Creator of aerobatic diagram system passes away at age 84
Article by Steen Staff
Jose Louis de Aresti Aguirre, the man who revolutionized aerobatic competition by devising a standardized method by which aerobatic routines can be recorded on paper, passed away in Madrid, Spain on November 18, 2003. He was 84 years old.
The Aresti System allows aerobatic pilots to communicate with each other about their maneuvers, regardless of their native tongue. Introduced in the early 1960s, the Aresti System provides symbols to catalogue around 3,000 aerobatic maneuvers and display them in a logical manner. Virtually every plane used in aerobatic competition has a spot on the instrument panel reserved for the Aresti diagram.
Jose Aresti was born in 1919 in Bilbao, Spain. He learned to fly in to 1930’s and taught aerobatics in the Spanish Air Force during World War Two. He authored Spain’s first aerobatic flight manual, and after the war went on to perform around Europe in a Bucker Jungmeister. He also founded several flight schools. In 1964, Aresti donated a silver and gold trophy to the FAI, now known as the Aresti Cup, which is awarded to the overall world aerobatic champion of the World Aerobatic Championships (WAC). Aresti’s work to bring standardization to aerobatic judging and recording has widely impacted all those involved in the sport. In 1987, Aresti was included in the first small group of inductees into the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Hall of Fame – along with Duane Cole, Curtis Pitts, and Frank Price.
We offer our condolences to Jose’s friends and family.