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The Silver Falcons is the
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 glid ...
display team of the
South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...
. Based at Air Force Base
Langebaanweg Langebaanweg is a town on the southwest coast of South Africa, in Western Cape Province. It is the location of the air force base AFB Langebaanweg. Langebaanweg has been an important mining center, with its mai minerals consisting of phosphorite ...
near
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, the Silver Falcons fly the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II, the basic trainer of the SA Air Force in a 5-ship routine. The main purpose of the Silver Falcons is to enhance the image of the
South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...
, encourage recruitment and instill national pride through public display.


History

Originally formed in 1953 as the ''Bumbling Bees'' and flying the
T-6 Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...
and then the
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and ...
. The Bumbling Bees flew a 4 ship formation and made a name for themselves by regularly taking part in South African airshows. The team disbanded in the late 1950s leaving a gap in South African aviation. During 1966 the Aermacchi MB-326 "Impala" arrived and the Bumbling Bees were reinstated under the command of Colonel Chris Prins. The Silver Falcons were based at Air Force Base Langebaanweg on the West Coast of South Africa, near
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. The team went from strength to strength and the idea to change the name to a more bilingual-sounding name came about. The Silver Falcons ("Die Silwer Valke" in Afrikaans) team was founded and gave their first display in November 1967 at the opening of the Atlas Aircraft Corporation. During 1986, under the command of Commandant Dave Knoesen, the team was expanded to a 5 ship to bring about more exciting display postures and to include a solo display. The aircraft were also painted in orange, white and blue to represent the then current South African flag. The Silver Falcons operated from Langebaanweg until the early 1990s, when all the Impala training was moved to Air Force Base Hoedspruit, in the Lowveld region of South Africa, and formed part of
85 Combat Flying School 85 Combat Flying School is a unit of the South African Air Force (SAAF). It is a jet flight-training and combat operations school, it was first formed in 1982 at AFB Pietersburg (It was known as Advanced Flying School from 1967).AFB Langebaanweg AFB Langebaanweg Data current as of October 2006. is an airbase of the South African Air Force (SAAF). The base motto is ''Tenax Propisiti Vinco – Through Tenacity Comes Success''. Units hosted * Central Flying School SAAF - Pilot and Inst ...
and commenced training in the Pilatus Astra. The decision was partly made due to the shortage of flying instructors at 85 CFS and also to display the new turbo-prop trainer to the nation. During this move, the team was once again reduced to a 4 ship. For nine years, the team flew in the standard red and white paint scheme of the Astra fleet. In 2008, 6 of the Astras were repainted in a unique blue and white livery and the team was expanded to a 5-ship again. Paint for the respray was donated by a local paint supplier, First African Paints. The first display in the new livery was flown at the Africa Aerospace and Defense Expo at AFB Ysterplaat in September 2008.


Aircraft

The Pilatus PC-7 Mk II is a high performance single-engine turboprop aircraft, used by the
South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...
for ab-initio training. It is powered by a 750 shp limited to 700 Pratt & Whitney PT6A-25C engine and is designed for G-loadings between +7 and −3.5 G, making it ideal for
aerobatics 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 glid ...
. The aircraft has a tandem seat configuration with Martin Baker CH-11A ejection seats. For all practical purposes the PC-7 Mk II can be seen as a hybrid between the PC-7 and the newer PC-9. Both these aircraft types are popular as military trainers and are in service with more than 30 air forces. Like the PC-9, the PC-7 Mk II features a larger cockpit, upgraded airframe and instruments and is fitted with a ventral airbrake, but it retains the smaller engine of the original PC-7. Specifications * Wing span — 10.19 m * Length — 10.13 m * Max Operating Speed — 300 knots (555 km/h) * Maximum Mach Number — Mach 0.6 * Maximum Operating Altitude — 25 000 ft (7 622 m) * Stalling Speed (Clean) — 75 knots (139 km/h) * Stalling Speed (Landing Configuration) — 65 knots (120 km/h) * Minimum Speed For Ground Level Ejection — 65 knots (120 km/h)


Accidents and incidents

*16 April 1988 – Capt Kobus Griesel ejected from an Aermacchi MB-326 Impala after his engine caught fire during a display at
Franschhoek Franschhoek (; Afrikaans for "French Corner", Dutch spelling before 1947 ''Fransche Hoek'') is a small town in the Western Cape Province and one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Formerly known as Oliphants hoek (as there were vast groups of e ...
. *2 October 1993 — During an airshow at
Lanseria Airport Lanseria International Airport is a privately owned international airport that is situated north of Randburg and Sandton to the northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757-300 and ...
, Falcon 5 crashed during a low-level solo display sequence. Capt Charlie Rudnick ejected moments after structural failure caused the right wing of his Impala Mk I to separate from the fuselage, but was killed on impact.


Current team

The team consists of 5 display pilots, 3 support officers and 12 ground crew members. Falcon 1 is the formation leader, with Falcons 2–5 being the wingmen. All the team's pilots are serving instructors at the
Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...
.


Team 67

August 2008 – September 2008 September 2008 – October 2008 :Falcon 1: Maj Scott Ternent :Falcon 2: Capt Guy du Sautoy :Falcon 3: Maj Alex Macphail :Falcon 4: Capt D Deeflets :Falcon 5: Maj Nico Frylinck


Team 68

September 2008 – October 2008 :Falcon 1: Maj Scott Ternent :Falcon 2: Capt Guy du Sautoy :Falcon 3: Capt Buti Tsebe :Falcon 4: Capt D Deeflets :Falcon 5: Maj Nico Frylinck


Team 69

October 2008 – December 2008 :Falcon 1: Maj Scott Ternent :Falcon 2: Capt Roy Sproul :Falcon 3: Capt Buti Tsebe :Falcon 4: Capt D Deeflets :Falcon 5: Maj Nico Frylinck


Team 70

January 2009 – December 2010 :Falcon 1: Maj Scott Ternent (Leader) :Falcon 2: Capt Roy Sproul :Falcon 3: Capt Buti Tsebe :Falcon 4: Capt Gerhard Lourens :Falcon 5: Maj Nico Frylinck (Soloist) :Ancillary Members: ::Ground Liaison Officer: Capt Heybrech van Niekerk ::Public Relations Officer: 2Lt Brian Goldschmidt


Team 71

March 2011 – December 2011 :Falcon 1 – Capt Roy Sproul (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Capt Heybrech van Niekerk (first female member) :Falcon 3 – Capt Buti Tsebe :Falcon 4 – Capt Gerhard Lourens :Falcon 5 – Maj Beau Skarda (Soloist)


Team 72

December 2011 – May 2012 :Falcon 1 – Maj Roy Sproul (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Capt Heybrech van Niekerk (first female member) :Falcon 3 – Lt Jacques Poolman :Falcon 4 – Capt Gerhard Lourens :Falcon 5 – Maj Beau Skarda (Soloist)


Team 73

:Falcon 1 – Maj Roy Sproul (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Maj Werner Vermaak :Falcon 3 – Lt Jacques Poolman :Falcon 4 – Maj Heybrech van Niekerk (first female member) :Falcon 5 – Maj Beau Skarda (Soloist) :Ancillary Members: ::Ground Liaison Officer: Capt Mark Gentles ::Public Relations Officer: Lt Brian Goldschmidt


Team 74

:Falcon 1 – Maj Roy Sproul (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Capt Mark Gentles :Falcon 3 – Lt Jacques Poolman :Falcon 4 – Maj Werner Vermaak :Falcon 5 – Maj Beau Skarda (Soloist) :Ancillary Members: ::Ground Liaison Officer: Capt Loedolff Muller ::Public Relations Officer: Lt Brian Goldschmidt


Team 75

:Falcon 1 – Maj Beau Skarda (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Capt Mark Gentles :Falcon 3 – Capt Loedolff Muller :Falcon 4 – Maj Werner Vermaak :Falcon 5 – Capt Jacques Poolman (Soloist) :Ancillary Members: ::Ground Liaison Officer: Still to be elected. ::Public Relations Officer: Capt Christo Jansen


Team 76

:Falcon 1 – Maj Beau Skarda (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Maj Marc Bennett :Falcon 3 – Maj Loedolff Muller :Falcon 4 – Maj Werner Vermaak :Falcon 5 – Maj Mark Gentles (Soloist) :Major Jacques Poolman (official reservist)


Team 77

:Falcon 1 – Maj Werner Vermaak (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Maj Marc Bennett :Falcon 3 – Capt Jacques Poolman :Falcon 4 – Maj Loedolff Mûller :Falcon 5 – Maj Mark Gentles (Soloist)


Team 78

:Falcon 1 – Maj Werner Vermaak (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Maj Marc Bennett :Falcon 3 – Maj Shaun Constable :Falcon 4 – Maj Loedolff Mûller :Falcon 5 – Maj Mark Gentles (Soloist)


Team 79

:Falcon 1 – Maj Mark Gentles (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Maj James Wilcox :Falcon 3 – Capt Omphile Mutloane :Falcon 4 – Maj Marc Bennett :Falcon 5 – Maj Shaun Constable (Soloist)


Team 80

:Falcon 1 – Maj Mark Gentles (Leader) :Falcon 2 – Maj James Wilcox :Falcon 3 – Major Sivuyile Tangana :Falcon 4 – Capt Wendy Badenhorst :Falcon 5 – Capt Omphile Mutloane (Soloist)


References


Silver Falcons Official websiteEjection-history.org.uk
Project Get out and Walk *''Zero Error Margin: Airshow Display Flying Analysed'' by Maj Gen Desmond Barker


Notes


External links


Silver Falcons Official websiteSilver Falcons Facebook Fan PageAfrica Aerospace & Defence Expo 2008Silver Falcons Blog
{{SAAF navbox , state=autocollapse South African Air Force South African aerobatic teams Military units and formations established in 1946