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Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Avi Yaakovi says goodbye to the F-16
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Israeli F-16 record-breaker retires

With more than 4,000 flight hours on famed jet, Brig. Gen. Yaakovi leaves IAF career behind knowing only one person may break his record: his brother

Brig. Gen. Avi "Jacques" Yaakovi recently retired from the Israeli Air Force having flown more 4,000 hours on an F-16, setting an Israeli record and joining an exclusive international club of only a few dozen elite pilots.

 

 

Yaakovi's closest competition in Israel – after his retirement – is none other than his brother, who still has to make up 700 flight hours to surpass his sibling's record.

 

Avi "Jacques" Yaakovi after his farewell flight (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Avi "Jacques" Yaakovi after his farewell flight (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

 

The 53-year-old Yaakovi, a father from a town in the Jezreel Valley, retired from active duty in 2010 but continued to fly as a reservist for years. "The retirement was forced on me," he said sadly.

 

The F-16 record-holder added that he would have continued serving for years to come if he could. Part of his drive comes from home; the Yaakovi family is deeply rooted in the air force – three of his brothers are pilots, as are two of his brothers-in-law.

 

A few days ago Jacques drove to the Ramat David airbase with his family and boarded his F-16 for his farewell flight, accompanied by three of his friends. As his feet hit the tarmac he realized it was the last time he would walk down those metal stairs.

 

"I am not overtly sentimental, but I am very sad. It hurts. It's like losing a limb. The F-16 is part of my identity," he said.

 

The nostalgia for catapulting into the air by one of the most recognizable warplanes in history will remain with him, but Yaakovi will now focus on his job as a human resources manager at a company that manufactures 3D printers, with 3,000 employees on hand.

 

The firm exports to the US, Europe, and Asia; it is projected to reach a billion dollars in revenues this year.

 

The head of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council, Eyal Batzar, had a few fond words for Yaakovi. "Jacques is an upstanding citizen and belongs to an incredibly special family."

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.16.15, 00:20
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