The Alap-Alap Formation (Kestrel Formation) is the official

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 "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

display team of

Brunei Darussalam Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, operated by the

Royal Brunei Air Force The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), natively known as the (TUDB), is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is headquartered and mainly based at the Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, opposite the Brunei International Airport (BIA).

(RBAirF; – TUDB). The Alap-Alap Formation display team was formed on .

Aircraft

The Alap-Alap Formation display team uses three of the four RBAirF / TUDB Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II turboprop aircraft purchased from Switzerland in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, a low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft powered by a PT-6A-25C turboprop engine driving a four-blade variable-pitch

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

. All four PC-7 aircraft of the RBAirF are liveried in a white, blue, red, and yellow colour-scheme. The three aircraft used by the Alap-Alap Formation display team ( registration numbers: TUDB-302, TUDB-303, and TUDB-304) are fitted with two under-wing smoke pods, mounted on external hard-points, which generate white smoke during displays.

Operation

Currently the

have a total of four PC-7 Mk.II aircraft. The aircraft are under the management of No 73 Squadron TUDB (originally known as 63 Squadron ATUDB), a flying squadron of No. 7 Wing RBAirF, part of the Flying Training School (FTS) of the training

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

located at the

Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba Officially known as Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba (), commonly known as Rimba Air Force Base (), occasionally known as Rimba Airbase, and informally abbreviated Rimba AFB; it is the military headquarters and main operating airbase of the Ro ...

Pilots

Identified by their respective 'Eagle'

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

s, the display team consists of three

pilots An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they are ...

. One pilot is local, from the

, and two remaining pilots are from the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF), one on loan from the RAF and the other directly contracted to the RBAF. All are

Qualified Flying Instructor A Qualified Flying Instructor is someone who is qualified to conduct flight training for pilots. They may also have other roles in aviation, such as aircraft certification and flight reviews, depending on the jurisdiction. Every country has its own ...

(QFI) pilots, whilst its team leader achieved the Formation Aerobatic Leader qualification from the

Empire Test Pilots' School The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type. ...

(ETPS) in the UK. *Eagle One: Capt (LS) Richard Frick (TUDB / RAF) *Eagle Two: Lieutenant Colonel (U) Pg Mohd Zulhusmi Bin Pg Mohd Roslan (TUDB) *Eagle Three: Richard Homer (RAF)

Displays

Alap-Alap Formation have displayed during the

Royal Brunei Armed Forces The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); (ABDB), Jawi script, Jawi: , is the official organisation and collective term for all of the military forces or service branches of the sultanate of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. The RBAF consists of three pr ...

(RBAF) 50th Anniversary, and continue frequent training. They are the first team in

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

to carry out formation aerobatics at low level altitudes of .

References

External links

Pilatus PC-7 Mk2 - Brunei - Air Force - Aviation Photo #0077782
— photo of a Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II of the RBAirF (c/n: 602, registration: ATUDB 302), the type used by Alap-Alap Formation, at Airliners.net, April 2000 {{Authority control Aerobatic teams Aviation in Brunei 2011 establishments in Brunei