Jesús Cañadilla

Nationality: Spanish Born: 14.10.1970 Home: Madrid, Spain

Jesus was born in Villarubia de los Ojos in the province of Cuidad Real where he spent the first 17 years of his life. He left to join the school of airforce specialists at the end of February 1988. There he studied in the Aviation Mechanical Branch, graduating as the first of his group. This led to his acceptance in the 402 squadron of the airforce, known as the squadron of His Majesty’s helicopters, since the main function of this unit is the aerial transort of the royal family and also members of the government of Spain. The importance of this post is clear. He completed his mechanical training there in three years and was decorated with the Aeronautical Cross of Merit for his aptitude. A rare honour to be given to a military person with so few years of experience.

He left the airforce in 1991 to enter a private company run by Angel Morales Chumillas, master of the maintenance of Spanish sporting and light aircraft and founder of the aviation maintainance company SPORAVIA S.L. Here he spent the next 14 years. During these years he worked with practically all the types of light aircraft existing in Spain, including the historic ones of the Fundación Infante de Orleans, and the acrobatic ones owned, amonst others, by the eventual European and world champion Ramón Alonso and the then “young promise” Alejandro Maclean with whom he still collaborates. He gained his title and civil licences as a maintainance technician and private pilot after exams in the national aeronautical school, and completed many and varied courses on all types of aircraft, those with explosion engines, turboprops and jets to become the chief mechanic of SPORAVIA S.L. This company was, and is, one of the most prestigious aircraft maintainance companies of its type in Europe.

At the end of 2005 he decided to leave the employment of almost half a life and in which he had come to be considered comparable to Angel Chumillas, his mentor from his times in the airforce, for a new adventure; this time with one of the best pilots of aerobatic competitions and aerial races, the only Spanish pilot to be chosen to compete in the aerial competition considered the most important in the world and consequently to have the best competitors of their style in the world; in other words, Alejandro Maclean and the Red Bull Airrace. In close collaboration with Alejandro, he became responsible for the maintainance and development of the Edge 540 and later the current, more advanced technologically, MXS. In order to do this he had to obtain a new licence as an aviation mechanic apart from maintaining his EASA part 66 European licence. This was the American A&P licence, a title he achieved after a series of exams in the USA, and which enables him to work on any aircraft with an American license.

At the moment he is part of a group of 4 mechanics among all the teams. He is one of the youngest technicians responsible for a team but has the widest experience and possesses the greatest amount of licences.