Blanix Team

Blanix Team is Austria’s renowned two-ship glider formation aerobatic team, part of the Flying Bulls family. Flying classic LET L-13 Blaník two-seat sailplanes, they perform precision routines set to music with wingtip smoke and light effects. Their signature is the breathtaking mirror flight: one glider inverted while its partner tracks just below in normal attitude, figures perfectly mirrored throughout the sequence.

The team operates from Aigen im Ennstal (LOXA) in Styria and tours widely across Europe at major shows such as AIRPOWER. Launch is by aerotow; at Zeltweg they’ve even used a Flying Bulls Extra 300L to double-tow both Blaníks at once to display altitude—spectacular before the show even starts.

Type & role. The LET L-13 Blaník is a robust all-metal, two-seat training glider first flown in 1956 and built in large numbers through the 1970s. It’s famed for forgiving handling and excellent formation manners—perfect for close-in display work.

Construction & controls. Semi-monocoque aluminium fuselage, fabric-covered control surfaces, DFS-type spoilers and Fowler flaps for short-field performance. Blanix fit wingtip smoke units and lighting for day and twilight shows.

Performance (typical L-13). Span 16.2 m; max permitted speed around 253 km/h; crew 2. Blaník variants served the USAF Academy as the TG-10 series until 2012.

Blanix Team emerged from Austria’s soaring scene and joined the Flying Bulls as the glider element of the group. The duo display showcases how graceful—and demanding—glider aerobatics can be: energy management is everything when you have no engine. Their mirror flight has become one of Europe’s most recognisable airshow moments.

At AIRPOWER in Zeltweg the team often arrives in style via a double-tow behind a Flying Bulls Extra 300L. Their aircraft—registrations OE-0758 and OE-5733, built in 1972 and 1965—are immaculately maintained examples of the classic Blaník. Thanks to the type’s Fowler flaps, they’ve demonstrated precision short-landings in unusual places, from ski slopes like the Hahnenkamm to venues around Vienna.

Beyond traditional airshows, Blanix collaborated with the Red Bull Skydive Team on the acclaimed Akte BlaniX trilogy—stunt projects featuring mid-air skydiver transfers and close-proximity flying that pushed human and machine to new creative limits.

• The team’s home base is Aigen im Ennstal (LOXA)—the Austrian Armed Forces’ grass airfield in Styria.
• Their mirror flight pairs one inverted Blaník with another just a half-span below in normal attitude—synchronised throughout.
• They use wingtip smoke and lighting for day and dusk shows; at some events they add pyrotechnic effects for night displays.
• The L-13 Blaník first flew in 1956 and is among the most widely produced gliders ever.
• At Zeltweg, a Flying Bulls Extra 300L has been used to double-tow both Blaníks to display height—a show within a show.