Airshows

The 2018 Belgian Air Force A109 Display Team has a completely new configuration

Taken on May 1, 2018, by our friend Andrew Timmerman from Finn Aviation Photography, the interesting pictures in this post show the new Belgian Air Force A109 display team.

As the team explained earlier this year in an interview for Airshowinfo, the Display Team has a completely new configuration this year. The Display Pilot is Captain “Stijn” Soenens: he is an instructor on the A109 since 2017 and has flown about 1300Hrs on the helicopter. He first was part of the team as the non-handling pilot and has now shifted to the right-hand seat. The non-handling pilot from this year is Captain Jo “J.J.” Jacobs. He has about 1000 flying hours on the A109. Something really special about this team is the fact that “Stijn” and “J.J.” have almost known each other their entire career. They started together in the Military Academy in Brussels for a theoretical education of five years. Afterward, they started their basic flying training on the single-engine aircraft SIAI Marchetti SF-260 and continued their education on the EC-120 helicopter in Dax, France. After a last conversion on the A109, they then joined the 17 Squadron in Beauvechain, Belgium. They are supported by a team of six technicians who are joining them at all the air events: “Yves” “Koen” “Marvin” “Thomas” “André” “Bart”.

The AgustaWestland AW109 is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Italian manufacturer Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland, merged into the new Finmeccanica since 2016). The rotorcraft had the distinction of being the first all-Italian helicopter to be mass-produced.

Developed as A109 by Agusta, it originally entered service in 1976 and has since been used in various roles, including light transport, medevac, search-and-rescue, and military roles. The AW109 has been in continuous production for 40 years.

Photo by Andrew Timmerman from Finn Aviation Photography

Senior Captain Stefan Darte ‘Vador’ will fly the Dark Falcon for the next three years

Taken on Apr. 23, 2018, by Andrew Timmerman from Finn Aviation Photography, the cool photos in this post feature the new paint scheme of Belgian Air Force F-16 belonging to the service “Viper” Solo Display Team.

Called “Dark Falcon,” the rollout of the new aircraft took place at Florenne Air Base (AB), home of Belgian Air Force 2nd Tactical Wing.

Senior Captain Stefan Darte ‘Vador’ will fly the Dark Falcon (which has been designed by Johan Wolfs who appears along with Vador in the picture below) for the next three years.

According to the Belgian Air Force F-16 Solo Display Facebook page, Darte started flying in 1993 with the Belgian Air Cadets. He joined the Belgian Air Force in 1997 and started his standard pilot training at Beauvechain Air Base with prom 97A. After completing basic flying training on the Alenia Aermacchi (formerly: SIAI Marchetti) SF-260M/D and basic jet training on the Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet 1B, he received his pilot wings with the prom 97B in 2000.

Vador started his conversion training with the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) Squadron at Kleine Brogel Airbase in 2001 and began flying the Lockheed Martin F-16.

He was assigned to the First “Stingers” Squadron at Florennes AB in 2002. During his almost 15 years as squadron pilot with the “Stingers” of 1st Squadron, Vador was a specialist in Weapons and Tactics, acting as Squadron Weapon Officer for 6 years and 2nd Wing Weapon Officer for 3 years.

In 2006 Darte graduated from the EPAF (European Participating Air Forces) Weapon school and became a Weapons Instructor. He came back to the FWIT (Fighter Weapon School) as an Instructor during four courses.

During his last years in the 1st Squadron, he did a short tour as Director of Operation and left the Squadron in the summer of 2016 as a Reconnaissance specialist. As Weapon Instructor and OCU Instructor qualified Vador joined the 2nd Wing Flying Group in 2016 acting as the OEC (Operations and evaluation Center) representative.

2018 will offer him new challenges and new opportunities as the F-16 Demo Pilot for the upcoming three years. He logged 2900Hrs on the F-16.

Photo by Andrew Timmerman from Finn Aviation Photography

The V1 flying bomb was an early cruise missile and the first production aircraft to use a pulsejet for power

Taken on Apr. 5, 2015, the gorgeous video in this article shows a Large RC (radio-controlled) V1 flying bomb model performing during the Classic Fighters Omaka airshow, New Zealand.

The model, which is approximately 3/4 scale, is powered by electric ducted fans and LiPo batteries.

The V1 missile or V1 flying bomb (that along with V2 liquid-fuelled ballistic missile and V3 cannon was part of the German World War II “V Weapons”) was an early cruise missile and the first production aircraft to use a pulsejet for power.

The V1 was known to the Allies as the “buzz bomb” because when it reached its target and dived, its propulsion unit spluttered and cut out, producing a terrifying, eerie hush before impact.

Noteworthy when V1 attacks against Great Britain began in mid-June 1944, the only aircraft with the low-altitude speed to be effective against them was the Hawker Tempest. Early attempts to intercept and destroy V1s often failed, but improved techniques soon emerged. These included using the airflow over an interceptor’s wing to raise one wing of the V-1, by sliding the wingtip to within 6 in (15 cm) of the lower surface of the V1’s wing. If properly executed, this maneuver would tip the V-1’s wing up, overriding the gyro and sending the V-1 into an out-of-control dive.

The incident took place during a pre-Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow training session, during which the F-16s approached the area from the south, flying close to tree level as they neared Fox Glacier

U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-16 pilots who took part in the Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow in New Zealand have been cautioned by the local authorities after complaints that they flew “close to tree level” over Fox Glacier.

The incident is said to have taken place during a pre-show training session, during which the F-16s approached the area from the south, flying close to tree level as they neared Fox Glacier.

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority said “no further incidents occurred” after “the Royal New Zealand Air Force reminded the pilots of New Zealand’s aviation rules.”

As reported by NZ Herald, Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow general manager Ed Taylor said he had been contacted by tourism operators who “expressed concern,” and he passed that on to USAF personnel in Christchurch, where the two F-16s were based the week before the air show.

The tourism operators, who were concerned about safety issues, told him the jets were “flying low in our airspace.”

When he contacted USAF personnel, they said they would talk to their aircrews.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) would also have “shown them where they could and couldn’t go and do that sort of flying”.

F-16 pilot Richard Smeeding said before the show the jet would “let me pull minus 3 to 9.0gs, go twice the speed of sound, rage through the mountains at 100ft fully loaded for war and all the time flying like an extension of my body.”

Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow is a biennial centerpiece of Central Otago’s tourist attractions. The airshow was conceived in 1988 by aviation entrepreneur Sir Tim Wallis who wanted to share his passion for Warbirds and Classic Aircraft with the public.

The first airshow and country fair attracted 14,000 visitors to Wanaka Airport.

Delighted with this success, he decided to expand on the theme and hold a biennial event over the long Easter weekend. As the show grew so did its support and now around 50,000 people make the pilgrimage to Wanaka for their weekend of excitement.

Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow that celebrated its 30th anniversary this year is acclaimed as the largest Warbird Airshow in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the world’s top four Warbird airshows.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

The engineer was killed, while the pilot survived the crash and is believed to have ejected shortly before the Hawk aircraft hit the ground at the base in Anglesey

According to U.k. Ministry of Defence, a Red Arrows Hawk jet (reportedly “Red 3”) crashed shortly after take-off at RAF Valley in north Wales, on Mar. 20, 2018.

As explained by The Telegraph two people – the pilot and the engineer – were on board the Hawk aircraft which crashed at the RAF base in Anglesey.

The engineer was killed, while the pilot survived the crash and is believed to have ejected shortly before the Hawk aircraft hit the ground at the base in Anglesey.

An RAF spokesman said: “It is with great sadness that the MoD must confirm the death of an engineer from the RAF Aerobatics Team (the Red Arrows) in a tragic accident today.

“The serviceman’s family have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before further details are released. The pilot of the aircraft survived the incident and is currently receiving medical care.”

The aircraft crashed at around 1.30 pm shortly after take-off as the Hawk was due to head back to the Red Arrows base at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

A plume of black smoke could be seen billowing over the base as witnesses claimed they saw the aircraft burst into flames.

The Red Arrows had been training on RAF Valley’s flight simulators ahead of the forthcoming display season.

Sources said North Wales Police will lead a full investigation into the crash.

An MoD spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident today at RAF Valley involving a Hawk aircraft.

“We are investigating the incident and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The Royal Air Force asked to send in any information or pictures of the incident, urging the public not to share them on social media.

Witness Sian Williams told the Daily Post: “I was sat at Rhosneigr train station waiting for the train and you can see the airfield from there.

“I was watching the Red Arrow flying because you hardly ever see them and then it looked like it was about to land.

“The next thing I saw was the parachute and then the plane hit the runway and went up in flames.”

Local aviation enthusiast Wyn Evans said the aircraft took off and then got into difficulty.

He said it continued banking towards the railway line and back again towards the airfield.

It then approached the runway and he saw two people eject before the Hawk crashed on the airfield.

Noteworthy this was the third Red Arrows accident in seven years following two fatalities in 2011.

In August 2011, Flt Lt Jon Egging was killed during an air show near Bournemouth Airport in Dorset.

Egging was the first Red Arrows pilot to die in a crash for 33 years. His wife Emma had been watching him perform just minutes before he went down.

Three months later, Red Arrows pilot Flt Lt Sean Cunningham died after being blown 300ft into the air when the ejection seat in his Hawk T1 fired as he prepared for taking–off at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

An inquest heard that the pilot died of multiple injuries when he hit the ground and his life would have been saved if his parachute had opened.

Photo by BBC

The Aviation Nation Air Show also featured the final performance of the year for the United States Air Force Thunderbirds

As explained by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum, 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs in his article Aviation Nation highlights “75 Years of Airpower,” Aviation Nation, Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) air show and open house, took place on Nov. 12-13, showing off numerous acts from past and present while giving the community the chance to interact with Airmen.

“Nellis, Creech, and the Nevada Test and Training Range have enjoyed decades of support from the communities across Southern Nevada,” said Col. Paul Murray, 99th Air Base Wing commander. “The open house and air show is just one way to give back and show our gratitude for all the support the community provides to our Airmen.”

Noteworthy the air show offered members from the community and those who traveled from abroad a chance to view multiple acts and experience the unique aspects of what occurs at Nellis AFB.

“Ranging from Vicky Benzing’s 1940 World War II Stearman to present-day 5th Generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35, variety and heritage are showcased this year,” explained Murray. “With more than 100 static displays bringing in everything from a DC 10 water drop, to a smoke and thunder jet car, and of course our Nellis capabilities featuring air-to-air and air-to-ground demos.”

By means of these acts and air shows static displays, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) strengthens its bonds with the surrounding community.

“There are many aerial acts and static aircraft during the Nellis Air Show which are snapshots of aviation history,” pointed out Murray. “The air show gives Nellis AFB an opportunity to demonstrate the Air Force’s mission and military capabilities, as well as the skill and professionalism of the Airmen assigned here.”

Actually, the biennial open house included demonstrations from many exciting aircraft including F-18 Hornet, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, F-86 Sabre, C-17 Globemaster, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The airshow also featured static displays of aircraft such as A-10 Thunderbolt, C-5 Galaxy, B-1B Lancer, CH-47 Chinook, HH-60 Pave-Hawk, KC-10 Extender, P-51 Mustang, MV-22 Osprey, MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones, and many more.

To strengthen this relationship, the 2016 Aviation Nation “75 Years of Airpower” Air Show played host to a record number of attendees from all around the globe and also featured the final performance of the year for the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.

“This event also marks the end of the air show season for the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron ‘Thunderbirds’ who will thrill their hometown crowd with precision and professionalism,” said Murray.

According to Jones, Aviation Nation played host to more than 300,000 spectators from the community.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

The T-50B skidded and crashed into the grass verge at the side of runway 1 and caught fire. The pilot sustained light injuries

Taken on Feb. 6, 2018, the impressive photos in this post show a Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50B aircraft from the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Black Eagles display team overturned after having crashed while taking off from Changi airport’s runway 1.

As reported in a statement by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the crash occurred at 13:24 local time when the jet “skidded and crashed into the grass verge at the side of runway 1 and caught fire. The aircraft was taking off for the flying display program at the Singapore Airshow 2018.

“Airport Emergency Service responded to the incident immediately and the fire was extinguished.

“The pilot sustained light injuries and is being treated. Runway 1 will be closed until further notice.”

The team performs with eight aircraft. KAI says the T-50B is customized to increase maneuverability, and also comes with smoke dispensers.

Apart from the T-50B and baseline T-50A, KAI also produces the FA-50 light fighter aircraft.

According to Flight Global, the type has proven popular in Southeast Asia. Thailand recently received its first two examples from an order book for 12 T-50THs, and the Philippines has received 12 FA-50s as it works to recapitalize its fast jet capability. Indonesia also operates 15 T-50As, having lost one in a crash.

In the Middle East, Iraq has received six examples from an order for 24 aircraft.

The aircraft designated as T-50A also forms the basis of Lockheed Martin’s bid for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) T-X trainer program to replace the Northrop T-38.

The T-50A is purpose-built around 5th Generation thinking. In fact, the aircraft will be able to train the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II pilots of tomorrow, as well as pilots for frontline 4th Generation aircraft. The T-50A builds upon the proven heritage of the T-50 family of aircraft with more than 150 T-50s flying today – 150,000 flight hours and counting – and more than 2,000 pilots who have trained in this aircraft.

Photo by Republic of Korea Air Force via Aviation Analysis Wing

RCAF selects a theme for each year for its CF-18 air demonstration team and 2018 will feature the 60th Anniversary of NORAD

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has unveiled the 2018 CF-18 Demonstration Hornet paint scheme.

According to the RCAF press release, the service selects a theme for each year for its CF-18 air demonstration team and 2018 will feature the 60th Anniversary of NORAD.

The design: Elements from NORAD’s logo – lightning bolts, a north-pointing sword, the globe, and silver stylized wings that evoke both the northern lights and radar sweeps. Taken together, the motif is undeniably symbolic of NORAD’s ongoing commitment to the protection and defense of North American airspace, and the RCAF’s role in guaranteeing Canadian sovereignty.

Throughout the year, NORAD will hold several events aimed at highlighting the importance of honoring the past, guarding the present, and protecting the future.

NORAD is a combined, bi-national military command established by an agreement in 1958 between Canada and the United States to monitor and defend North America. NORAD is supported in Canada by the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR), headquartered in Winnipeg, Man., and the Canadian Air Defence Sector (CADS) at 22 Wing North Bay, Ontario. CANR maintains CF-18 aircraft on standby at 3 Wing and 4 Wing along with CC-130T Hercules air-to-air refuellers operating from Winnipeg, in support of the NORAD mission.

“As the Commander of the Canadian NORAD Region, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the important NORAD mission and our important bi-national partnership through the 2018 National CF-18 Demonstration program,” said Major-General Christian Drouin, the commander of 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region. “The men and women of NORAD work diligently to keep watch over our countries and to protect the air sovereignty of North America. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, no matter what – we have the watch.”

Photo by Royal Canadian Air Force

The PC-21 will replace the present team’s plane, the PC-9/A which Roulettes fly since 1989

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aerobatic display team Roulettes will fly new aircraft – in the form of the Pilatus PC-21 – featuring a new livery. The PC-21 will replace the present team’s plane, the Pilatus PC-9/A which Roulettes fly since 1989.

The aircraft will receive a brand new color scheme inspired by technology and energy themes and its motif will retain RAAF traditional colors (white, blue, and red) while incorporating the Australian flag, the team logo, and Southern Cross.

According to RAAF “The color design better enables our pilots to distinguish if an aircraft is viewed from above or below – aiding judgment of flight paths whilst also increasing visibility during day flying.”

However, it is not known when the team will transition to the PC-21 aircraft.

Noteworthy the Roulettes carry out breathtaking displays, using only hand-eye coordination to fly at speeds of up to 590 kilometers per hour and they can pull up to 4.5G (or 4.5 times the normal force of gravity) during their flying program.

Roulettes members are qualified instructors that when they’re not flying with the team they teach qualified RAAF pilots to become flying instructors at RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria.

The PC-9/A, which is used for pilot training, will be replaced by the PC-21, the newest of the Pilatus trainers, of which Australia ordered 49 examples.

Photo by Royal Australian Air Force