The Blue Eagles were the

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

aerobatic 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 "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

team of the British Army Air Corps. It was one of only eight professional helicopter teams in the world, along with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

Black Cats A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats ...

, Sarang of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct ...

, the Scorpion aerobatic team of the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mi ...

, Rotores de Portugal, the Patrulla Aspa of the

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

, the Grasshoppers of the RNLAF and the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Silver Eagles. They were formed in the spring of 1968 by Air Corps instructors, and were established in the following years with five helicopters. In 2001, the team included the first British female military display pilot. In 2010, it was disbanded due to an ageing

Westland Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led t ...

fleet and financial cutbacks.

History

The Blue Eagles were formed in the spring of

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

by instructors at the British Army Air Corps centred at Middle Wallop who practised in their spare time. One year later the team was permanently established with five Bell-47G3B1 Sioux helicopters. Despite no official formation flying training from the army, the team achieved growing success and by

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

they were including venues as far apart as the Channel Islands, Scotland and Germany. Nonetheless, the Army could not afford to maintain the Blue Eagles on a full-time basis and the team disbanded. Enthusiastic pilots at Middle Wallop were left to continue the team on their own time, and they kept the team and expertise alive. The team performed under a variety of names including the Eagles, Army Eagles, and Sparrow-hawks. AAC-BlueEagles-Sioux-1973

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

the team briefly officially reformed as the Silver Eagles for the Army Air Corps' 25th anniversary. During this time the team flew the Bell/Agusta, the Aérospatiale Gazelle, the

, and the

Westland Scout The Westland Scout is a light helicopter developed by Westland Helicopters. Developed from the Saro P.531, it served as a land-based general purpose military helicopter, sharing a common ancestor and numerous components with the naval-orientat ...

helicopters and occasionally even incorporated fixed-wing aircraft into their displays.

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

saw the Eagles equipped with four Lynx helicopters which amazed crowds with their unprecedented versatility and power. However the Army needed Lynx helicopters elsewhere and could not justify the expensive flying time for an unofficial team. Thus the team adopted a configuration of four Gazelles and one Lynx in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

. The team experienced a strong resurgence and won the prestigious Wilkinson Sword at the Royal International Air Tattoo. Following this success the team was allowed to return to the Blue Eagles moniker in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, though the team was still composed entirely of volunteers. In 2001, the team included the very first British female military display pilot, Sgt Julie Wiles. The team continued to fly out of Middle Wallop and its repertoire included

formation flying Formation flying is the flight of multiple objects in coordination. Introduction Formation flight in aviation originated in World War I when fighter aircraft were assigned to escort reconnaissance aircraft. It was found that pairs of aircraft w ...

, loops, rolls, breaks, and many other standard

aerobatic maneuver Aerobatic maneuvers are flight paths putting aircraft in unusual attitudes, in air shows, dogfights or competition aerobatics. Aerobatics can be performed by a single aircraft or in formation with several others. Nearly all aircraft are capab ...

s until the team was disbanded in 2010, due to financial considerations and an ageing Lynx fleet. It was succeeded in its role by the Solo

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

Display team.

References

External links

Blue Eagles official site

Additional info
{{Army Air Corps Army Air Corps (United Kingdom) British aerobatic teams 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Hampshire Test Valley Military units and formations established in 1968

History

See also

References

External links