Diamond ace
| Diamond ace | |
|---|---|
|
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| Country: |
 Austria
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| Currently used aircraft type: | none |
| Base airfield: | Nittner Air Base |
| Founding: | 1975 |
The Karo As was an aerobatic team of the air forces of the Austrian Armed Forces .
history
The aerobatic team was launched on the initiative of some pilots in the fighter-bomber squadron.
The name “Karo As” is derived from a squadron of aviation forces of the Federal Army of the 1st Republic . This season flew on Fiat CR.32 and had a squadron insignia the Karo - Ass .
The predecessor were the Silver Birds , an aerobatic team that existed from 1966 to 1968. The twin-engine French Fouga Magister was flown . In 1975 there was an attempt to reactivate the relay, this time already on the Saab 105 , the project failed after a year.
The Karo-As team was formed in 1975 with four Saab 105s and presented itself to the public for the first time in July 1975 at the South-East Paracup. On the first day of flight of the air forces on September 6, 1975 at Brumowski Air Base , the squadron flew for the first time in front of a wider audience. At the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in July 1977, in Greenham near Newbury (Berkshire) , the ace of diamonds team came in second. in the Shell Oil Trophy for best overall flying demonstration category , after the "Blue Herons" of the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in the Hawker Hunter . The team was able to repeat this success in 1979 at the RIAT, this time in the same category after the Patrouille Suisse on the Hawker Hunter F-58s.
"Karo As" flew at more than 150 events, over 50 of them abroad. In 1982 "Karo As" was awarded the "Wieland Prize", the highest award of the Austrian Aviation Association.
The last appearance took place in 1984. In the course of the preparations of the surveillance squadron for the introduction of the Saab Draken, "Karo As" was dissolved.
The regular crew of the Karo-As swarm was formed by the later Austromir cosmonaut candidate Robert Haas (squadron commander), Hubert Strimitzer as the left wing, Dieter Szolar on the right and Gerhard Thalhammer in the slot position. Other members were Andreas Müller, Klaus Naskau and Erich Fian.
Aircraft
- Saab 105 , shoulder- wing aircraft from the Swedish manufacturer Saab with two jet engines
The four machines and the replacement machines were specially painted in red-white-red. There was also a test painting with a large ace of diamonds on the aircraft and smoke systems. However, both of these were not approved.
Web links
- http://www.fliegzeugs.de/html/karo_as.html
- http://www.fliegzeugs.de/html/saab_105.html
- http://aerobaticteams.net/karo-as.html
- ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
Individual evidence
- ↑ FLIGHT International. July 9, 1977