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José Antonio Lago will carry a 24-square-metre flag during the jump at the Madrid parade
The first corporal, with more than 12,500 jumps of experience, will descend in front of the royal grandstand accompanied by first sergeant Pablo García Matanza.
The flag of Spain will descend from the sky at one of the opening moments of the parade this Monday, 12 October. Corporal First Class José Antonio Lago Rubio will be responsible for carrying it during the jump by the Patrulla Acrobática de Paracaidismo del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (PAPEA), in front of the grandstand presided over by Felipe VI y Letizia.
The flag measures 24 square metres and weighs 15 kilos. Lago, who is from Murcia, has served for 36 years at the Escuela de Paracaidismo and has been with the team for 22 years. He is the current Spanish champion in landing accuracy and in January 2026 was once again appointed coach of PAPEA.
He will be joined by Pablo García Matanza, who will act as guide. The Galician Sergeant First Class joined the team in 2019 and has completed more than 4,000 jumps. Both are members of the national military parachuting team.
The jump will take place after the military honours, the troop review, and the salute to the authorities. The parade will proceed along Prado y Recoletos, from the Emperador Carlos V roundabout to Colón.
To close the aerial segment, a formation of three Eurofighter del Ala 14 is planned. Specialists are working to see if they can draw the Spanish flag with coloured smoke, although whether this will be possible depends on overcoming technical difficulties.