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; ), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the Air force, aerial and Space force, space warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of National Defense (South K ...

(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 airplanes. The team disbanded temporarily after the 2007 Seoul Air Show and reformed upon the arrival of their new T-50 Golden Eagle aircraft code-named as T-50B in 2010.

History

Black Eagles aerobatic team in Langkawi 2023

The

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. 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 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 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 Airshow. 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, 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. 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 The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for grams). It is used for sustained ac ...

, 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 combat ...

Loop: 5 ships * 14. Taegeuk (태극): 2 ships (the national

flag of South Korea The national flag of South Korea, also known as the ''Taegeukgi'' (), consists of three components: a white rectangular background, a red and blue ''taegeuk'' in its center, accompanied by four black Bagua, trigrams, one in each corner. The p ...

) * 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 Suwon Air Base is a Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base near Suwon city. Units The base is home to the ROKAF's 10th Fighter Wing (제10전투비행단), comprising: *101st Fighter Squadron flying KF-5E/KF-5F/F-5F *153rd Fighter Squadron f ...

, 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 honour 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, 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 ( ; ) is the primary international airport that serves the country of Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. More than 100 airlines operate from the airport, with flights to destinations in A ...

. It was taking off in preparation for a display at the

Singapore Airshow The Singapore Airshow is a biennial aerospace event held in Singapore, which 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 ...

References

External links

Black Eagles Official Site (korean)
{{Modern aerobatic teams Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatic teams