The Falcons () is a disbanded
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 "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...
display team of the
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
(PAF) which flew
North American 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 ...
s and is known for executing a
World record loop with 16 F-86 Sabres during an aerial display on 2 February 1958 at
Mauripur
Maripur or Mauripur () is a Pakistani village to the west of Karachi, near Hawke's Bay Beach.
Air Force Base
PAF Base Masroor is the largest airbase operated by the Pakistan Air Force. It is located in the Mauripur area of Karachi, in the Sind ...
. The team inspired the British RAF's
Black Arrows
The Black Arrows, one of the predecessors to the current Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team the Red Arrows, were an aerobatic demonstration team formed in 1956 by Squadron Leader Roger L.Topp, then Commanding Officer 111 Squadron ("treble-one"). ...
which went on to beat the record with 22
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...
s.
History
Originally established with four Sabres in 1956 under the leadership of the PAF's well known stunt pilot Wing Commander
Zafar Masud Zafar Masood, also spelled as Zafar Masud may refer to:
* Zafar Masood (actor), Pakistani actor
* Zafar Masud (air commodore)
Muhammad Zafar Masud ( ; 17 October 1927 – 7 October 2003) also known as Mitty Masud, was a one star air officer ...
. The team's strength rose to seven and then nine by 1958. In December 1957, on the request of the air force's
C in C at the time (
ACM Asghar Khan), the team's strength was risen at a staggering 16 Sabres. By this time, Zafar's team consisted of six squadron leaders
Bill Latif, SM Ahmad, SU Khan, Ghulam Haider, Aftab Ahmad, Sadruddin; and nine
Flight lieutenants which were
Sajad Haider
Sayed Sajad Haider (26 December 1932 – 3 January 2025), better known by his aliases as Nosy Haider and Saviour of Lahore, was a Pakistani fighter pilot and one-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). He was also an author, columni ...
, Muniruddin Ahmad, AU Ahmad, Hameed Anwar, Arshad,
Jamal Khan, Wiqar Azim AMK Lodhie and
Mervyn Middlecoat
Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat (6 July 1940 – 12 December 1971) was a Pakistani fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who was involved in a number of aerial battles during the Indo-Pakistani wars, 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, before b ...
. Many of these pilots went on to participate in the
1965 Indo-Pakistani war while some eventually rose to become the PAF's Chief. The team performed various aerobatic maneuvers including barrel rolls, 4 & 8
point rolls,
Barrel roll
A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on both its longitudinal and lateral axes, causing it to follow a helix, helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes describe ...
s etc.
[
Not much is known about the later history of the Falcons team though they were reportedly disbanded in 1966.][
]
1958 World record loop
After the team's number was increased to 16 in December 1957, the air force chief chose the team to carry out the world record loop during the Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah
Mohammad Zāhir Shāh (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since t ...
's state visit to Pakistan on 2 February 1958 and were given four weeks to prepare for the occasion. The Falcons with 16 F-86 Sabres successfully executed it at PAF Base Mauripur
Pakistan Air Force Base Masroor or more simply PAF Base Masroor is the largest airbase operated by the Pakistan Air Force. It is located in the Mauripur area of Karachi, in the Sindh province.
The base was originally known as RIAF Base Mau ...
at Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
in front of 30,000 spectators which included leaders of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.[
]
See also
* Saudi Falcons
* Ukrainian Falcons
The Ukrainian Falcons () were the aerobatic demonstration team of the Ukrainian Air Force. It was established in 1995 as a team of six MiG-29 aircraft (five MiG-29 9-13s and one MiG-29UB) and disbanded in 2002.
History
Dozens of air shows w ...
* Red Arrows
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 several un ...
References
External links
{{Pakistan Air Force squadrons
Aerobatic teams
Pakistan Air Force squadrons
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
History of the Pakistan Air Force