Frédéric Akary and Europe’s Only Flying F-86 Sabre Join The Flying Bulls
Frédéric Akary and his Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 have joined The Flying Bulls, bringing one of Europe’s rarest flying historic jets into one of the most iconic aviation collections in the world.
Previously displayed under the Mistral Warbirds name, the aircraft is Europe’s only flying F-86 Sabre. Registered F-AYSB and carrying the markings FU-675 / 01675, the Canadair-built jet has become one of the most distinctive classic jet displays on the European airshow circuit, flown by Akary with the precision of a former competition aerobatic pilot and long-haul airline captain.
The Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 taxiing during the Italian Air Force 100th Anniversary event at Pratica di Mare Air Base.
A pilot and aircraft story, not just a fleet addition
This is not simply an aircraft changing hands. The move brings both the Sabre and Frédéric Akary into The Flying Bulls story.
Akary’s life in aviation has stretched from self-funded early flying to aerobatic instruction, air ambulance work across French Polynesia, and a 38-year career with Air France. His airline flying included the Caravelle, Airbus A320, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777, before senior training roles that placed him in charge of pilot competency at the highest level.
Alongside that airline career, he built a second aviation life around warbirds, mechanics and display flying. The Hawker Sea Fury came first, followed by the P-51D Mustang Moonbeam McSwine, then the aircraft he had dreamed of since childhood: the F-86 Sabre.
The Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 showing its beautiful top-side profile during Paris Air Legend 2024.
The exact Sabre
The aircraft is Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 c/n 1675, built for the West German Air Force as S6-1675. It later carried identities including JD-103, BB-284, KE-104 and 0113 during its military life, before spending time in the United States and eventually returning to European skies as F-AYSB.
The Mk.6 was the final and most powerful major Canadair Sabre variant. Powered by the Avro Canada Orenda 14 turbojet, it combined the proven F-86 airframe with greater thrust and refined handling. Canadair produced 655 Mk.6 aircraft, making it the ultimate development of the Canadian-built Sabre line.
For pilots, the appeal of the Sabre has always gone beyond speed. It is a swept-wing jet fighter with balance, response and feel. Its large control surfaces, clean design and strong low-speed handling helped give the aircraft the reputation that still surrounds it today.
The Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 on the ground at the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2025.
From Mistral Warbirds to The Flying Bulls
Since 2019, Akary had operated the Sabre from Avignon-Provence Airport in southern France, maintaining and displaying it under the Mistral Warbirds banner. The aircraft brought the sound, shape and speed of the early jet age back to European airshows at a time when airworthy Korean War-era jets are extremely rare.
That makes its arrival with The Flying Bulls a major moment for the European display scene. The Salzburg-based fleet already includes some of the best-known historic aircraft in Europe, and the Sabre now adds a pure Cold War jet fighter to that line-up.
Akary’s continued involvement matters just as much as the aircraft itself. He knows the Sabre from the cockpit, the hangar and the display line. For years, he has put hundreds of hours of winter maintenance into the aircraft, building the sort of hands-on understanding that cannot be replaced by paperwork alone.
A head-on look at the Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6, showing the Sabre’s distinctive nose intake at Pratica di Mare Air Base.
Europe’s only flying F-86
Nearly 10,000 Sabres were built across the wider F-86 family, serving with air forces around the world. Today, only a small number remain airworthy worldwide, and this aircraft is the only flying example in Europe.
That rarity is what makes the move so important. Europe has many preserved Sabres, but none that can still show audiences what the aircraft was designed to do. F-AYSB is different. It is alive, flying and displayed by a pilot whose career has been shaped by aerobatics, engineering and high-performance aircraft.
The Sabre also fills a special gap in The Flying Bulls fleet. It sits between the piston warbird era and the later generation of fast jets, representing the moment fighter design moved fully into the swept-wing jet age.
The Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 alongside the Spanish Air Force PC-21 and Patrulla Águila at Aire25.
A stronger future for the Sabre
The move should give the aircraft a stronger long-term future and a bigger platform. The Flying Bulls have the engineering depth, operational experience and international profile to keep rare historic aircraft visible, active and cared for at a very high level.
Airshow appearances will still depend on bookings, maintenance and operating requirements, but the Sabre joining The Flying Bulls makes one thing clear: Europe’s only flying F-86 has not disappeared from the circuit. It has entered a new chapter with one of aviation’s most recognisable flying collections.
For European airshow fans, that is the exciting part. Frédéric Akary and the Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6 are now part of The Flying Bulls, and one of the most charismatic classic jets in Europe should become an even more familiar sight in the seasons ahead.
