He was 60.
Passenger Jorge Lopez Vives, host of an extreme sports program, also died in the crash that occurred at a private airfield on the southern island of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo, a major international tourist destination.
“They were filming a documentary to promote an air show but unfortunately had an accident,” Erosa Rudy, director of Civil Protection of Cozumel, told El Comercio.com. “Emergency crews rescued the bodies.
Cabanas, a fourth-generation Key West native, fell in love with flying as a boy and by 16 he as a “hangar bum” at Key West International Airport, where he traded washing planes for flying lessons.
An instructor showed him how to do a snap roll and Cabanas said that he was instantly hooked on aerobatics. Cabanas recalled that first snap roll in 2010 before the Southernmost Air Spectacular at Naval Air Station Key West. “You pull back on the stick and kick the rudder in the direction you want to go. Then you go around real, real fast … 360 degrees in one second.”
Cabanas was a Key West aviation legend who also was known around the world, flying in vintage biplanes. In 2010, he cut the ribbon to open the Navy’s air show in pure Cabanas style — with the propeller of his bright yellow Pitts Special S-2C.
He accelerated to 150 mph, flipped the plane 180 degrees with the left wing just missing the ground by five feet and then slicing the ribbon between two poles while flying upside down.
“Why fly straight when you can do the fun stuff like this,” Cabanas said before the crowd-thrilling stunt. “It is the most dangerous part of the show, but I love to make people smile.”
Cabanas had been making people smile with his aerobatics for nearly three decades. At air shows he was called the “Marlboro Man” for leaving trails of smoke, shaped like hearts and figure eights, in his wake. In 2010, he said he had spent almost 25,000 hours in the pilot’s seat.
He has won numerous awards at air shows and was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, featured in several movies, TV programs and commercials.
In 1991, he was teaching a student to fly when he spotted a MiG 23 ground attack plane flying over the island city with a defecting Cuban military general at the controls.
Cabanas said he alerted authorities. The Key West mayor proclaimed him general of the fictitious Conch Republic Air Force.
He owned Cabanas Aeronautics Unlimited, which offers aerial tours of the Keys and for those who dare, thrill rides.
Air show aerobatics pilot Gary Ward has called Cabanas “a good stick,” which means a pilot who can fly almost any kind of plane well.
In the deadly accident, Cabanas was not flying one of his own planes.
Cabanas said in 2010 he respected the risks of flying, and just months earlier had a close call during an air show in Mexico when it took him three turns to recover from a maneuver called the knife’s edge spin at 1,200 feet. “Normally, I can get out of a spin in one turn, maximum 2 ½. … The ground was coming at you fast.”
Cabanas has passed on his love of flying to both his children: daughter Lt. Kelly Gander, a Navy pilot, and son Raymond Cabanas, who helped his dad fly two planes to Haiti to deliver supplies for orphans after the earthquake.
Cabanas also is survived by his longtime wife, Susan.
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FRED R. CABANAS
Fred R. Cabanas, 60, of Key West, Fla., began his final journey on Jan. 15 when the airplane he was flying crashed in Cozumel, Mexico.
Fred was born in Key West, Fla., to the late Gaudioso and Dorothy Cabanas on Sept. 19, 1952.
His first airplane ride was in South Carolina at the age of 12. He wrangled $5 from his mother, disappeared and without permission convinced the pilot to barnstorm over the family's vacation home. Since then, his mischievous spirit was inexorably linked to aviation. He started washing airplanes at the Key West airport; learned to fly at 16; started aerobatics at 20; earned his Air Frame and Power Plant License from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach at 21; and worked as a mechanic for Air Sunshine in Key West after graduation. Predictably, he married his wife Susan in a DC-3 aircraft at 6,500 feet over Key West in 1977.
Fred started his family biplane ride business at the Key West International Airport in 1987. In 1991, the mayor of Key West declared Fred the "General of the Conch Republic Air Force" when he intercepted a defecting Cuban MiG aircraft.
Having accumulated more than 25,000 hours of flight time, Fred's accomplishments in aviation are staggering. He performed in countless air shows across the globe and was qualified to fly an extensive array of aircrafts. Known for pushing boundaries, on the day before his 53rd birthday, Fred made aviation history becoming the first rookie ever to qualify for the Gold Cup at the 2005 Reno Air Races. Flying a vintage Sea Fury, aptly named, "Conch Fury," he was named Rookie of the Year. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, he appeared in numerous movies and TV shows.
His accomplishments were equaled by his ability to give back. He dedicated his air show performances to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. Fred shared his passion and introduced countless people to the joy of flight through biplane and aerobatic rides, teaching many how to fly, and mentoring a number of aerobatic pilots. Fellow pilots paint a picture of a man who had an incredible talent, yet would graciously share all of his experience.
Although he only stood at only 5 feet 4 ¬½ inches, Fred was larger-than-life. His personality defied description and his enthusiasm knew no limits. His zest for life was only rivaled by the spice in his "legally" obtained conch salad. His incredible sense of humor and his infectious laugh made him unforgettable. In language often peppered with expletives, he mesmerized new-found and lifelong friends alike with colorful tales of his amazing life experiences that rivaled any story Ernest Hemingway could write.
His mischievous attitude would result in many memorable endeavors that are now Conch Republic legend, including pioneering the bombing of Coast Guard cutters with toilet paper during the Conch Republic Independence Day battle. Now, every April, thousands of streamers parade through the skies draping the Coast Guard in infamy.
Fred was not only a legend to the citizens of Key West and airshow fans worldwide, he was a hero as a husband, father and friend. His spirit will continue to fly through all of those he inspired and through the continuation of the family business, Key West Biplanes at the Key West airport.
The only love Fred had greater than aviation was the love of his family. Fred is survived by his wife Susan; daughter, Kelly (Mark); son, Fred "Raymond" Cabanas Jr.; grandson, Riley; brother George (Sheri) and numerous cousins,nephews and nieces.
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, Fred will be buried at sea aboard the Topsail Schooner Wolf. A celebration of life will be at the Conch Republic Air Force Hangar at the Key West airport starting at 5 p.m. with a pig roast to follow. Services will be streamed live at www.cabanasaerobatics.com for those that cannot attend. In lieu of flowers, please send booze or donations to the Fred R. Cabanas Memorial Scholarship Fund to help Key West High School students in the advancement of a career in the world of aviation. (Fred wasn't fond of flowers.) Please make the check payable to Fred R. Cabanas, Jr and in the memo section write for Fred R. Cabanas Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund and send it to Sheri Cabanas, 2510 Harris Ave., Key West, Fla., 33040
Fred R. Cabanas, 60, of Key West, Fla., began his final journey on Jan. 15 when the airplane he was flying crashed in Cozumel, Mexico.
Fred was born in Key West, Fla., to the late Gaudioso and Dorothy Cabanas on Sept. 19, 1952.
His first airplane ride was in South Carolina at the age of 12. He wrangled $5 from his mother, disappeared and without permission convinced the pilot to barnstorm over the family's vacation home. Since then, his mischievous spirit was inexorably linked to aviation. He started washing airplanes at the Key West airport; learned to fly at 16; started aerobatics at 20; earned his Air Frame and Power Plant License from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach at 21; and worked as a mechanic for Air Sunshine in Key West after graduation. Predictably, he married his wife Susan in a DC-3 aircraft at 6,500 feet over Key West in 1977.
Fred started his family biplane ride business at the Key West International Airport in 1987. In 1991, the mayor of Key West declared Fred the "General of the Conch Republic Air Force" when he intercepted a defecting Cuban MiG aircraft.
Having accumulated more than 25,000 hours of flight time, Fred's accomplishments in aviation are staggering. He performed in countless air shows across the globe and was qualified to fly an extensive array of aircrafts. Known for pushing boundaries, on the day before his 53rd birthday, Fred made aviation history becoming the first rookie ever to qualify for the Gold Cup at the 2005 Reno Air Races. Flying a vintage Sea Fury, aptly named, "Conch Fury," he was named Rookie of the Year. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, he appeared in numerous movies and TV shows.
His accomplishments were equaled by his ability to give back. He dedicated his air show performances to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. Fred shared his passion and introduced countless people to the joy of flight through biplane and aerobatic rides, teaching many how to fly, and mentoring a number of aerobatic pilots. Fellow pilots paint a picture of a man who had an incredible talent, yet would graciously share all of his experience.
Although he only stood at only 5 feet 4 ¬½ inches, Fred was larger-than-life. His personality defied description and his enthusiasm knew no limits. His zest for life was only rivaled by the spice in his "legally" obtained conch salad. His incredible sense of humor and his infectious laugh made him unforgettable. In language often peppered with expletives, he mesmerized new-found and lifelong friends alike with colorful tales of his amazing life experiences that rivaled any story Ernest Hemingway could write.
His mischievous attitude would result in many memorable endeavors that are now Conch Republic legend, including pioneering the bombing of Coast Guard cutters with toilet paper during the Conch Republic Independence Day battle. Now, every April, thousands of streamers parade through the skies draping the Coast Guard in infamy.
Fred was not only a legend to the citizens of Key West and airshow fans worldwide, he was a hero as a husband, father and friend. His spirit will continue to fly through all of those he inspired and through the continuation of the family business, Key West Biplanes at the Key West airport.
The only love Fred had greater than aviation was the love of his family. Fred is survived by his wife Susan; daughter, Kelly (Mark); son, Fred "Raymond" Cabanas Jr.; grandson, Riley; brother George (Sheri) and numerous cousins,nephews and nieces.
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, Fred will be buried at sea aboard the Topsail Schooner Wolf. A celebration of life will be at the Conch Republic Air Force Hangar at the Key West airport starting at 5 p.m. with a pig roast to follow. Services will be streamed live at www.cabanasaerobatics.com for those that cannot attend. In lieu of flowers, please send booze or donations to the Fred R. Cabanas Memorial Scholarship Fund to help Key West High School students in the advancement of a career in the world of aviation. (Fred wasn't fond of flowers.) Please make the check payable to Fred R. Cabanas, Jr and in the memo section write for Fred R. Cabanas Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund and send it to Sheri Cabanas, 2510 Harris Ave., Key West, Fla., 33040
