Instructors over Rio, 1952

The Esquadrilha da Fumaça began with flying instructors at the Air Force’s Escola de Aeronáutica at Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro, who flew North American T-6 Texans in close formation in their spare time. Its first official demonstration was flown on 14 May 1952, and by 1953 smoke tanks had been fitted to the T-6s, giving the team its popular name. From 1955 it had five dedicated, specially marked aircraft, and in 1963 it was made the Brazilian Air Force’s official aerobatic demonstration unit.

Texans, Fougas and a pause

The T-6 carried the team for more than two decades. Between 1969 and 1972 it also flew seven French Fouga CM.170 Super Magister jets, designated T-24, which were withdrawn after technical limitations. The last T-6 displays came in 1976, after about 1,270 shows, and the team then fell silent. It was revived on 10 July 1980 by instructors at the Air Force Academy in Pirassununga, initially on the Neiva T-25 Universal, and was formally created as the Esquadrão de Demonstração Aérea on 21 October 1982.

The Tucano decades

The Embraer T-27 Tucano, the trainer then entering FAB service, arrived in December 1983 and became the team’s aircraft for three decades, with 2,363 demonstrations according to the Brazilian press. The Tucano years took the team to all Brazilian states and abroad; the squadron counts 21 countries visited. They also brought losses: a fatal crash at Rio Negrinho in 1995 and another at Lages in 2010.

Super Tucano and its costs

Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos began arriving in late 2012 and the last Tucano flight followed on 28 May 2013. Conversion was slow and costly: on 12 August 2013 an A-29 crashed near the runway at Pirassununga in training, killing both pilots, and the team did not return to public displays until July 2015, first at the Academy and on 11 July at Maringá. Further A-29s were lost in 2022 (both crew ejected) and on 30 July 2025, when two aircraft collided in training and the leader ejected.

Today at Pirassununga

After the 2025 collision and budget restrictions the team flew a reduced season, largely four-ship flypasts. It resumed full training in January 2026 for a seven-aircraft display under Major Nilson Gasparelo, according to Brazilian aviation press. The display is worked up in cells: the four-ship Quatrilho of positions 1 to 4 and aircraft 5 to 7 train separately before combining for the full routine. The squadron remains at the Academia da Força Aérea in Pirassununga, São Paulo, and claims more than 4,300 demonstrations since 1952.