Black Eagles (aerobatic team)

Black Eagles (aerobatic team)
Country:	South Korea
Currently used aircraft type:	KAI T-50
Sponsor:	South Korean Air Force
Base airfield:	Wonju AB, Gangwon
Founding:	October 1, 1953
Colours:	Black, white, yellow

The 53rd Air Demonstration Group , called the Black Eagles , is the aerobatic team of the South Korean Air Force , based at Wonju Air Base in Gangwon-do Province .

history

The team was formed on December 12, 1994 and flew six Cessna A-37 Dragonfly. The team was temporarily disbanded after the 2007 Seoul Air Show. It was reactivated with the introduction of the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle aircraft, which were delivered in 2010.

The origins lie in an aerobatic team that was founded on October 1, 1953 with four North American P-51 Mustangs. In October 1956 a new team was formed with four Lockheed T-33s . On October 1, 1959, a new aerobatic team was formed. This team was called the "Blue Saber" and they flew four North American F-86 Saber jet aircraft. This team was disbanded in 1966. In 1967 a new aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, was formed. She was active from 1966 to 1978 and flew seven Northrop F-5 A Freedom Fighters. From 1966 to 1969 there were F-5A aircraft. No aerobatics were performed from 1970 to 1972. From 1973 to 1978 the reconnaissance version of the F-5, the RF-5A, was used. In 1978 the team was disbanded and the aircraft were used to improve defense readiness. The Black Eagles, was reactivated as a full-time aerobatic team of the 238th Fighter Squadron, the 8th Fighter Wing on December 12, 1994 and flew six Cessna A-37 B Dragonfly aircraft. On April 1, 1999, the 238th Fighter Squadron became the 239th Flight Squadron aerobatic team. After the Seoul Air Show in 2007, the Black Eagles were temporarily disbanded on October 31, 2007 for the changeover to the new T-50 Golden Eagle. The farewell flight mission was given by Gen. KIM Eun-gi, the Air Force chief of staff, on October 10, 2007.

The conversion to the new T-50 Golden Eagle was planned for 2010, but could be carried out earlier. The Black Eagles were re-established in August 2009. They attended an air show in Seoul on September 23, 2009 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the South Korean Air Force.

On July 1, 2012, the Black Eagles were awarded the Boeing Trophy for best performance at the 17th Waddington International Air Show.

On July 8th 2012 the Black Eagles were awarded the King Hussein Memorial Sword for the overall performance and on July 8th 2012 the Black Eagles were awarded the King Hussein Memorial Sword for the overall performance at the awards ceremony of the Royal International Air Tattoo, this was her first appearance on this airshow.

On April 1, 2013, the squadron was authorized to develop into an independent group, the 53rd Air Demonstration Group, including the 239th Air Demonstration Group. Squadron". This is under the direct control of the ROKAF headquarters. The Black Eagles are no longer subordinate to the 8th Fighter Wing, but the group is still based in Wonju AB alongside its ex-parent unit and is logistically supported by the 8th Fighter Wing.

Planes

Aircraft type	origin	number	In service	comment
North American P-51	United States	4th	1953-1954	Only one performance per year on October 1st
Lockheed T-33	United States	4th	1956-1959	Only one performance per year on October 1st
North American F-86 F Saber	United States	4th	1959-1966	Only one performance per year on October 1st
Northrop F-5	United States	7th	1966-1988	F-5 versions F-5A and RF-5A. 7 planes + 1 reserve machine
Cessna A-37	United States	6th	1994-2007	6 planes + 2 reserve planes
KAI T-50	South Korea	8th	2009– present	8 planes + 2 reserve planes

The Black Eagles' T-50B are painted yellow, white and black. They are equipped with an internal smoke generation system that creates a thick trail of smoke. The planes are basically the same as the original T-50s except for the smoke generation system, multiple cameras, and two lights built into the wings.

The thick plumes of smoke of the Black Eagles aerobatic team are generated by injecting diesel and oil into the thrust nozzle. This mixture oxidizes immediately, leaving a white trail of smoke. There are two smoke tanks on the planes, each holding about 60 gallons of smoke oil. The smoke system can regulate the amount of oil that is to be released. So smoke can be generated for 7-20 minutes.

Accidents

• On May 8, 1998, two of the team's aircraft collided in the air during a training flight. The team leader's plane crashed, killing him. The other plane landed with minor damage.
• On May 5, 2006 at Suwon Air Base in Korea, during the Airshow for "Children's Day", Captain Kim Do-hyun's (33) A-37B crashed onto the edge of the runway. Kim's A-37B, finished the opposing A-roll maneuver, but Cpt. Kim's plane didn't rise after that. The crash was on the south side of the runway, 1.8 km from the audience. Thousands, including many children, witnessed the crash. Captain Bae Duk-hwan later commented that the pilot could have saved himself using an ejector seat, but he kept control of the plane until the end to make sure the plane would not crash into the crowd. "Cpt. Kim was buried in the National Cemetery with full military honors.
• On November 15, 2012, a Black Eagles pilot was killed when an airplane hit a mountainside in the Hoengsong region, about 48 nm (90 km) east of Seoul. The cause was a maintenance error, caused by a forgotten cable, which was not reconnected after a repair and thus impaired the vertical flight control.

Web links

Commons : Black Eagles  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense official site
• Republic of Korea Air Force official site
• Black Eagles official site (korean)
• Seoul ADEX official website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Siva Govindasamy: PICTURES: South Korea's Black Eagles to fly KAI T-50 . In: Aircraft . Flightglobal.com. March 19, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
2. ↑ http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2910422
3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ Terence Mitchell: Pilot Deaths Put F-15 Deal in Doubt - Korea stunned by deaths of 3 pilots in less than a month . Ohmynews. June 10, 2006. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
5. ^ South Korean display team pilot killed in T-50B crash . Retrieved November 16, 2012.
6. ↑ For Want Of A Wire - Strategypage.com, December 12, 2012