard Verette to try the aircraft on the eve of its ferry flight to Istres for certification flights at the Flight Test Center (CEV). The two men gave a stunning aerobatic demonstration over the field. Unfortunately, they exceeded the aircraft's flight limits and paid with their lives.
The next prototype was named CAP 10 for "Constructions Aéronautiques Parisiennes." This name was never used by the company, which became known as Avions Mudry et Compagnie after relocating to the Bernay airfield in Normandy. The French engineer and founder, Auguste Mudry (who died in 2006), was the original manufacturer.
Production began in the early 1970s. From the start, several units were used by the Air Force Aerobatic Team (EVA and later EVAA) for training and demonstration. They remained in service until 2005.
A total of 282 CAP 10B aircraft were built. The CAP 10C was produced until 2010. The CAP 10C NG6 has been produced by Robin Aircraft since 2021.
The CAP 10B is an all-wood aircraft, with the wings and rear surfaces fully covered in plywood. The CAP 10's engine is a Lycoming 4-cylinder flat-injection engine with 360 cubic inches (about 5,900 cm3), a sporty version of a series engine found in DR400 or PA28 touring aircraft. It is equipped with an inverted fuel injection system. The Christen lubrication system is also suitable for inverted flight. Thus, the only limit in inverted flight is the pilot.
From 2002, the CAP 10B evolved into the CAP 10C with the adoption of a spar doubled with carbon strips instead of wood. This new wing allows for a higher roll rate (180 degrees per second versus 120 previously) and, most importantly, provides greater maneuverability and safety in aerobatics. However, this evolution changed the basic behavior of the aircraft. The 'C' wing is mounted on new series aircraft and sold as a repair/improvement part for aircraft that originally came with a wooden wing. Many CAP10s were modified during the decade.
Authorized load factors: +6 g / -4.5 g for the CAP 10C and the CAP 10B at its creation, but CAP 10Bs have been limited to +5 g (+4.3 with two pilots) / -3.5 g since the late 1990s.
A certified modification called "BK" allows CAP 10Bs with the original wing to regain the original load factor values while retaining the recognized flight qualities of the original model. However, it requires disassembly and modification of the wing in an approved workshop. This is the model Julie Quèbre will use.
For the record, it was in a Cap-10B, reported stolen from the Lognes flying club, that an unidentified pilot flew under the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower on August 11, 1991!
