Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment, and sport. Additionally, some helicopters, such as the MBB Bo 105, are capable of limited aerobatic manoeuvres. An example of a fully aerobatic helicopter, capable of performing loops and rolls, is the Westland Lynx.
The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF). The Thunderbirds, as they are popularly known, are assigned to the 57th Wing, and are based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Created 71 years ago in 1953, the USAF Thunderbirds are the third-oldest formal flying aerobatic team in the world, after the French Air Force Patrouille de France formed in 1931 and the United States Navy Blue Angels formed in 1946.
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force (RAF) based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-Royal Air Force team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by RAF commands.
The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical combat aircraft, it was procured as a trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as well as by export customers, who used the Gnat in both combat and training capacities.
The Yellowjacks were a Royal Air Force aerobatic display team which flew Folland Gnat trainers painted yellow. The team was formed in May 1964 by a group of flying instructors, led by Flight Lieutenant Lee Jones, at No 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley. The two-seat Gnat T.1 had been in service at Valley only since November 1962, when the first 20 student pilots, selected after being awarded their "wings", from the recently graduated No 82 Entry of the RAF College Cranwell, had started their advanced training on the Gnat. Instructors and student pilots loved this aircraft, because of its small size and its sensitive handling and high maneuverability.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military air show, held annually in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a total of 150,000 to 200,000 spectators over the weekend.
Number 111 (Fighter) Squadron, also known as No. CXI (F) Squadron and nicknamed Treble One, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1917 in the Middle East as No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps during the reorganisation of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force after General Edmund Allenby took command during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The squadron remained in the Middle East after the end of the First World War until 1920 when it was renumbered as No. 14 Squadron.
The Red Pelicans were one of a number of aerobatics display teams of the Royal Air Force before the Red Arrows were selected to represent the service in 1965. The Red Pelicans flew the BAC Jet Provost aircraft.
Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it flew both air superiority and direct ground support missions. It was disbanded at Eil on 7 August 1919. Reformed on 10 October 1939,at Tangmere Airfield, the unit was supposed to be equipped with medium bombers but in the spring of 1940 it became one of the first RAF units to receive the Supermarine Spitfire, going on to fight in the Battle of Britain.
A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft. The term flypast is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. In the United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used.
Raynham George Hanna, was a New Zealand-born fighter pilot who emigrated to England to join the Royal Air Force (RAF). During his RAF career he was a founding member of the Red Arrows aerobatics display team. He also founded The Old Flying Machine Company, which commercially flies Second World War vintage fighter aircraft at air displays around the world, and for television and cinematic productions. He was a Spitfire display pilot in the latter half of the 20th century, noted for his daring aerobatic stunt flying.
Sherdils is the formation aerobatics display team of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The Sherdils team is based at the Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur, Pakistan and at present, it consists of nine Karakoram K-8P aircraft.
The 53rd Air Demonstration Group, nicknamed the Black Eagles, is the flight display team of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) based at Wonju, Gangwon Province.
High Flight is a 1957 CinemaScope British Cold War film, directed by John Gilling and starring Ray Milland, Bernard Lee and Leslie Phillips.
Simon’s Sircus was an aerobatics display team comprising six Sea Vixen FAW2 aircraft from 892 Naval Air Squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The team operated during the summer of 1968 and was named after 892 Squadron’s commanding officer at the time, Lt Cdr Simon Idiens RN.
The Alap-Alap Formation is the official aerobatic display team of Brunei Darussalam, operated by the Royal Brunei Air Force. The Alap-Alap Formation display team was formed on 7 February 2011.
The Blades were a British civilian aerobatic team based at the Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire. They had been described as "the world's only aerobatic airline" and were the only full-time civilian aerobatic team in the United Kingdom. The Blades were a subsidiary of 2Excel Aviation.
The world record loop is the record for the highest number of aircraft to successfully complete an aerobatic loop while flying in formation. The current record is 22 aircraft. The record was set by the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the Black Arrows, who successfully looped 22 Hawker Hunter jet aircraft every day of the September 1958 Society of British Aerospace Companies Farnborough Airshow, beating the previous record set by the Pakistan Air Force, who looped the 16 North American F-86 Sabres in February 1958. The record required the team to train pilots from other RAF squadrons. The team initially wanted to loop 20 aircraft, but additional aircraft were added to the formation in order to improve the formation's aesthetic appearance.
No. 52 Squadron is an aerobatic squadron of the Indian Air Force. It was established in January 1986. It is presently based at Bidar Air Force Station. It is popularly known as the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT). SKAT performs across the country, and has performed in China, the UK, Germany, Laos and Sri Lanka. The Surya Kirans were among the top three nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, along with the British Red Arrows and the Canadian Snowbirds. The Squadron motto is "Sadaiv Sarvottam", which translates as "Always the Best". For its consistent performance since 1996, the Suryakiran was awarded Chief of the Air Staff's Unit Citation on 8 October 2004. It is the first unit in the IAF to receive this award.
No. 4 Flying Training School is a Royal Air Force military flying training school, which manages Advanced Fast Jet Training (AFJT) from its base at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales. Its role is to provide fast jet aircrew to the Operational Conversion Units for the RAF's jet attack aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
