The pilot of the Air Force F-18 fighter that crashed this Saturday during an exhibition at the Zaragoza air base is Captain Daniel Pérez Carmona. Fortunately, the pilot was able to eject in time and was transferred to a hospital in the Aragonese capital with trauma and leg injuries.
At this time, Pérez Carmona continues to recover favorably from the injuries suffered by the ejection, as the Air Force itself has assured in a tweet. It is expected that he will remain for a few more days under observation “in order to monitor his state” of his health.
His determination and quick action made him come out of the impact alive. Before rushing, the pilot managed to activate the ejection button from the cockpit and fell very close to the outer fence of the facility. Pérez Carmona is a captain of the 15th Wing of the Zaragoza Air Base and an F-18 instructor, and has more than 1,000 flight hours.
He has extensive experience in military and civil studies behind him and almost 16 years of experience as an Air Force pilot. The pilot began his educational journey by studying civil studies and completed a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Management at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​according to his LinkedIn profile.
In addition, between 2007 and 2021 he received military instruction at the General Air Academy and completed his training with a ‘Tactical Leadership’ program. And, since 2018, he belongs to the State Aviation Safety Agency and is a civil drone operator at the same time.
Just eight days ago, Pérez Carmona himself recounted on the official YouTube channel of the Air Force what these types of exhibitions are like and how they are carried out step by step. In the video you can see the captain exercising the dangerous maneuvers and explaining what each acrobatic technique consists of, such as those that were about to cost his life for reasons that are still unknown.