Black Eagles aerobatic team
Encyclopedia
The Black Eagles aerobatic team, the 239th squadron, is the flight display team of the Republic of Korea Air Force
base at 8th FW.
The Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatic Team was operated in various occasions of national ceremonies and this has been fully encouraged and concerned by the nation. The permanent team was initially formed on December 12, 1994 and flew six Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
airplanes. The team was disbanded temporarily after the 2007 Seoul Air Show and has been reformed upon the arrival of their new T-50 Golden Eagle
aircraft which were delivered in 2010.
Black Eagles aerobatic team has operated in various occasions of national ceremonies and at international air shows.
The original display team was formed on October 1, 1953 and operated four F-51 Mustang
s.
In October, 1956 a new display team "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
jet airplanes. This team was disbanded in 1966.
In 1967, a new display team "Black Eagles" was formed. It operated between 1966 through 1978 and flew seven Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airplanes.
1966~1969 used F-5A. 1970~1972 is interrupted the flight. 1973~1978 used RF-5A. In 1978, the team disorganized due to defense preparedness enhancement.
The full-time aerobatic team, Black Eagles, was re-established as full-time aerobatic team on December 12, 1994 and flew six Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
airplanes. The Black Eagles team was disbanded after the 2007 ADEX 2007 and has been reformed upon the arrival of their new T-50 Golden Eagle
aircraft which were scheduled to be delivered in 2010.
However, the Black Eagles reformed ahead of schedule in time to fly over Seoul on September 23, 2009 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Origin
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| In Service *
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Service **
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| reference column
|----
|North American Aviation F-51 Mustang
|| || 4 || 1953—1954 || aircraft F-51D. Performed once a year on October 1
|----
|T-33 Lockeed || || 4 || 1956—1959 || aircraft T-33A. Performed once a year on October 1
|----
|North American Aviation F-86 Sabre || || 4 || 1959—1966 || aircraft F-86F. Performed once a year on October 1
|----
|Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter || || 7 || 1966—1978 || aircraft F-5A/RF-5A. (One aircraft was a spare). 7+(1).
|----
|Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
|| || 6 || 1994—2007 || aircraft A-37B. Reformed on December 12, 1994
(Two aircraft are spares.) 6+(2).
The A-37B used by the team retired 2007.
|----
|KAI T-50B Golden Eagle
||
Republic of Korea|| 10 || 2009—present || Unit has been reformed upon delivery of their new aircraft T-50B.
(Two aircraft are spares.) 8+(2).
|----
* Number of aircraft Fly by the Black Eagles aerobatic team.
** Aircraft service with the Black Eagles aerobatic team.
With a successful introduction of T-50 series(T-50, T-50B, TA-50, FA-50), the Republic of Korea has become the 12th nation in the world to produce supersonic aircraft with own technology.
Black Eagles's T-50B is painted in yellow, white and black with eagle soars, and sleek curves showing the dynamics of eagles gives a strong and aggressive feeling.
With pin-cameras installed at the cockpit and at the bottom of the aircraft, maneuver analysis and visual materials have become easier to be obtained.
T-50B aircraft also has visible lights on both side of wing tip which help pilos to perform maneuvers and encourage audiences to enjoy the show.
T-50B is equipped with an internal smoke system which is thicker smoke tail. T-50 is very fast, very slow enough and has best maneuvrable characteristic with Fly-by-wire
system(it is ideal for aerobatics jet).
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Width
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Length
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Height
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Weight
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Speed
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Thrust
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Load
|----
| T-50(Trainer) Golden Eagle || center|31.0ft(9.16m) || center|43.1ft(13.13m) || center|16.2ft(4.9m) || center|14,200lbs(6,441kg) || center|Mach 1.5 ||center|17,700lbs(8,030kg) ||center|-3/+8g
|----
There are two smoke tanks in the aircraft and the tanks designed to carry about 70 gallon of smoke oil. The Smoke system can control the putting oil quantity, so each aircraft can trail smoke for 7~20 minutes.
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...
base at 8th FW.
The Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatic Team was operated in various occasions of national ceremonies and this has been fully encouraged and concerned by the nation. The permanent team was initially formed on December 12, 1994 and flew six Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
airplanes. The team was disbanded temporarily after the 2007 Seoul Air Show and has been reformed upon the arrival of their new T-50 Golden Eagle
T-50 Golden Eagle
The T-50 Golden Eagle is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced trainers and multirole fighters, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries beginning in the late 1990s. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers...
aircraft which were delivered in 2010.
History
The Republic of Korea Air ForceRepublic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...
Black Eagles aerobatic team has operated in various occasions of national ceremonies and at international air shows.
The original display team was formed on October 1, 1953 and operated four F-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s.
In October, 1956 a new display team "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
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
jet airplanes. This team was disbanded in 1966.
In 1967, a new display team "Black Eagles" was formed. It operated between 1966 through 1978 and flew seven Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airplanes.
1966~1969 used F-5A. 1970~1972 is interrupted the flight. 1973~1978 used RF-5A. In 1978, the team disorganized due to defense preparedness enhancement.
The full-time aerobatic team, Black Eagles, was re-established as full-time aerobatic team on December 12, 1994 and flew six Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
airplanes. The Black Eagles team was disbanded after the 2007 ADEX 2007 and has been reformed upon the arrival of their new T-50 Golden Eagle
T-50 Golden Eagle
The T-50 Golden Eagle is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced trainers and multirole fighters, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries beginning in the late 1990s. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers...
aircraft which were scheduled to be delivered in 2010.
However, the Black Eagles reformed ahead of schedule in time to fly over Seoul on September 23, 2009 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Aircraft
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Aircraft! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Origin
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| In Service *
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Service **
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| reference column
|----
|North American Aviation F-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
|| || 4 || 1953—1954 || aircraft F-51D. Performed once a year on October 1
|----
|T-33 Lockeed || || 4 || 1956—1959 || aircraft T-33A. Performed once a year on October 1
|----
|North American Aviation F-86 Sabre || || 4 || 1959—1966 || aircraft F-86F. Performed once a year on October 1
|----
|Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter || || 7 || 1966—1978 || aircraft F-5A/RF-5A. (One aircraft was a spare). 7+(1).
|----
|Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
|| || 6 || 1994—2007 || aircraft A-37B. Reformed on December 12, 1994
(Two aircraft are spares.) 6+(2).
The A-37B used by the team retired 2007.
|----
|KAI T-50B Golden Eagle
T-50 Golden Eagle
The T-50 Golden Eagle is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced trainers and multirole fighters, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries beginning in the late 1990s. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers...
||
Republic of Korea|| 10 || 2009—present || Unit has been reformed upon delivery of their new aircraft T-50B.(Two aircraft are spares.) 8+(2).
|----
* Number of aircraft Fly by the Black Eagles aerobatic team.
** Aircraft service with the Black Eagles aerobatic team.
T-50 characteristic
T-50B is the only supersonic advanced trainer jet consisted with both high-tech electronic devices and the system made with very recent aviational technology.With a successful introduction of T-50 series(T-50, T-50B, TA-50, FA-50), the Republic of Korea has become the 12th nation in the world to produce supersonic aircraft with own technology.
Black Eagles's T-50B is painted in yellow, white and black with eagle soars, and sleek curves showing the dynamics of eagles gives a strong and aggressive feeling.
With pin-cameras installed at the cockpit and at the bottom of the aircraft, maneuver analysis and visual materials have become easier to be obtained.
T-50B aircraft also has visible lights on both side of wing tip which help pilos to perform maneuvers and encourage audiences to enjoy the show.
T-50B is equipped with an internal smoke system which is thicker smoke tail. T-50 is very fast, very slow enough and has best maneuvrable characteristic with Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
system(it is ideal for aerobatics jet).
T-50B Dimensions
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Name! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Width
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Length
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Height
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Weight
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Speed
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Thrust
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Load
|----
| T-50(Trainer) Golden Eagle || center|31.0ft(9.16m) || center|43.1ft(13.13m) || center|16.2ft(4.9m) || center|14,200lbs(6,441kg) || center|Mach 1.5 ||center|17,700lbs(8,030kg) ||center|-3/+8g
|----
Smoke
The thick smoke trails of Black Eagles aerobatic team are made by releasing diesel and oil into the exhaust nozzle; this oxidises straight away, leaving a white smoke trail.There are two smoke tanks in the aircraft and the tanks designed to carry about 70 gallon of smoke oil. The Smoke system can control the putting oil quantity, so each aircraft can trail smoke for 7~20 minutes.
Maneuver
Black Eagles is showing variuos flight demonstrations, organized teamwork, and sophisticated flight skills. The display is composed of about 30 aerobatic maneuver.The team has a total of eight aircraft in formation. Formations with 4~8 aircraft usually show grandeur and sophisticatioin at the same time. 1~4 ship maneuver show thrills and excitement. During an aerobatics display, pilots experience forces up to 4~5g, and when performing the aerobatic maneuver 'Max Turn and Loop', forces up to 8g(structural limit of the aircraft).2011 Show Sequence
- 1.Tango to Dimond Loop : 8 Ship formation change loop
- 2.Wedge to Eagle Turn : 8 Ship formation chage turn
- 3.Arrow Roll : 8 Ship roll
- 4.Bon Ton Roulle and Clover Loop : 8 Ship simultaneous roll
- 5.Rainfall : 8 Ship clover-leaf then split
- 6.Sicssor Pass : 4 Ship
- 7.Double Cross Turn : 2 Ship
- 8.Goose : 6 Ship
- 9.Heart and Cupid Arrow : 3 Ship
- 10.Slow Flight : 1 Ship
- 11.Roll Back and Afterburner Loop : 6 Ship
- 12.태극 : 2 Ship (the national flag of Korea)
- 13.Downward Bomb Burst : 6 Ship
- 14.8 Point Roll : 1 Ship
- 15.Continuous Rolls : 1 Ship
- 16.Screw Rolls : 2 Ship
- 17.Calypso Pass : 2 Ship
- 18.Snake Rolls : 4 Ship
- 19.Dizzying Break : 4 Ship
- 20.Rolling Combat Pitch : 4 Ship
- 21.Max Turn and Loop then Vertical Climb : 1 Ship
- 22.Victory Break : 7 Ship
- 23.Pitch Up Landing : 8 Ship
Accidents
- 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.
- May 5, 2006 - Suwon Air Base, Korea -An A-37B flown by Captain Kim Do-hyun, 33, crashed onto far edge of the runway during an air show that was intended to celebrate Children's Day. Cpt. Kim's A-37B, along with another A-37B from the team, just finished engaging the "Opposing A-Roll" maneuver, but Cpt. Kim's plane failed to climb after the maneuver and ended up crashing the far southern side of the runway, 1.8 kilometers away from the crowds.Crowds ranging in thousands, including many children, witnessed the crash. Major Bae Duk-hwan later commented that "...the pilot could have escaped but held on to the flight controls until the end as he judged that the plane might crash into the stands. If the pilot had let go of the flight control stick, nobody would have known where the plane would crash." Cpt. Kim was buried with full military honours at the National Cemetery.