The Cultures Of James Bond Conference

This upcoming June will see 007 going under the microscope at a one-of-a-kind international conference entitled ‘The Cultures of James Bond’ in Saarbrücken/Germany.

Since his earliest appearances in print and on the screen, James Bond has become a popular icon and has developed nothing short of his own cultural mythology. His iconic status today may well hide the fact that through the years, James Bond has acquired very different meanings in a variety of contexts. He has provided a screen onto which the heterogeneous desires of nationally, culturally and socially diverse readers, viewers and users have been projected.

In addition, Bond has long become an academic topic as well, not just in film studies, but also in literary and cultural studies. As a cultural phenomenon entangled in the histories not only of Western cultures since World War II, Bond more than merits a conference as a forum to discuss new approaches and recent revisions.

The ‘The Cultures of James Bond’ International Conference will be taking place on the weekend of 5-7 June 2009 at Saarland University. CommanderBond.net presents the complete programme of events:

Friday, 5 June 2009

09.00am – Welcome Addresses

09.30am Keynote Lecture: James Chapman
“The evolution of Bond; or five takes on Casino Royale”

10.15am – Coffee Break

10.45am – Panel 1: Bond and Change

1.1 Korte, Barbara,
“Tough or Tongue-In-Cheek? Performing Bond under Changing Notions of Heroism”

1.2 Lemke, Cordula,
“Shaken, and not stirred”: James Bond’s Emotions”

Panel 2: Bond in Context

2.1 Taylor, Antony,
“‘And I am the God of Destruction!’: The Genealogy of James Bond’s Adversaries in the Novels of Ian Fleming”

2.2 Fielitz, Sonja,
“Something is out of Joint: Tracing the Ghosts of Fleming’s ‘Blofeld Trilogy'”

12.15pm – Lunch

01.45pm – Panel 3: Formula Fiction

3.1 Christinidis, Georgia,
“Of Human Bondage? Identity, Continuity and Verisimilitude in James Bond and Doctor Who”

3.2 Metivier, Anthony,
“Is James Bond a Serial Killer?”

3.3 Laqué, Stephan,
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service? Bond’s Integrity”

Panel 4: Nationality and Class

4.1 Shankland, Luc,
“James Bond’s National Identity: A Matter of Class”

4.2 Ben Khelifa, Nadja & Jörg Sternagel,
“Britishness and Scottish Identity in Early Bond Films: A Postcolonial Reflection”

4.3 Berberich, Christine,
“In Her Majesty’s Special Service: Bond, Englishness and the Subversion of the Gentleman Ideal”

03.45pm – Coffee Break

04.15pm – Panel 5: Sonic Bond

5.1 Nimtz, André,
“All Bonds Unleashed: Musical Bondness and its Functions Within and Beyond the Films”

5.2 Keazor, Henry,
“The Bond Between”: Music and Image in the 007-Movies”

Panel 6: Transgressive Bond

6.1 Bach, Susanne,
“Transgressive Bond”

6.2 Viol, Claus-Ulrich,
“Quantum of Smoothness. Bond and Spatial Desire”

05.45pm – All leave for reception

06.15pm – Reception

08.00pm – Dinner (Casino)

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Saturday, 6 June 2009

09.00am – Keynote Lecture: Christoph Lindner
“The Future of James Bond Scholarship: 007’s Nasty Habit of Surviving”

09.45am – Coffee Break

10.15am – Panel 7: Gender

7.1 Ward, Dan,
“‘I Sized You Up The Moment I Saw You’: Masculinity and Male Body Objectification in Casino Royale”

7.2 Brusberg-Kiermeier, Stefani,
“Bond Girls or Bond Women? The Construction of Evil Femininity for the Female Villains in the James Bond Films”

Panel 8: Popular Culture

8.1 Seidl, Monika,
“One Silhouette is not enough: The World of Key Art and James Bond”

8.2 Steveker, Lena,
“007 meets Van Helsing: James Bond and Neo-Gothic Popular Culture”

12.00pm – Lunch

01.15pm – Panel 9: New Bond (I)

9.1 Hochscherf, Tobias,
“From Gentleman Spy to Hardboiled Detective: The Reinvention of James Bond after 9/11”

9.2 Griem, Julika & Fotis Jannidis,
“Undressing To Kill: On the Aesthetics of Bodily Harm in the New Bond Films”

9.3 Lattek, Michael,
“Trickling Down: Water Metaphors and Global Economy in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace”

Panel 10: Reproduction and Representation

10.1 Billone, Amy C.,
“Live and Let Die: James Bond, Peter Pan, Dorian Gray and the Tragedy of Eternal Youth”

10.2 Omry, Keren,
“An Authentic Body in Flux: Technology of Reproduction in the New Bond”

10.3 Goggin, Joyce,
“The Diamond Standard and the Experience Economy”

03.30pm – Coffee Break

04.00pm – Panel 11: New Bond (II)

11.1 Catania, Alessandro,
“Bond Just Bond: Daniel Craig 007’s (Un)Popular Narratives”

11.2 De Kosnik, Abigail,
“M Stands for Mother: James Bond and Freudian Family Romance in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace”

Panel 12: Tourism

12.1 Schmid, Susanne,
“From the Costa del Sol to the Moon: James Bond’s Tourist Locations”

12.2 Sandrock, Kirsten A.,
“Bond’s Alter-Ego: Ian Fleming as 007 in Thrilling Cities”

05.30pm – All leave for dinner

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Sunday, 7 June 2009

10.00am – Keynote Lecture: Andrew Lycett
“Making a painful splits of one’s life: a biographer’s reflections on Ian Fleming in fiction and reality”

10.45am – Coffee Break

11.15am – Panel 13: Adaptations

13.1 Pankratz, Anette,
“The Spies Who Spoofed Him: Bond Parodies”

13.2 Backe, Hans-Joachim,
“Narrative Feedback: The Interplay of the James Bond Franchise and its Successors”

01.00pm – Lunch

02.00pm – Workshop I:

“Teaching James Bond: Dr No”
(Paul Lumsden)

03.30pm – Coffee Break

04.00pm – Workshop II

05.45pm – End of Conference

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For complete information on ‘The Cultures of James Bond’ International Conference, visit the official Saarland University website.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest on James Bond-related events happening around the world.

Work On 'Bond 23' Begins

Producer Michael G. Wilson broke the news today that work has begun on Bond 23.

In a very brief interview with The Sun during the Ivor Novello Awards at the Grosvenor House hotel in London last night, the longtime James Bond producer said: ‘We have started work on the new film, which I can’t say anything about. Daniel Craig is very keen to get going.’

While that was all he would reveal about the latest Bond production, Wilson went on to speak about future contenders for 007 themes after Welsh singing sensation Duffy won the PRS Most Performed Work award at the event.

‘I would love to get Duffy to sing the next tune,’ he said. ‘I think she is wonderful. Amy Winehouse would be good too.’

CommanderBond.net readers will recall (here and here) that both singers were contenders for the Quantum of Solace title theme.

With this news that things are finally beginning to get going on Bond 23, it’s safe to assume that further details, reports and all of those fun rumours will soon follow in the future. Keep turning to the CBn main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date Bond coverage on the net.

David Arnold's 'Quantum' Score Misses Out On Ivor Novello Award

One month ago exactly, CommanderBond.net reported that composer David Arnold’s score for Quantum of Solace had been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award.

Today, the winners were announced at the ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel and James Bond unfortunately didn’t come out on top. The Quantum score lost to Jonny Greenwood’s effort for There Will Be Blood in the Best Original Film Score category.

In related news, longtime Bond lyricist Don Black was honoured with this year’s Academy Fellowship award. Working alongside both Arnold and John Barry, Black’s song credits within the 007 series include: Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Surrender, The World Is Not Enough and Only Myself To Blame.

For the complete list of winners at the 54th Ivor Novello Awards, visit the official website.

Keep turning to the CBn main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for continued Quantum of Solace coverage.

James Bond's Unsung Heroes

The Telegraph has published a fascinating set of articles today centered around the unsung heroes in the literary and cinematic James Bond franchises.

Each playing a different role in either shaping the creation of 007 with author Ian Fleming or sustaining the legacy, the five names and their stories follow below [links to the full and complete Telegraph articles are included]:

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Geoffrey Boothroyd – The Real Q
The gun expert who banned Bond from carrying a ‘lady’s gun’

‘Dear Mr Fleming,’ he wrote after reading Casino Royale, ‘I wish to point out that a man in James Bond’s position would never consider using a .25 Beretta. It’s really a lady’s gun – and not a very nice lady at that! Dare I suggest that Bond should be armed with a .38 or a nine millimetre – let’s say a German Walther PPK? That’s far more appropriate.’

This was the beginning of a correspondence that would turn Boothroyd, a portly Glaswegian, into James Bond’s armourer, ‘Major Boothroyd’ – ‘the greatest small-arms expert in the world’, as he’s described in Dr No… [Full article]

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Peter Fleming – Adventurer
Ian’s older brother: explorer, travel writer, and creator of a blueprint Bond

In the current avalanche of all things Ian Fleming, another centenary slipped quietly by last year – that of his older brother, Peter. Yet, there was a time when he was more famous than Ian could hope to be, both as a writer and as a man who had married one of the most admired actresses of stage and screen.

Peter not only wrote the blueprint for the Bond books, but also godfathered 007’s debut in Casino Royale and named one of the series’ most memorable characters. Yet, by the mid-1950s Ian had eclipsed his achievements, to the point today where Peter receives only walk-on parts in his brother’s biography. This is a shame, because along the way he wrote some of the finest, and funniest, travel books ever produced… [Full article]

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Moneypenny’s Double
How Dame Victoire Evelyn Patricia Bennett outshone her literary twin

The relationship between truth and fiction is rarely straightforward, but Bond enthusiasts are always eager to read Fleming’s books as autobiography. Was Admiral John Godfrey the real M? Or Claude Dansey? Or Maxwell Knight? And what of Miss Moneypenny, Bond’s loyal, lovelorn secretary? Well, one of the main contenders as inspiration for the role is Dame Victoire Evelyn Patricia Bennett – ‘Dame Paddy’, as she likes to be known – who worked as Fleming’s secretary in Room 39, a secret part of the Admiralty Building, during the Second World War… [Full article]

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Robert Brownjohn – Designer
The debonair, drug-addicted designer who created iconic Bond title sequences

The Bond producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman first met Robert Brownjohn in a Soho screening theatre in 1963. They had invited him to pitch ideas for the title sequence for From Russia with Love. Brownjohn produced a collection of 35mm slides from his pocket and loaded them into a carousel. Dimming the lights, he took off his shirt and began to dance, allowing the projected images to glance and shimmer across his booze-inflated torso. ‘It’ll be just like this!’ he announced to the stunned movie-makers. ‘Except we’ll use a pretty girl!’

This bizarre spectacle set an enduring template for the James Bond aesthetic. It might not have looked sexy at the time, but Broccoli and Saltzman had enough imagination to commission the idea for a modest £850. Brownjohn hired a studio, some camera equipment and a belly dancer…
[Full article]

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The Original James Bond
How James Bond – the handsome, charming, highly intelligent ornithologist – gave Fleming’s spy his name

In the mid-1960s, a middle-aged Philadelphian ornithologist and his wife began to be plagued by anonymous phone calls from teenage girls. The man they were calling had the misfortune to be called James Bond, but unlike many others whose lives had been made a misery through an accident of naming, this one had the distinction of being the ‘real’ James Bond. As Fleming explained to Rogue magazine in 1961, ‘There really is a James Bond, but he’s an American ornithologist, not a secret agent. I’d read a book of his [Birds of the West Indies] and when I was casting around for a natural-sounding name for my hero, I recalled the book and lifted the author’s name outright.’… [Full article]

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For up-to-the-minute literary James Bond coverage, always turn your browsers to the CommanderBond.net main page. Be sure to check out our new Twitter feed as well.

Sir Sean Connery To Attend 2009 Edinburgh Film Festival

Sir Sean Connery will be attending this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival to help celebrate Scotland’s Year of Homecoming.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that the former James Bond star and film festival patron is just one of many celebrities who’ll be attending the event.

Kate Winslet, Sam Mendes, Carlos Cuarón, Diego Luna, Guy Pearce, Joe Dante, Kathryn Bigelow, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Meera Syal, Michael Fassbender and William H. Macy are all also scheduled to attend.

In addition, the red carpet events at the festival are expected to attract stars such as Claire Danes, Emily Blunt, Peter Saarsgard and Paul Thomas Anderson.

Furthermore, those returning to the film festival include Alan Cumming, Alfonso Cuarón, Bill Forsyth, Brenda Blethyn, Darren Aronofsky, Ewen Bremner, Ian Hart, Jaime Winstone, Paddy Considine, Robin Wright-Penn, Roger Corman, Sam Mendes and Shane Meadows.

The programme for the free Film Festival Under the Stars was also revealed. Outdoor screenings will show Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Chronicles of Narnia, Stone of Destiny and Charlotte’s Web. Each of these three films were selected to recognize the work of the festivals patrons: Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Seamus McGarvey and Sir Sean.

Ginnie Atkinson, Managing Director, said: ‘Film Festival Under the Stars is a free annual event that aims to introduce the EIFF to new audiences.’

‘A fun event for cinema fans of all ages, and in celebration of Homecoming Scotland, the Festival is proud to present a selection of work from its four Patrons. We are also delighted to have so many international filmmakers and actors attending the Festival this year.’

This year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival will run from 17 – 28 June.

Keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest news on James Bond-related events occurring around the world.

'Quantum Of Solace' Sunseeker Yacht To Be Featured At Bulgaria Boat Show

This upcoming Wednesday, 27 May, will mark the opening of the 2009 HYPO Bulgaria Boat Show in Bulgaria.

According to the Sofia News Agency, the event will be taking place at the port of Bulgaria’s Black Sea capital, the city of Varna. More than 50 new yachts—including one from the latest James Bond film—will be featured.

The yachts will be displayed on an area of 4 000 square meters with 25 boats on water and the others on land. Exhibitors include the Yachting BG company, ACS Yachting, LZ Yachting, Sail Marine, Marina Systems, Cadence and others.

For 007 fans, the limited edition Sunseeker Superhawk 43 yacht, as featured in Daniel Craig’s Quantum of Solace, will be on display and is expected to be one of the major attractions of the boat show. The Bond yacht is imported by LZ Yachting.

Besides boats, luxury automobiles, motorcycles, scooters, diving equipment and sporting goods will also be on display.

As always, keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest on James Bond-related events happening around the world.

60-Second Interview With Sir Roger Moore

Sir Roger Moore sat down with Metro for a 60-second interview to discuss his work with UNICEF, his life with James Bond and more.

At 81 years old, Sir Roger is the oldest of the actors who have portrayed 007 on the big screen. When asked about this, he replied: ‘I try not to think about it too much, otherwise it may stop me doing what I want to do. I’ll stop stretching to reach things or I won’t run down the stairs because I may trip.’

‘[I don’t like] my appetite and my waistline. I can’t do as much exercise as I used to and I still like to eat so I have to go through periodic days of not eating too much. It’s a huge bore.’

Metro: You were once quoted as saying: ‘I enjoy being a highly overpaid actor.’
Sir Roger: Of course I do, I would be a bloody fool if I didn’t.

When asked about his tireless work with UNICEF throughout the world, Sir Roger mentioned that it taught him that ‘many people have absolutely nothing and they have no hope. I remember my first field trip in the early 1990s; we were on our way back from Central America and we had a three-hour wait at Dallas Airport. Unicef had arranged a press conference so I could speak about what I had seen in Guatemala. A man in the audience spoke up and said [puts on Texan twang]: “Mr Moore, you talk about the poor, well, we have got poor in our country right here.” And I said to him: “Quite frankly, you can kiss my ass. The poorest man in America is a multimillionaire compared to a poor man in the developing world.”‘

Metro: Could your Bond beat [Daniel Craig’s] Bond in a fight?
Sir Roger: Good God, no. I am even cowardly in real life.

To be expected, the topic of James Bond came up once or twice and Sir Roger only had praise for Daniel Craig, the current 00. ‘He is a terrific actor and a terrific Bond,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t believe the amount of grief he was getting before he even took the role. He’s a bloody good actor and a good-looking guy. He’s pretty tough.’

As for what annoys him about Bond, Sir Roger said: ‘He’s not the most believable spy, is he? I still struggle to understand how James Bond can be a spy when he is recognised by everyone everywhere in the world. I mean, everybody knows he wants a Martini shaken not stirred. And that invisible car Pierce Brosnan had was a bit far-fetched.’

His favourite Bond girl?

‘I have her now.’

Keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest news on James Bond-related events occurring around the world.

Bob Peak – World Premiere Exhibition

Bob Peak is best known by James Bond fans as the man responsible for designing the movie posters for The Spy Who Loved Me as well as the unused Licence Revoked concept artwork for what would ultimately be Timothy Dalton’s second 007 film.

Beginning this June, a world premiere exhibition celebrating Bob Peak—father of the modern hollywood poster—will be taking place in California. The show will include over 40 of Peak’s original illustrations, Fine Arts Paintings, and a new line of Limited Editions.

The full press release and details follow below:

One of the most imaginative and prolific illustrators of the 20th century, Bob Peak revolutionized advertising in the film industry and is considered the “father of the modern movie poster.” Peak transformed the approach to movie advertising from basic collages of film stills or head shots to flamboyant artistic illustrations. United Artists hired Peak in 1961 to help promote West Side Story. His innovative solution-painting characters and scenes into a single montage-became the first of over 100 such posters, among them My Fair Lady, Camelot, Rollerball, Star Trek, Superman and Apocalypse Now. Peak was not short on editorial assignments with 45 covers of Time Magazine featuring his illustrations-most notably the portrait of Mother Teresa.

In 1961 Peak was named Artist of the Year by the Artists Guild of New York, and in 1977 the Society of Illustrators elected him to its Hall of Fame. For his 30 years of outstanding contribution to the film industry, the Hollywood Reporter presented him the 1992 Key Art Lifetime Achievement Award.

Peak’s work is included in many permanent collections, and three of these paintings hang in the Smithsonian Institution, Anwar Sadat, Mother Teresa and Marlon Brando.

Bob Peak was an alumni of the Art Center College of Design.

World Premiere Limited EDITIONS

A new line of Limited Editions featuring a wide range of imagery and time periods. This includes a special edition of the “ACADEMY PLAYERS” Hollywood film legends originally painted for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

My Fair Lady Benefit Auction

A one of a kind edition of one 40″ x 60″ print of the final My Fair Lady movie poster key art will be auctioned off with the proceeds donated to the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund.

Reception and Show

RECEPTION: Saturday night, 7 to 11pm, June 6th, 2009

SHOW: June 6th through June 23rd, 2009

Gallery Nucleus
210 East Main St.
Alhambra CA 91801
ph 626.458.7477
gallery website: www.GalleryNuclues.com

For further information, visit the official website.

As always, keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest on James Bond-related events happening around the world.

Pierce Brosnan Makes A Trip To The White House

Pierce Brosnan had his first tour inside the White House earlier today – reports Politico 44.

The former James Bond star was there to meet with President Barack Obama’s staff to discuss the preservation of whales.

‘I’ve always viewed it from afar so to be in the hallowed halls was … truly an honor,’ Brosnan said outside to the growing press after the meeting came to a close.

Brosnan believes he had many sympathetic ears in the administration on the issue he and his wife took up 16 years ago. He went on to suggest that the White House could open up a communication line between Norway, Japan and Iceland to further combat the issue.

‘The administration and the president is very sensitive and forward thinking to the cause. Most people think [the whales] been saved but they haven’t. The slaughter still goes on.’

‘This is a golden opportunity,’ he added.

Click here for a brief video interview regarding the issue with Pierce Brosnan.

Keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest news on James Bond-related events occurring around the world.

J.W. 'Corkey' Fornof To Attend Mid-Atlantic Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention

J.W. ‘Corkey’ Fornof, whose aerial James Bond credits include Moonraker, Octopussy and Licence to Kill, will be making an appearance at the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Fly-In & Sport Aviation Convention in North Carolina.

The event is scheduled to run from 22 – 24 May at the Lumberton Municipal Airport. Full details follow in the press release below:

James Bond Flies LoPrestiFury in Mid-Atlantic Fly-In & Sport Aviation Convention May 22 – 24th

James Bond’s stand-in pilot, J.W. “Corkey” Fornof, will be sporting his latest airplane at the Mid-Atlantic Fly-In & Sport Aviation Convention held at the Lumberton Municipal Airport.

“Corkey” is an Alumni of University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Corkey flew with his father, J.W. “Bill” Fornof, in a world famous two ship air show with matching bronze Bearcats. Their air show business was based in Houma flying the T6, Mustang and his favorite war bird the Bearcat.

May 22nd – 24th, J.W. “Corkey” Fornof will be flying the LoPrestiFury in an acrobatic air show. Flying the Fury, he will perform his famous Mustang routine plus the Peggy’s Tango.

“The LoPrestiFury flys like a little fighter. It does everything my Mustang would do except 500 kts,” says Corkey. “This is one sweet ride. Roy LoPresti was right on when he designed this plane. The Fury is perfect for aerobatics or cross country flying”.

If you remember the classic movie scene where James Bond (aka Roger Moore) flys a BD5 jet through a hanger sideways in Octopussy, then you are already familiar with the work of “Corkey” Fornof, talented stunt pilot, aerial coordinator and director. “Corkey” Fornof is the master of aviation movie action.

“Corkey’s” list of feature movie stunts includes Harrison Ford’s 6 Days/7 Night’s, John Travolta’s Face Off, Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible II, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and Robert Redford and Demi Moore’s Indecent Proposal. “Corkey” is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the Motion Picture Pilots Association, and holds a current Motion Picture/Television Flight Operations Manual for the FAA. He’s been spotted in over 100 commercials and MTV.

For the past year, “Corkey” has been touring the country with the LoPresti Fury. “Corkey” is the perfect pilot/ambassador for this winged Ferrari-like sportster. If you’re going to show off a fast, sexy, high performance aircraft, it helps to have a secret agent as your pilot. The Fury possesses the thrilling excitement of air combat or an aerobatic WWII fighter. It’s precision and perfection allows smooth rolls and figure 8s. One can glide cross-country in this leather-seated beauty listening to tunes of your choice through the Bluetooth Headset and Intuition Ipod system.

About LoPresti Aviation

With certifications on 228 different models, providing for over 72,000 aircraft, LoPresti is the industry leader in HID lighting for aviation and has installed thousands of aftermarket kits. Roy LoPresti was responsible for the design and manufacture of more successful airplanes than any designer in aviation history. Mooney, Grumman, Beech, Piper, each company laid claim for a time to producing the works of his creative mind. In 1991, the legendary engineer formed LoPresti Speed Merchants, located in Vero Beach, Florida. With more than 40 Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) and Parts Manufacturing Authorizations (PMAs), plus patents and copyrights, LoPresti Aviation leads the way in performance and innovation time and again.

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest James Bond event news.