Black Eagles aerobatic team
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The 53rd Air Demonstration Group, nicknamed the Black Eagles, is the flight display team of the
Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...
(ROKAF) based at Wonju, Gangwon Province. The ROKAF Aerobatic Team has operated on various occasions at national ceremonies. The permanent team was initially formed on December 12, 1994, and flew six
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pea ...
airplanes. The team disbanded temporarily after the 2007 Seoul Air Show and reformed upon the arrival of their new
T-50 Golden Eagle The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle (골든이글) is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced jet trainers and light combat aircraft, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous ...
aircraft code-named as T-50B in 2010.


History

The
Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...
Black Eagles aerobatic team has operated in various occasions at national ceremonies and at international air shows. The original display team was formed on October 1, 1953, and operated four
P-51 Mustangs The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
. In October 1956 a new display team, the T-33A Show Flight Team was formed. On October 1, 1959, a new display team was formed. This team was called the Blue Sabre and they flew four
F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
jet airplanes. This team was disbanded in 1966. In 1967, a new display team, the Black Eagles, was formed. It operated between 1966 through 1978 and flew seven Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighters. From 1966 to 1969 the aircraft were F-5As. Flying was suspended from 1970 to 1972, and from 1973 to 1978 the aircraft used were RF-5As. In 1978 the team was disbanded in order to enhance defense preparedness. The full-time aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, was re-established as the 2nd flight of the 238th Fighter Squadron, the 8th Fighter Wing on December 12, 1994, and flew six
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pea ...
airplanes. On April 1, 1999, the flight was detached from the 238 FS and became the 239th Aerobatic Flight Squadron. After the Seoul Air Show in 2007, the Black Eagles team was temporarily disbanded on October 31, 2007, for transitioning to their new
T-50 Golden Eagle The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle (골든이글) is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced jet trainers and light combat aircraft, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous ...
. The farewell flight mission was directed by General Kim Eun-gi, ROKAF Chief of Staff on October 10, 2007. The reformation was scheduled for 2010, but ahead of schedule, the Black Eagles were re-established in August 2009 and performed an air show to fly over Seoul on September 23, 2009, to commemorate the ROKAF's 60th anniversary. On July 1, 2012, the Black Eagles was awarded the Boeing Trophy for best display at the 17th Waddington International Air Show. On July 8, 2012, the Black Eagles were awarded the King Hussein Memorial Sword, for Best Overall Flying Demonstration and As The Crow Flies Trophy at the awards ceremony of the
Royal International Air Tattoo 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 t ...
, on their first appearance at the airshow. On April 1, 2013, the squadron was authorized to expand to an independent group level, the 53rd Air Demonstration Group, including the 239th squadron and its dedicated maintenance flights, was established under the direct control of the ROKAF Headquarters. Now the Black Eagles are not commanded by the 8th Fighter Wing, but the group is still based at Wonju alongside its ex-parent unit and supported by the wing's logistics and support units.


T-50 characteristics

The Black Eagles' KAI T-50B is painted in yellow, white, and black. It is equipped with an internal smoke generation system which creates a thick smoke trail. The aircraft is the same as the original T-50 except for the smoke generation system, several cameras, and two wingtip visible lights.


Smoke

The thick smoke trails of the Black Eagles aerobatic team are made by releasing diesel and oil into the exhaust nozzle; this mixture immediately oxidizes, leaving a white smoke trail. There are two smoke tanks in the aircraft, each designed to carry about 60 gallons of smoke oil. The smoke system can control the quantity of oil released, so each aircraft can trail smoke for seven to twenty minutes.


Maneuver

The Black Eagles group demonstrates organized teamwork and sophisticated flight skills. The display is composed of about 30
aerobatic maneuvers 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 capabl ...
. The team has a total of eight aircraft in formation. Formations with 4~8 aircraft usually show grandeur and sophistication at the same time. One to four plane maneuvers show thrills and excitement. During an aerobatics display, pilots experience forces up to 4 to 5  g's, and when performing the aerobatic maneuver 'Maximum maneuver', forces up to 9 g (the structural limit of the aircraft).


2020 Full / High Show Sequence

* 1. Change Loop: Big Arrow to Penta, to Canard after the loop, then commence loop again from right side, they will form the Star formation this time. * 2. Change Turn: Diamond to Albatross to Eagle to Big Arrow while the 360° Oblique Turn. * 3. Victory Roll: 8-Ship Formation Barrel Roll * 4. Bon Ton Roulle: Maintaining the spread form of Penta, 8-ship will perform aileron roll simultaneously. * 5. Rainfall: 8 ships clover-leaf then separate to 8 ways from center. * 6. Scissor Pass: 4 ships * 7. Vortex : 4 ships * 8. Double Cross Turn: 2 ships * 9. Goose: 6 ships * 10. Heart and Cupid: 3 ships * 11. Orchid: 5 ships * 12. 2 ships High and Loop: 3 ships * 13. Roll Back and
Afterburner An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and co ...
Loop: 5 ships * 14. Taegeuk (태극): 2 ships (the national
flag of South Korea The national flag of South Korea, also known as the Taegukgi (also spelled as ''Taegeukgi'', ) and colloquially known as the flag of Korea, has three parts: a white rectangular background, a red and blue Taegeuk in its center, accompanied by fo ...
) * 15. Cloverleaf / Cross: 6 ships * 16. Rock & roll : 2 ships * 17. Inverted Bottom Up Pass: 2 ships * 18. Echelon Review: 4 ships * 19. Double Helix: 4 ships * 20. Eagle Snatch: 4 ships * 21. Dizzying Break: 4 ships * 22. Twist Roll: 4 ships * 23. Maximum Maneuver: 1 ship * 24. Victory Break: 7 ships * 25. Tornado Landing: 8 ships


Accidents

* On May 8, 1998, during a training flight, two of the team's planes collided in mid-air. One of the planes crashed killing the team leader of the Black Eagles. The other plane landed with minor damage. * On May 5, 2006, at the Suwon Air Base, an A-37B crashed onto the far edge of the runway during an air show that was intended to celebrate
Children's Day Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children, whose date of observance varies by country. In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare. Sin ...
. Crowds ranging in the thousands, including many children, witnessed the crash. * On November 15, 2012, a South Korean air force pilot from the service's Black Eagles aerobatic display team was killed when his KAI T-50B trainer crashed in a mountainside in the area of
Hoengseong Hoengseong County is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The roots of '' Codonopsis lanceolata'' ( ko, deodeok, script=Latn), a bonnet bellflower species, play an important role in local agriculture. The Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, ...
, about 48 nm (90 km) east of Seoul, due to human error during a maintenance operation. * On February 6, 2018, one of the team's planes flipped over after one of its tires burst on takeoff at
Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passe ...
. It was taking off in preparation for a display at the
Singapore Airshow The Singapore Airshow is a biennial aerospace event held in Singapore, debuted in 2008. It hosts high-level government and military delegations, as well as senior corporate executives around the world, while serving as a global event for leadin ...
.


See also

*
List of airshow accidents Lists of air show accidents and incidents give lists of accidents and incidents at air shows. They include: * List of air show accidents and incidents in the 20th century * List of air show accidents and incidents in the 21st century This is ...


References


External links


Black Eagles official site (korean)
{{Modern aerobatic teams * Aerobatic teams