6 Imperial Iranian Air Force F-5Es in an arobatic exhibit

The Golden Crown ( fa, تاج طلایی ''Tāj-e Talāyi'') was Iran's first national

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

display team and part of the former

Imperial Iranian Air Force The history of the Iranian Air Force, currently known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, can be divided into two phases—before the Islamic Revolution, and after it. Imperial era The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was a branch ...

from 1958 to 1979. It was formed by

Nader Jahanbani '' Sepahbod'' Nader Jahanbani ( fa, نادر جهانبانی, Nāder-e Jahānbānī; 16 April 1928–13 March 1979) was an Iranian general, distinguished fighter pilot of Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) and the deputy chief of the IIAF under M ...

, an Iranian fighter pilot, and mainly inspired by the USAFE , an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

aerobatics team. During the

cold war The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

this team successfully performed in many competitions. The Golden Crown was officially founded in 1958. Fourteen Iranian pilots were sent to

Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base (German: "Fliegerhorst Fürstenfeldbruck" or "Flugplatz Fürstenfeldbruck") is a former German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany. Fürstenfeldbruck became famous firs ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, for jet aircraft pilot training. Nine of them returned to Iran after a couple of months while five remained and underwent further training in order to become instructors. One of the five pilots,

, happened to observe a practice session of the USAFE Skyblazers at

Fürstenfeldbruck Fürstenfeldbruck () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, located 32 kilometres west of Munich. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it has a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s, Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base. Th ...

. After displaying interest, Jahanbani was allowed to fly in the backseat of one of the team's F-84s during several practice demos. This inspired him to create the

IIAF The history of the Iranian Air Force, currently known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, can be divided into two phases—before the Islamic Revolution, and after it. Imperial era The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was a branch ...

's own demonstration team. With the Shah's blessing, Jahanbani and three of the four remaining Iranian pilots,

Amir Hossein Rabii Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

, Siamak Jahanbini, and Abdolhossein Minusepehr formed the Golden Crown aerobatic team. They were joined by Gen. Mohammad Amir Khatami, who became its fifth member. After 72 training sessions, the team performed its first aerobatic display in 1958. It was equipped with four Republic F-84G Thunderjet aircraft. By 1959, they used nine F-84s. The team performed near

Mehrabad International Airport Mehrabad International Airport ( fa, فرودگاه بین المللی مهرآباد, ''Foroudgâh-e Beyn Almelali-ye Mehrâbâd'') , is an international airport serving Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger ...

and later, at Kooshk Nosrat, 100 kilometres from Tehran. During the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

in 1979, the team was disbanded after the dissolution of the Imperial Iranian Air Force. IIAF

ace An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...

, Yadollah Javadpour, was a member of the Golden Crown from 1975 to 1978. Other notable members include

Mohammad Amir Khatami Arteshbod Mohammad Amir Khatami ( fa, محمدامیر خاتمی) (1920 – 12 September 1975), CVO, was the commander of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, advisor to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the second husband of Fatemeh Pahlavi, half- ...

, Asghar Imanian, Bahram Hooshyar, and

Yadollah Sharifirad Yadollah Sharifirad ( fa, یدالله شریفی‌راد) (born 24 March 1946, in Taleqan) is an Iranian former fighter pilot, former military attaché and writer. In 1978, he was a member of Golden Crown aerobatic team. Sharifirad was one of ...

. In February 2020,

Aziz Nasirzadeh Aziz Nasirzadeh ( fa, عزیز نصیرزاده; born 1965) is an Islamic Republic of Iran Army Brigadier General and Deputy of Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran since September 2021. He was the commander of the Is ...

had announced the revival of the team.

References

External links

Golden Crown year by year
{{Modern aerobatic teams Aerobatic teams Imperial Iranian Air Force

See also

References

External links