Bengaluru: The aerobatics by Yakovlevs, a UK-based private display team, was longest yet bumpy display at Aero India 2017 on Friday, but the team might pull off some extra manoeuvres to the delight of aviation buffs on Saturday, the last day of the air show.
With a call sign “Yak Team,” the four aircraft formation of Russian-built aircraft had a bumpy ride in the sky on Friday because of hot air over Air Force Station, Yelahanka, but managed the loops, power rolls, stall turns and slow rolls.
“On Saturday, like all days, we will be allocated a slot (for aerobatic display) by the Flight Director of the air show at 7 am. Everything depends on how much time we are given in the morning and afternoon," team leader Jez Hopkinson told Deccan Chronicle.
This 15-member team, including nine pilots who belong to the UK, Belgium, France, Ireland and Ukraine, is on the threshold of turning the biggest private aerobatic display unit in January 2018 with the number of aircraft increasing to nine. “We will start training in February 2018, but we are not sure where we will debut with all our nine aircraft,” added Hopkinson, 56, with more than 10,000 hours of flying experience onboard 50 types of aircraft.
He said the team arrived in Bengaluru early (February 4) for the air show, while the aircraft were shipped from Henstridge (December 8) to reach Chennai early January 2017. “We take six days to put the aircraft together, test the engines, and commence test flights before our rehearsals for the air show,” he added.
The team quotes charge of 10,000 to 1,00,000 pounds for each event and ploughs back the revenues for acquisition of new aircraft-a process which has helped the number of their flying machines from the first one in 1986. The cost for each event depends on the distance covered by the team from Henstridge Airfield, he added.
He complimented pilots of Indian Air Force, particular the members of ‘Suryakiran’ aerobatics team, saying they were warm, friendly and forthcoming on conditions over Yelahanka and to look out for trouble spots during the air show.
