Display
Flying
Notes
D e f e n c e
Av i a t i o n
S a f e t y
C e n t r e
CONTENTS
Foreword by Director DASC
3
Chapter 1 – Display Flying & Low Level Aerobatics
4
Chapter 2 – Notes for Display Pilots & Crews
5
Annex A to Chapter 2 – Wind Effect
18
Annex B to Chapter 2 – Pre-Display Preparation
20
Annex C to Chapter 2 – Some Do's and Don'ts
21
Annex D to Chapter 2 – I Learnt About Display Flying From That
23
Annex E to Chapter 2 – The Art of Coarse Display Flying
27
Annex F to Chapter 2 – The Tutor
28
Annex G to Chapter 2 – The Harrier
31
Annex H to Chapter 2 – The Hawk
33
Annex I to Chapter 2 – The Heavies
40
Annex J to Chapter 2 – Helicopters
43
Annex K to Chapter 2 – The Typhoon
47
Annex L to Chapter 2 – The Spitfire & Hurricane
51
Annex M to Chapter 2 – The Tornado
54
Annex N to Chapter 2 – The Tucano
56
Chapter 3 – Supervision
59
Annex A to Chapter 3 – A Personal Overview of Aspects of
Display Pilot Supervision – OC 20 Squadron
Chapter 4 – Guide to Flying Display Organisation and Administration
63
66
Annex A to Chapter 4 – Display Directors Notes
68
Annex B to Chapter 4 – Flying Control Committees
70
Annex C to Chapter 4 – Crash & Disaster Planning
72
Annex D to Chapter 4 – Military Airshow – Risk Management
DASC Guidance
75
Annex E to Chapter 4 – Military Airshow – Risk Management –
Framework Document
76
2
FOREWORD
Display flying is perhaps the most testing role
for any pilot or crew. No one will embark upon
a season of displays unless they have already
demonstrated high standards of character and
flying skill. But success demands more than these
qualities, as many people have learnt to their cost.
A fair amount of mystique has also built up over
the years about display flying and many who are
new to the art are reluctant to ask questions. This
guide aims to unveil the mystique and answer at
least some of the questions.
The article was a classic of its type and its
content has been updated with experience
from recent display pilots and supervisors so
that the information remains as valid and fresh
now as it was in 1966.
• Chapter 3 is a must for the display supervisor
and is useful reading for pilots and organisers.
• Organising a successful air display can
be as demanding in its way as flying a good
sequence and there is a great temptation to
concentrate on the financial aspects at the
expense of the operational and flight safety
issues. Chapter 4, therefore, is specifically
directed at the display organiser but will also
give the pilot or supervisor an idea about
organisers’ problems.
This edition of the Display Notes incorporates
some new material. Please read the notes not only
for your information but also to provide feedback
to the DASC so that they may be improved; it is
mainly with your feedback that we continue to
keep them up-to-date and relevant. The notes
are published on the DASC internet and intranet
websites. They are designed to provide advice to
anyone involved in flying displays: display crews,
supervisors and organisers.
The wealth of experience contained in this booklet
was hard won. Read it all and then study in detail
the sections that are relevant to you. The general
public will inevitably judge the Services partly by
your performance at air displays. Displays are
an important medium for the Services to project
their image and for the general public to judge.
Any failures will be magnified. For those of you
chosen to represent us in the coming seasons,
time spent reading these few pages will not be
wasted. Remember, success demands thorough
preparation and that fact applies equally to
organisers and aircrew. Finally, many thanks to all
who have contributed so much valuable material
to these notes and please take the time to let us
know your views by giving as much feedback as
possible. New articles are always welcome.
• Chapter 1 should be read by all.
• Chapter 2 is essential reading for all display
crews and supervisors, and should also be
read by display organisers as it contains a host
of information that will be useful as background
knowledge, particularly if the organiser has not
previously been a display pilot or supervisor.
The Chapter is loosely based on an article
about display flying by Sqn Ldr A J R Doyle
AFC RAF (retd) from a 1966 issue of Air Clues.
Air Cdre I L Dugmore
Director MoD Aviation Regulatory & Safety Group
Aug 2007
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CHAPTER 1
DISPLAY FLYING AND LOW LEVEL AEROBATICS
Display flying of any sort requires impeccable standards of airmanship, flying and
supervision. Before a pilot displays their aircraft in front of a crowd at an air display, whether that be an International Air Show or a Families Day, they need training,
close supervision and thorough briefing. Supervisors must ensure that this is the
case. Display Directors have an equally demanding task in co-ordinating the display
programme to provide a safe environment for participants and onlookers alike. The
Flying Control Committee will assist the Director in ensuring that safety standards are
maintained throughout the display. This guide will help all of you involved in display
flying to perform your exacting duties.
DEFINITION OF A FLYING DISPLAY
JSP 551 Vol 2 (Aircraft Post-Crash
Management)
From JSP 550, P335.000.1:
STANAG 3533 (Annex 021A to JSP 550)
Flying Displays may be organized to take place
on or over Ministry of Defence (MOD) property
and are defined as a demonstration of aircraft,
parachutists or any flying activity performed to a
set program before spectators on a public occasion, including tactical manoeuvres and demonstration of weapons delivery or attack techniques
outside a recognized danger area. Authority to
conduct a Flying Display at a MOD establishment is to be given by the appropriate Aircraft
Operating Authority (AOA). AOAs are to ensure
that aircrew participating in Flying Displays, Role
Demonstrations and Flypasts are appropriately
trained, rehearsed and authorized.
JSP 360 (Civil Flying Regulations)
Relevant Command Orders
Additionally, the following documents
should be read by display organisers:
JSP 375 Health and Safety CD (2003 edition)
Safety, Health, Environment and Fire
(SHEF)
CONCLUSION
RULES AND REGULATIONS
It is not possible to sum up display flying in
a short paragraph. The display arena can be
stressful and demanding on your time and
patience. One must make every effort to conduct a professional display with safety as the
predominant factor. Thorough planning, preparation and supervision will minimize the risk of an
inherently dangerous pastime.
In addition to this document there is a mass of
information for the potential display pilot, supervisor or organiser. You will need to get familiar
with the following rules and regulations:
JSP 550 (Military Aviation Policy,
Regulations and Directives)
JSP 552 (Military Air Traffic Service
Regulations)
CAP 403 (Flying Displays and Special
Events: A Guide to Safety and
Administrative Arrangements.)
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CHAPTER 2
NOTES FOR DISPLAY PILOTS & CREWS
Display flying is a very specialised form of flying that should be approached with great
caution. It has cost many people their lives. This article gives some personal advice
on the many problems that will face a novice to low-level aerobatics. It highlights
some of the difficulties and supplies some solutions in the hope that it will lead to
a safe and professional display. It has been gleaned from many years of display
experience but is not an alternative for common sense or good airmanship.
MOTIVES
Quality Time. Being a display pilot will certainly
mean you are away from home most weekends.
If you are married then this will wear thin very
quickly. Your partner’s nearest and dearest is
defying death every time you display and even if
they hate the sight of your ugly mug it is a hard
diet to swallow 3 or 4 times a week for nearly half
a year. Add to this no Saturday shopping and
chronic pre-show nerves and you will soon see
that this is a motive for giving up the whole idea!
Before embarking on a season of solo aerobatics
take a serious look at your principal motivation.
This will be the mainstay when the gilt has begun
to wear off the gingerbread. There are a number
of possible motives that lead to the application
for that prestigious display slot, but like many
things in life, it tends to look a little different when
viewed from the inside. Let us examine a few
possible motives with a view to seeing whether
they will stand up to the wear and tear of reality.
Professional Satisfaction. When your energy
flags and things seem to be going against you,
this is the one that will carry you through when
the others have failed.
Glamour. Glamour is often a strong motive for
applying, but will soon be overhauled by the other
pressures by mid-season. No doubt you will
have your hand shaken by visiting celebrities and
receive thank-you letters from grateful organisers,
but if it is your dream to be cheered by an adulating crowd then you are in for disappointment. Not
all the British public are air-minded and it is common knowledge among display pilots that one is
constantly competing against the attractions of
an ice-cream cornet!
GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
Your Stn and Sqn Cdrs will need to assess whether the Stn and you can absorb the additional
burden before committing to a display season.
Will the additional obligations compromise your
performance in your basic job? Or disrupt the
security of your family unit? You should be harbouring no illusions about the amount of work and
commitment that will be involved.
Promotion. You know the promotion system as
well as the next man. Being selected for the display, perhaps over your peers, will mean you have
been assessed as above average. Enduring a display season will show your dedication. However,
this is not a back door to the top, but will probably be viewed by the promotion board as the
equivalent of a major secondary duty.
The decision to display rests with Station/
Squadron concerned and the Groups, who decide
how many events/displays their crews are going
to perform. The Events Team (ET) will liaise with
the singleton pilots/display teams and between
them they will draw up an outline program. These
programs are ratified at the ET meeting proper in
the first 2 months of the new year, following which
they are distributed to the crews concerned. The
applicants are told of the status of their applications by formal letter from the ET.
Excitement. A popular misconception is that
something that looks thrilling from the ground
must feel so from the cockpit. If you have anything like a worthwhile routine you will be too
busy watching the altimeter, ASI and the ‘g’ meter
and you will not have time for anything but hard
work. If you crave excitement, buy a motorcycle!
Having volunteered yourself into the display business, how do you set about preparing for the season ahead?
5
Define the Aim. It sounds corny but its not. You
must get clear in your own mind what you are setting out to do. Who exactly, are you aiming your
routine at? Before you can design a routine you
must decide whom you are performing for. It
should be the general members of the public (and
our taxpayers) who deserve your attention. You
need something that will make as much noise and
looks impressive to them. There is no need to
be terribly skilful as the general public cannot tell
the difference between a stall turn and a wingover. They will be rapturous over a steep turn in
full reheat but put their noses right back into the
old cornet as soon as the noise stops, ignoring
your immaculate 4-point roll. However, beware
of completely ignoring technical merit at the
expense of artistic impression: air-show enthusiasts are becoming increasingly knowledgeable
about the academic quality of a flying display.
The professionals, on the other hand, know when
you are not really under control and do not want
to see the aircraft wheeled around at the edge of
its limits. A controlled, professionally flown display is what you should be aiming for.
the time. You alone are the best judge to give
a consistent analysis of your display. You will
need to have your display practices videoed and
watch them time and time again. Of course, many
people will have viewpoints and if you are getting consistent comments from colleagues about
a particular manoeuvre it may well be in need
of review. Any unsafe manoeuvres will need to
be discussed and modified even if they look the
‘bee’s knees’.
BUILDING UP A ROUTINE
The most important single factor in deciding
your routine will be presentation. However good
your aeros may be, they will not be much use if
the crowd cannot see them. Another important
implication of the presentation is the time factor. With high-speed, high wing-loading aircraft
you have got to have a pretty tight routine, or you
are only going to get one or two manoeuvres into
your 6mins of show time. Rule number one then
is keep it close to the field. Rule number 2 is
avoid flying straight and level between manoeuvres. This tip was given by a very experienced
aerobateur, and it is surprising how much pruning
and compressing is required at the beginning of
the season to cut out all those little straight bits
where you gather a few extra knots, or make up
for a wind effect that you had failed to allow for.
Know your Boss. This doesn’t mean that you
should start asking your Sqn Cdr round to dinner,
but that you establish exactly to whom you will be
responsible as far as display flying is concerned.
Understand your Supervisor’s problems. In
most cases you will find that your Wg Cdr or
Gp Capt has mixed feelings about having to fulfil an aerobatic commitment. They know from
experience that it is going to mean an awful lot
of extra work for the whole Stn, with not a great
deal to show for it locally. You, as the performer,
have their peace of mind in your hands. So be
as understanding as you can. As soon as your
supervisor realises that your one aim in life is not
to rush off and break every rule in the book when
their back is turned, the sooner they will trust you.
Remember, the regulations have been made for
your benefit as well as for the protection of the
public. Conversely, if something is suggested
which you feel uncomfortable about, whether that
be due to you capabilities, experience or another
reason, you should express your concerns.
You will gain more credibility by saying “This is
beyond my current capabilities” than pressing a
poor situation and getting things wrong.
First of all study the Aircrew Manual limitations,
pick the brains of the previous display pilot and, if
possible, fly with them or with some other experienced exponent. Get the display limits clearly
defined and challenge any anomaly or grey area
in any regulations. Remember that you are displaying the aircraft, not performing aesthetic
manoeuvres for your own satisfaction. Consider
your aircraft’s appeal and its impact on the spectators. Is it noisy/quiet, small/large, fast/slow?
Select manoeuvres that show off the aircraft to its
best advantage. Assess, query and explore the
aircraft handling qualities in various configurations, including with or without stores.
The next step is to see how much leeway you
have got in time and space. What you want are
facts not dreams, so be prepared to go to a certain amount of trouble. Take a piece of paper and
draw a line representing the runway, for, as beginners, this will be our reference for the first few
weeks of practice. Mark the centre point. Now
measure off the runway line, about the centre, the
distance your aircraft travels during a slow roll.
Since a really slow roll takes about 10 seconds,
this distance will be about 1500 yds for 250kts
SETTING THE SCENE
Peer Pressure. Whatever routine you decide
upon you will not please all of the people all of
6
and 2000 yds for 360kts. Remember that this is
only the bit where you are actually rolling. It does
not include the time required to settle down from
the previous turn or wing-over.
speed gets near the magic back-side-of-the-dragcurve figure.
Now draw out your proposed sequence of
manoeuvres making all rolls the appropriate
length and all turns not less than the minimum
radius. This may seem a lot of trouble but it is no
good building on dreams, and it is all too easy to
draw wing-overs like Fig 2, when they will actually
be flown like Fig 3.
Now calculate the radius of the best turn that you
can make at low level. This information can be
obtained from the ODM. Instantaneous turn rates
(Max AoA, usually bleeding speed) will differ from
Sustained turn rates, which is the graph to be
used. Alternatively, conduct a flight trial by flying
a few steep turns at about 1000ft and note what
‘g’ the aircraft can sustain for a full 360 at various
speeds. To calculate the radius of the turn substitute these values into the formula below:
Level Turn
Radius (in ft) = (knots x 1.688)² ÷ (32.2 x load factor (what you see on your ‘g’ meter))
Dream
Wing-over
Figure 2
Typical results are:
Level Turn
250kts 4g radius approx 1400ft /diameter ½ mile.
360kts 5g radius approx 2300ft/diameter ¾ mile.
Figure 3
500kts 7g radius approx 3100/diameter one mile.
Actual
Wing-over
In the high performance bracket the sequence
almost builds itself as there are only a very limited
number of combinations that will fit together without taking you into the next parish. Remember,
as you fit your jigsaw together, the finishing speed
of one manoeuvre must be the entry speed for the
next.
Take this radius and draw two turns at each end
of the slow roll line. Make one the absolute minimum for getting back onto the roll heading and
the other a full reversed turn, beginning at the end
of the slow roll. See Fig 1.
Whilst considering the practicalities of your
manoeuvres you must bear in mind the following
guidelines and principles (these are figures for the
Hawk but will work for most fast-jet types):
Full
Reverse
Slow Roll
Loop will finish ¼ mile beyond the pull-up point.
Absolute minimum limit
Figure 1.
Half Cuban Eight will base out ½ mile beyond the
pull-up point.
Now you have something concrete to work with.
If your mount is to be a Tucano you will find that
you have plenty of room to work in. If you are
flying something like the Tornado, you will find to
your dismay that even the inner (shown dotted)
turns, making up the absolute limit pattern, cover
an awful lot of the local countryside, let alone the
airfield.
Half Horizontal Eight will base out ½ mile behind
the pull-up point.
Do not plan on any straight and level bits - the aircraft must be kept moving the whole time.
Try not to have any fill-in manoeuvres such as
aileron rolls at this stage - you will need these
when the wind is blowing.
Wing-overs instead of steep turns help to cut
down the diameters, but it is disappointing how
little difference it makes in the heavier type of
aircraft which lose all their performance once the
Aim to keep your sequence simple. Before doing
a show you must be able to go through your routine every time without making any big mistakes
7
in positioning, entry speeds and heights.
can reel them off and still have 50secs to spare.
The opposite happens with the fuel consumption.
As you get familiar with the routine you will fly
nearer to the limits, and this means more power
to overcome the drag. Beware of the temptation
to tighten your display as the season progresses.
A BALANCED ROUTINE
There are many other secondary factors to bear
in mind while constructing a sequence, which will
make the difference between a good or bad show.
Here are a few of them:
Safety Gates. All display crews should determine
safety gates using experience gained in practice.
You will need to calculate gate points for various
manoeuvres, particularly for the inverted pullthrough height and the vertical pull-out minimum.
Of course, these will vary depending on the display height and your IAS. To calculate the gates
find out how much height your loop will take at
5000ft and note the speed over the top. By varying the speed over the top you can work out the
variation in pull through height for each advance
of speed (typically 100ft extra is required for
every extra 10kts increase in speed [within certain
parameters], although you will have to experiment with your own aircraft type). Once you have
calculated your gate heights you should use pull
through heights calculated at 5000ft (added to
your base height) when you start practising at
1500ft. Clearly, as the air is now a bit thicker, you
will be able to reduce these minima, but by using
the 5000ft pull through heights initially you will
give yourself opportunity to adjust sensibly as
experience is gained. Having refined the figures
for 1500ft use these when you descend to 1000ft,
and then refine again. Do not refine further
when cleared down to 500ft. The difference will
be negligible and the extra couple of feet might
prove useful one day! However, the situation is
further complicated by changes in airfield elevation, temperature and humidity, so don’t shave it
to minimums.
Even distribution of vertical and horizontal
manoeuvres. Obviously it would be unbalanced
to have all the rolls first, followed by all the loops.
Also, try to keep high when far away from the
crowd and low when near. The acid test being,
can a spectator keep you in sight throughout the
display without craning their necks?
Speed and Noise. The distribution of speed can
also be important, thus a slow run looks best if
preceded by something fast. Noise can be used
to good advantage to keep the attention of the
spectators when you are furthest from them, just
as the sudden silence when throttling back from
full power can also be an effective attention-getter. Since you cannot ad-lib these sound effects
they must be designed into your sequence from
the beginning.
Display Straight from Take-Off or Run-in? An
experienced display pilot has said that you should
not go straight into your sequence from takeoff in your first season. That is probably sound
advice but will depend upon the aircraft type. It is
a fact that it is much more settling to get airborne,
get away from the crowd, and get a measure of
the met conditions for the day before running
in. This gives you an opportunity for an inverted
flight check and triple check the trivial things that
could cause a distraction. ‘g’ tolerance would
also be assured during a short warm-up routine.
However, one significant advantage of taking-off
and landing as part of the display is that fuel consumption can be more easily predicted, and timing becomes less critical with the onus being put
on the display director’s take-off clearance.
As emphasised elsewhere in this Chapter, by getting the entry parameters right you will make the
gate heights over the top and in the vertical. With
experience you will be able to determine whether
you will make the gates by checking at specific
places. Therefore, anticipating and loosen or
tighten the manoeuvre accordingly. Technique
will also have an effect on the pull through height.
On the way down, try to get most of the loop
completed in the early part of the pull-through so
you can be ‘letting-out’ towards base height rather than ‘pulling’ for it (the punters will not notice
this). However, do not forget the effect of speed
and have a minimum pull-through speed as well
as a sensible correction for a speed in excess of
the norm. An F4 crashed during a practise for
an open-day at RAF Abingdon because the pilot
Wind Effect. The effect of wind on a display is
subtler than a cursory examination would suggest. The effects of wind on the display are
described at Annex A.
Limit Manoeuvres. In the early days, despite the
fact that your calculations show that you should
be getting 8 manoeuvres into 6 minutes, your
stopwatch will keep proving you wrong. Do not
despair, by the end of July you will find that you
8
extended into wind over the top of a loop, remaining in reheat and accelerating whilst inverted.
Despite achieving his gate height he failed to
appreciate the effect this extra speed would have
on the pull-through and both crew were tragically
killed.
that your first show will be in limited conditions.
Choice of Airframe. In consultation with the
engineers, choose 2 or 3 airframes that will have
sufficient fatigue hours for the whole season and
which will not be taken away for a long period for
servicing. In addition, negotiate the cleanest configuration that you can use without resorting to
excessive role changes for displays. This will pay
dividends with availability, particularly if you take
the trouble to explain the reasons. Do not carry
snags and always inspect the red lines carefully
before accepting the aircraft. It is fundamental
to have flown the aircraft before the display to
discover any hidden quirks, and it is preferable to
do the practice in the same aircraft. Do a careful
external and internal inspection paying particular
attention to full and free control movement and
check for loose articles.
Though it is nice to know that you can get round a
loop in 3000ft, it is not advisable to make this the
standard for your show. There are many things
that can upset the best performance of you or the
aircraft, so you need to have something in hand
to allow for these. The larger the loop the greater
the allowance should be. As a rule-of-thumb add
100ft per 1000ft of loop: if your aircraft can loop
in 3000ft aim for a gate height of at least 3300ft
above base. The audience will not know how high
you are over the top and there is no point shaving
the limits. Remember, it is not that these things
might happen, in the course of a display season
they will happen, so be prepared.
Authorisation. Once display pilots have been
given Public Display Authority by their AOA, delegation of authorisation should follow at the earliest opportunity. Supervisors cannot expect to
foresee every eventuality that may occur over a
4-day, 10-sortie period and a blanket authorisation would be ineffective. If a number of displays
are being flown over a weekend from different
airfields, the weather can alter plans, even change
operating bases. Self-authorisation greatly
increases flexibility and should be considered a
must for all display pilots.
Left Hand, Right Hand. If you are operating a
heavy, high-performance aircraft you will find that
the tight routine necessary to keep you near the
airfield makes it surprisingly difficult to change
the direction of the show. Build a sequence that
is easily reversible.
Sequence Card. Do use a sequence card, and
have it fixed where you can see it on the instrument panel. The sequence will be firmly engraved
on your memory, but for the one (or more!) occasion when your mind suddenly goes blank, you
will be glad of it. All the professionals have one.
You can also use it to display vital information
such as the QFE.
PRACTICE
Do not under-estimate how early in the year the
practice needs to be started. Therefore, diplomatic pressure to start practicing should be
applied as early as possible. If able, fly through
a sequence with the previous display pilot and
learn from their experience. It must be understood by aspiring aerobaters that its primarily
their own responsibility to ensure that they get
enough practice. Its another thing to know what
is enough. Although it does depend to some
extent on how demanding your routine is, you are
unlikely to get enough practice in one season to
get your sequence as perfect as you would like.
What then can you settle for as being reasonable?
The yardstick is your performance. You must
be able to run through the routine consistently
without making mistakes big enough to cause
you to throw it away. Loops and Derry turns are
particularly unforgiving. The ASI must be obeyed
absolutely on this score. When practising or displaying, do not ignore small errors; they have a
Bad Weather Show. During a European summer
there are many days when low cloud prevents
vertical manoeuvring. It is not possible just to
omit them from your routine as you will not fulfil
your slot time, and in many cases you will not
have the required energy and position for the subsequent manoeuvre. Therefore, you must design
a separate routine for poor weather. In some aircraft types it may be possible to plan one routine
that caters for both the fine and the bad weather
option. If a separate rolling display is required the
same rules of construction apply and a number of
extra items can be introduced to fill the gaps. A
run with undercarriage and flap down, a second
4 or 8-point roll are popular extras. Having as
many similarities to your full display as possible
will make it easier to learn. Do not neglect this
aspect of preparation, as there is every chance
9
habit of accumulating in the worst sense. When
you get out there in front of the crowd nerves will
play their part. If you feel distracted or nerves will
have a detrimental effect on your performance,
do not be tempted to press on regardless; its
one of the most common recipes for doom. You
must feel happy in what you are doing and the
height at which you are doing it. Once you have
got your sequence mapped out on paper you can
start flying it at 5000ft. Initially, you will find it difficult to link the manoeuvres together and fly them
accurately. You will probably need regular timeouts in order to practice individual manoeuvres
before performing them sequentially. You will
need to know the routine backwards before flying
it at low-level. At 5000ft, your sequence will take
considerably longer than at low-level. Typically, a
6mins display will take over 7mins at 5000ft. This
is due to the increased turning and looping radii
and lack of practice and experience at this stage.
Do not despair if you have difficulty positioning
the display at 5000ft; it becomes easier as altitude decreases. You will also find that your techniques for flying the sequence change. You will
rely much more on looking out of the window and
less on chasing the altimeter.
Continuity is as important as the amount of practice. Today, a laid down minimum number of
practices are required before a show. Remember
that this is the minimum and make sure they are
spread out over a reasonable period, not all done
at the last minute to satisfy the book. Do not be
brow-beaten into the deception that the abortive 10 minutes you did last Tuesday constituted
a full practice. It is your duty to yourself, your
Authorising Officer, and your Supervisor to make
sure that you are properly prepared.
Once you can run through your routine near-perfectly under ideal conditions, the time has come
to start simulating a display environment. It is
very tempting to continue practising on bright
blue days only, up and down your own main runway and feel that you are getting the right sort of
preparation. However, it is in your own interest
to make sure you get some practice on the limits
in the familiar security of your own base environment, happy in the knowledge that you can throw
it away if you do not like it. It does not make
good sense to practise under the easiest conditions and then go off to perform under more difficult ones. Also, think of all the possibilities when
practising. For example, you may not be used to
navigating at low-level and, in order to make the
exact start time at your display venues, you may
need to practise low-level navigation with timings
to a specific point.
When you are cleared down to a low-level, the
presence of the ground will hold a large part
of your attention. It will not be as close as it
appears at first, but its proximity does not allow
for error. You must therefore plan safety into your
display from the start. Try to think of possible
problems in advance and plan escape manoeuvres (more about these later). Always remember
how much height you require to pull through from
inverted and vertical attitudes; work out your
absolute minimum heights for those manoeuvres
and stick to them-irrespective of the pressures
to press on. You should also know how to fly
an absolute minimum radius turn in your aircraft. However, you should always leave a little in
reserve, even when you are practising. The whole
sequence should be designed so that it can be
flown consistently at just below the aircraft’s ultimate manoeuvre capability.
Once you are at display height, treat every practice session as a full display. Give yourself a
time on and a time off, and you will eventually be
able to stick to ± 5 seconds, provided you always
check the surface wind and assess its effects.
Occasionally practise at your maximum permissible fuel weight, which will happen if you have
more than one display in an afternoon, or if an airfield cannot provide refuelling.
You will need to consider, and practice, escape
manoeuvres. If you are denied visual references
by unexpected cloud, do not sit there hoping;
recover while there is time. The most sensitive
item is the loop. It is all too easy to find yourself
suddenly in cloud where you thought there was
none. If you are just going over the top and everything is as planned, and you are certain that you
will be in the clear again in a few seconds, then
it is safe to continue, provided you maintain the
pull. If you have any doubts at all, do not continue the loop. Revert to instruments, once you are
over the top ease the pull, roll gently the right way
up and find out what the score is, under control.
The crowd will be quite happy if you reappear
later from an unexpected direction and complete
the demonstration. If you cannot get out of the
cloud by a reasonable height, thank your stars
you did not carry on with the loop, and go home.
The attitude indicator can be a help in this sort of
emergency, but beware, even the most sophisticated instruments have a nasty habit of toppling
when subjected to continuous high ‘g’ turns.
Practise these escape loops until you can roll the
10
right way up using a combination of main AI/HUD,
the standby, and feel.
ble, and it is up to you to make the most of your
training periods to acclimatise yourself to these
distractions. Overcome your natural inertia and
do as many of your practices as possible with one
or more of the above limitations built in: a navigation exercise ending up at base at an exact time;
a visit to the nearby airfields in your Command,
beginning again at an exact time.
So, with all that practice there should be no problem when you arrive at your first display venue.
Wrong! There are many additional problems that
I have tried to summarise below:
Pre-show nerves.
CRITICISM
Navigating at low-level, especially if this is not
part of your normal job.
Constructive and critical comment is invaluable
during your work-up, and if possible during displays too. However, you should insist on having
only one mentor and authoriser - with whom you
have complete rapport, mutual trust and respect.
This is the only way to get consistent criticism
based on a proper insight of what you are trying
to achieve. Do not be discouraged by criticism
though; you must get used to it and learn from it.
That said, the most important source of criticism
is yourself.
Operating at a strange airfield. Some do not even
have a runway, which can increase your work-load
when adhering to display axes and crowd lines.
Non-standard or cluttered R/T. You do not realise how your local Air Traffic spoil you until they
are not there. Some places operate on a portable radio brought in for the occasion. There are
often few aids and half the other participants are
operating on a mixture of hand signals and divine
intervention.
CREW CO-ORDINATION
Timing. You have to be the star of the show
before they will run their programme to fit your
navigation. Generally speaking, if you are two
minutes late you will lose two minutes of your
time.
In a 2-seat aircraft you must include your WSO
right from the beginning. They need to trust you
just as much as your boss does, and the 2 of
you must work together to develop and polish
your display. It is very important that you are
firm friends. As for his other qualifications, your
WSO must know the aircraft well, be proficient
at low-level navigation, be calm and competent
in all situations, and qualified in first-line servicing. Naturally, he must also be prepared to work
most weekends in the summer as well as putting
in extra effort Mondays to Fridays. You will find
that such an individual is invaluable in talking you
into position, holding you on stage and providing
audio information on aircraft performance. For
instance, during inverted runs they can make useful advisory calls such as “up”, “up slowly”, “down
fast” which will allow you to correct without looking inside. Teamwork means that you know they
will always call airspeed or height at a certain
point, will have an eye for your fuel state, or will
look after the radio for you. Since the WSO is
there, make use of them, but get them to tell you
what you want and when you want it. Finally, you
cannot work effectively as a crew unless you have
earned their trust: a display WSO must be absolutely steadfast in their support for the pilot.
Fuel. There are many variables during an airshow so you will find yourself operating very
close to your fuel margins. Make sure that you
never operate below them. Most displays end up
running late so it is worth planning to have sufficient fuel for those few extra minutes that you will
spend holding off.
Weather. Some controlling authorities cancel
on the TAF or as soon as the limits are reached.
Others like to suck it and see. Do not be tempted
to push a display in unfit weather, even if some
other participants are. There may well be some
pressure to continue from the show organiser,
because it is their job to deliver the goods to a
fare paying public. They may not argue about
half a mile and 800 ft; you must. Performing a flat
show in unfit weather, and crashing due to disorientation is far worse than cancelling; blame the
weather! If you are already at the hold, an instrument approach past the crowd will show them
you have made the effort to get there, even if you
cannot display.
PHYSICAL FITNESS
This list looks formidable, because it is formida-
Display flying is extremely fatiguing. One 6 to
11
10min routine can be the equivalent of one normal
sortie. Regulations lay down the fatigue limits for
display flying but these are the upper limits; you
must use both your own and your supervisors
sensible judgement to keep within these values.
There are no set formulae for how physically fit
you need to be, the yardstick is performance. If
you can cope with 3 or 4 sessions of 6mins each,
at a fairly constant 5g, with a sprinkling of -3g,
without losing your precision, then you are fit.
The test is to be capable of staying at the top of
your form while you are in the air. Remember that
it is your neck that you are sticking out and if you
are tired you start to make slip-ups that can be
fatal. If you are in good physical condition you
tire less easily, so do not let fear of ridicule stop
you taking exercise if you need it.
he flicked off a slow roll”.
PREPARATION FOR THE SHOW
Paperwork. As usual, display flying is accompanied by its share of paperwork. Every show that
you attend will require information. This ranges
from planned arrival time, display length, accommodation requirements, fuel requirements, departure details, personal details about you and your
crew, facts and figures about the aircraft and its
role and a myriad of other items. A good idea is
to produce your own fact sheets covering yourself, the display, the aircraft and its role. Get the
paperwork (Display Proformae at Chapter 5) out
of the way early to ease the mid-season workload.
Display Literature. Each set of organisers has a
different questionnaire format and the list seems
endless. Send full details of your display to the
organisers as soon as possible. Not only does
this give them more time to progress any special requests that you may have made, but you
are also much more likely to get better coverage for your squadron/aircraft/self in the display
brochure. Occasionally the display literature will
arrive late. If it has not arrived by 7 days before
the event you will be forced to find out the necessary details, perhaps by lengthy phone calls.
Some displays will attract an excessive number of
written Orders and Instructions and you will find
yourself reading perhaps 4 sets of Op Orders for
one show. However, do not be lulled into thinking that it is all sheer duplication. There will be
the inevitable 2% of conflicting or irreconcilable
information that will have to be sorted out. Some
pilots find it useful to condense all of the relevant
material prior to each display and record it in a
personal book. Adding detailed comments after
each display will allow an interesting picture to be
built up over the season and will help with the end
of season report.
Each person must judge for themselves whether
they are fit to fly. Do not under-estimate the
effect that feeling rotten can have on your ability
to do the job properly. In display flying there is
little margin for error.
The same applies to the effects of alcohol. You
must know the limits and stay within them. Do
not be tempted to stay up for one for the road
because everyone else is; they may have already
cancelled or be with the spare aircraft or static
display! Never drink on a forecast.
To round this off, do not display or practice if you
are tired, unwell or under the effects of alcohol.
This is when mistakes can, and do, occur. In the
arena of low-level aerobatics even a comparatively simple mistake can be fatal.
STRESS
All flying, particularly military flying, imposes
a degree of stress upon the crew. How much
stress is involved on any given sortie depends on
a number of well-known factors such as weather
and sortie content. However, there is an extra
source of stress which is peculiar to display flying: the distracting effect of the crowd. Even
the coolest of operators will probably feel a little nervous when performing in front of a large
crowd, and their performance will be affected in
relation to the nature of the event and according to their individual temperament and display
experience. Nervousness may result in a slightly
less polished performance than normal; at worst
it could cause an accident. The shame is that it
is usually the most elementary mistakes that produce the disaster: when an onlooker would say
“Fancy pulling through from there” or “How come
Site Photos. Order a set of site photos from
JARIC asking for the same format as the Red
Arrows or consider using a commercial web
based mapping and image site. Be careful to
specify the LAT/LONG of the display site (you will
need to check with the organisers). At some of
the unusual sites such as Buchan and Boulmer,
it may not be coincident with the radar head or
domestic site. Establish the exact display datum
and line with the organiser and prepare a 1:50
000 Site Map marked with your different axes and
headings. You can then transfer this information
to the site photograph.
12
Public Relations. Plan ahead for PR. Produce a
script early in the season that includes a description of the display and aircraft, and a bibliography
of yourself. This saves embarrassing misquotes
and incorrect publicity. Try to persuade your
photo section to produce a host of small pictures
of your aircraft. You will always meet enthusiasts
who will treasure such a photograph autographed
in their presence. Above all, liase closely with
DCC and Cmd CC to maximise PR opportunities.
ity of the show. Advice on these reports can be
obtained through RAFAT or P&SS Rudloe Manor.
Pre-show Visit. If at all possible visit the display
airfield before the display. Check suitability of
runways, grass areas (if applicable), and other
landing surfaces (eg Mexe pads). At small sites
you will need to ensure that the fire/ambulance
cover is adequate and that spectator clearances
are correct including aircraft guarding arrangements. Consider the birdstrike hazard on the
airfield and ascertain the NOTAMed height of the
display. If you have more than one display during
a day you will need to liase with the organisers to
establish different slot times with a suitable gap
between displays.
Aircraft Servicing. Make sure that you are conversant and qualified to perform the A/F, B/F and
turn-rounds. If possible take supporting ground
crew to relieve you of the tiring business of servicing the aircraft on an unfamiliar airfield, especially if it is complicated. This will also ensure
that the work is done to the highest possible
standard with on-the-spot expertise available
to rectify minor snags. This policy is of course
expensive but it can contribute quite a lot towards
ensuring that you have a trouble-free season. It
also involves the ground crew in a prestigious
activity. Of course, if you are accompanied by a
spare aircraft, the crew can help with servicing
matters.
Practice. Perform your routine at least once in
the week before the display. Tailor your practice
to the shape size/layout of the display airfield. Fly
the display aircraft if possible.
Met. Make sure you have made arrangements to
get met information, especially at weekends.
Timing. It is essential that display timings are
adequate for your needs. If you are doing two
or more shows in one day, ensure that sufficient
spare time is built into the transits to cater for
the unexpected: tight timings inevitably involve
short cuts and changed plans which increase the
possibility of mistakes. Plan your fuel and know
your hold-off capability. Ensure that you always
have some fuel in-hand to cater for last-minute
requests to hold. Final flight planning on the day
will require an early start. Always check the latest state of the programme with the Display Coordinator with a display time check to synchronise
with your own. Add all of the variables to the
basic plan and check the weather. Remember
that in deteriorating weather you will have to allow
for a different time en route if you wish to use
ATC; moreover, the programme timing may also
change. In such conditions it is as well to ask
your own ATC to keep in touch with the display so
that they can pass changes to you direct.Planning
forward from your operations room, make up a
knee pad with the details shown in Fig 4.
Pre-Display Preparation. As soon as you receive
tasking instructions Refer to Annex B.
Detailed Planning. Detailed preparation for each
show must be thorough and should follow a pattern so that nothing is missed. You must plan
everything thoroughly including your recovery
and transit maps. Prepare maps of the run-in to
your start point, marking the time in minutes and
seconds at outstanding features to give you an
exact on-show time. Choose a convenient holding point about 12 miles along the extended centre-line, something nice and easy to see in poor
weather, and plan the rest of your trip to this point
(of course the holding point may have been preselected by the display organisers). On an gin
clear day you will wonder if the planning was all
worth it, but come the day of an unexpected front,
or a contrary shift in the wind bringing industrial
haze, you will be very grateful for that extra halfhour spent the night before. As mentioned earlier,
plan a 1:50 000 map with axes and headings and
transfer to a site photograph if possible. The Red
Arrows can be a useful source of information.
The team leader and the synchro leader both do
extensive preparation which they will share with
you. Additionally a P&SS report, prepared for the
RAFAT, contains a great deal of useful information
on obstacles and sensitive areas within the vicin-
Eng Start
1415
C/S
TOR 06
Taxi
1419
RT Hold
282.6
T/O
1426
Display
321.4 (Stud 6)
En Route
12 mins
Run in Hdg
240°
Display on
1438 Local
QFE
1005
Display off
1444
Figure 4.
13
Stopwatch. One tip that may ease the airborne
calculating process is to take an accurate time
check into the cockpit just before a whole hour
comes around. Then start the cockpit stopwatch
exactly on the hour. However, you must ensure
first that no one will subsequently tamper with
the watch and that it will run accurately until the
time of your cue. One pilot who arrived at datum
at the same time as a four-ship discovered that
his watch had gained 1 minute 10 seconds in the
previous hour!
loop! In a high performance aircraft you will use
a lot more fuel on a hot summer afternoon than
on a cold spring morning, so be prepared. Fuel
may be offered to you from an unmarked bowser.
Make sure that it is right for your machine.
Temperatures. When operating heavy aircraft
at low speed and high angles of attack, you are
relying very extensively on thrust to keep you flying. At high temperatures your engine power is
reduced and this can cause considerable embarrassment if you go into your routine without allowing for it. Particular care should be taken when
going to air shows abroad where the afternoon
temperatures can reach figures quite uncommon
in the UK.
THE SHOW
Planning. An air-show may be counted as a success when you arrive exactly on time, perform
your chosen sequence of manoeuvres without
error in exactly the right part of the sky, and
depart in good order exactly on time. Note that
arrival back at base is not included as a necessary ingredient for a good display. If, however,
you hope to be anything more than a one-day
wonder you had better make some arrangements
on that score. Although luck, determination,
skill, etc, all play their parts the secret of success is detailed preparation. If you fail to fulfil the
requirements listed above because of something
that you could have anticipated, then it is your
fault. Excuses may or may not satisfy the display
committee but they should not satisfy you. The
chance to do low-level display aeros should be
a highlight in your flying career, so surely it is
worth a little extra effort to ensure that each of
the displays you fly is as perfect as you can make
it. Ask anyone who has done any motor racing or
rallying and they will tell you the same thing. It is
the well prepared teams that come out on top.
Functional Test. Try to make it a rule never to
start a display without first giving your aircraft a
quick functional test. The exception will be when
you are starting the show from take-off. Climb
to a safe height - say 6 or 7 thousand feet, and
check the engine acceleration up to full power,
and reheat lighting if applicable; pull your maximum permitted ‘g’ and do a short inverted run.
Getting There. Although most displays have
some sort of arrangement for giving you an Air
Traffic approach to the airfield, it is more reliable to get into the habit of making your own
way VMC, visual with the ground. That way you
will not be let down suddenly because the system, which can be pretty chaotic at some shows,
breaks down. Remember that map reading is a
skill and needs regular practice. If the distance
from your operating base is too great to manage
the whole trip at low-level and the weather prevents you map reading at height, do a let-down at
the nearest convenient airfield, with plenty of time
in hand, and go VMC from there. If the weather
is good enough to do a display then it is good
enough to map read at low-level. By the time you
arrive in the display area you will be thoroughly
accustomed to the look of the ground under the
current conditions. This is an important point as
it can be dangerously disorientating to pop out of
cloud for the first time in 10 minutes and find that
you are 20 seconds to pull-up with no horizon,
poor visibility and an indeterminate cloud base.
However, on transit to the display airfield remember that weekend flying is marked by a profusion
of gliders and light aircraft, so give glider sites
and minor airfields a wide berth. Plan to fly outside the general aviation dominated height bands;
below 1000ft or above 3000ft would be sensible
depending on your aircraft type and authorisa-
Fuel. The actual fuel state during the display will
be dictated by the distance you have to recover
afterwards. The lower the fuel weight the better your aircraft will perform and it is well worth
investigating the possibilities of only partially
fuelling when going straight into a show from
take-off. If you run yourself too short you will be
distracted by worrying about your safe recovery;
on the other hand too much fuel can seriously
limit the aircraft’s performance. During the preseason practices increase the fuel weight on each
sortie until you reach the highest weight at which
you are happy with the aircraft’s performance and
handling. Having done this, never exceed this
figure and reduce it in hot weather. Never start a
show at a fuel state that you have not previously
practised at. Several pilots have received a nasty
shock at the bottom of the first heavy weight
14
tion. This is a good opportunity to check the aircraft for serviceability. Make a point of doing an
inverted flight check at (a safe height!) some time
during the transit.
briefing in plenty of time. If you are too early
you can always grab a coffee and wait; if you
are late you will miss something. Listen carefully
to the entire brief: has your slot time changed
and become unworkable? Get the latest winds.
Confirm that ATC frequencies have not changed;
sometimes the published frequencies for a station are altered for the duration of the flying programme. If it is a civil display the briefing might
not be quite what you are used to and you may
have to ask for particular facilities, for instance
clearance to take-off into wind! Look for potential
hazards in timing or positioning and make your
views known - for nobody else will. You might
find, for example, that a civilian joyride aircraft is
planned to fly close to your display. Do not let
this happen if you are not absolutely happy about
it, as you cannot afford to fly a display with any
unnecessary distractions. The Display Director
will often ask you to be ready to take the slot
ahead of you in case of a fall-out. Therefore, it is
useful to chat to the participants who appear on
either side of you on the programme.
It is advantageous to arrive the day before a display for several reasons. You get to see the display area and are able to think about your display
orientation. You can iron out any minor problems
with organisers and, last but not least, you actually get there! Nothing is more frustrating than
having a CAVOK met report from the show venue
when you have 8/8 clag at base, or have to negotiate an active front en route, etc.
The Airfield Itself. If any display airfield is not
known to you, have a careful check of the En
Route Supplement, 1:50,000 maps, the Op Order
and its Annexes. If you are pre-positioning, aim
to fly an arrival practice if you can get authorisation and clearance. Even a normal join, circuit
and overshoot will allow you to get to know the
place and note such things as pylons, wires and
tall aerials which may infringe on your safety
margins. If your aircraft is one of the types that
is capable of operating into small club fields,
beware the fact that they are unlike any RAF aerodrome. Plan your arrival cautiously: such runways
are normally short, made of various materials,
have dubious approach and overshoot areas,
and sometimes slope dramatically. Special hints
appear later in this booklet for helicopter and
Harrier pilots who may be called upon to perform
displays at such sites.
Brief Your Support Personnel. Once you are satisfied, fully brief your support personnel. Check
that they know what time to arrive at the aircraft,
again give yourself plenty of time. Do not get in a
situation where you have to rush checks and risk
missing something.
FOD and Insects. Take care to have the intake
and jet pipe covers fitted until shortly before start
up. Before flying, take extra time over your preflight inspection, particularly if your aircraft has
been parked outside or has been in the static
display. Make sure that the windscreen is clear
before you start. Summer insects and dirt on
the windscreen can easily impair forward vision,
especially if you’re on the programme late in the
afternoon and the sun is low in haze.
After You Have Arrived. Make sure that you are
absolutely satisfied with the parking and taxiing arrangements at the display airfield. Aircraft
are quite likely to be parked closer than normal
and adjacent light aircraft are in danger of being
blown over when you taxi. So exercise extreme
caution, particularly when members of the public
are nearby; many seem unaware that jet efflux is
hot, fast-moving and may contain stones. Some
parking areas at displays are covered in FOD
and demand extreme caution. A large crowd
also means a large litter problem so if aircraft are
parked near the crowd barrier there is a very real
danger that litter will get sucked into the engines.
For similar reasons you should avoid being parked
near to helicopters - unless you are flying one!
Balloons sold at displays may also represent a
hazard to your aircraft, in which case do not hesitate to make the point to the organisers.
Positioning. Having arrived at the right airfield at
the right time you now want to be sure that you
present the display to the best possible advantage. Do take the trouble to find where the crowd
centre is. The public could well be sequestered
in a small enclosure at one end of the field and at
a sharp angle to the main runway. If the display
organisers do not send you a plan of their airfield
with all the relevant details marked on it, ring
them up and find out. The terminal approach procedure charts give a plan of most of the airfields
that you are likely to visit, and photographs are
invaluable for giving some idea of what to expect
when you arrive at an airfield for the first time.
Display Briefing. Ensure you get to the display
15
Run-In Check List. It is also well worth preparing a personal pre-run-in check list to cover such
items as fuel balance, angle of attack gauges,
loose articles/pockets, engines, altimeter setting,
etc. The content of any such list will be dictated
by your aircraft type and style of display, but
could save you from omitting something important when the danger of distraction is highest. It
is recommended to deselect guard and turn off
the radio not in use. Also ensure that your harness is suitably set, especially if your sequence
involves negative ‘g’.
of vision at the most awkward moments. The only
provision you can make is to speak to the organisers beforehand and form a robust deconfliction
plan. You may require the circuit to be completely
clear from one minute before your display until
one minute after. Since private pilots’ airmanship,
radio procedures and discipline may not always
be as one would expect, the lesson is to fly defensively.
Mental Preparation. Until the process has
become second nature to you, you should consciously aim to achieve the best possible mental
and physical state prior to your display. The following points are all old hat but are worth repeating:
Wind. Since the wind can have such a vital effect
on your positioning, it is most important to have
the latest surface wind at the display airfield interpreted into terms of two components: across and
along the display line. Knowing how the surface
wind compares to the forecast 2000ft wind may
also be of benefit. Consider turbulence if the
wind is gusty; it can have a marked effect on all
aircraft types particularly on the slow speed and
formation manoeuvres.
Get a good night’s sleep with little or no alcohol
the evening before.
Plan to do nothing demanding prior to the display.
Always give yourself more time than you think you
need for turn-rounds, pre-flight preparation or
checking.
Air Traffic Control. Air Traffic Control at air
shows can be excellent, but can also be appalling. The only safe moral is to treat all information
as highly suspicious until proved reliable. Make a
personal telephone call to the operations officer
or his civilian counterpart as near to your takeoff time as possible. Agree on the plan of action,
even if it is only confirming the original schedule,
and then inform him that if there is any R/T confusion you will stick to this plan. From then on you
treat the R/T as though it was confused, and try
and confine your communications to brief unequivocal statements of what you are about to do.
If something really important comes up they will
soon let you know. This may sound a bit severe,
but there is a tendency for both controllers and
exhibitors alike to play things off-the-cuff once a
show has got under way and one method to avoid
ending up in the circuit at the same time as the
previous item is to make your own arrival seem as
inevitable as possible.
Go out to the aircraft earlier than normal and plan
to have an extra 10mins in the cockpit prior to
engine start.
Once in the aircraft, do the full checks methodically.
Start-up in good time so that you can swap aircraft without rushing too much.
Because there are manifold distractions you must
exercise exaggerated care with all checks.
Think the whole display through before take-off.
Learn to control your emotions before, during and
after a display. If things do not go smoothly prior
to the display you are likely to become irritated.
There is always a natural tendency to become
keyed up, so avoid being rushed. On the other
hand, there can be a tremendous feeling of elation
when taxiing in after a good display and this sensation must be controlled because it has caused
pilots in the past to make uncharacteristic errors.
Other Aircraft. However careful the organisers
are, there will always be a number of light aircraft
swanning about, sometimes without R/T, either
in the show or giving joy rides. They have every
right to be there and in many ways it is probably
more their show than yours. However, it is obvious that some of these pilots do not fully appreciate the implications of 15 tons of screaming aluminium doing better than 600kts at low-level, and
their cloth taxis are inclined to swim into your field
Pressures. Ensure that you have the right millibar setting on the altimeter. Flying a display on
QNH instead of QFE could have disastrous consequences. Some overseas shows may require
QNH to be set due to high elevation. Ensure
16
your preparation is thorough: calculate the gate
heights to include elevation and the corresponding increase in turn radius/reduction in turn performance. A USAF F16 from the Thunderbirds
crashed in 2003 at Ohio due to a miscalculated
gate height; and QNH operations are the norm for
them!
is no way of being completely undisturbed by
the innumerable distractions that are present at
an Air-show, so the answer is to evolve a steady
routine for displays and stick to it. Treble check
everything, because you can rest assured that if
your IQ is normally halved whenever you close the
canopy, it will be reduced almost to zero on the
day of the show.
The Big Moment. As your display time approaches, re-check all the details. Some of the larger
shows, IAT for example, have several hours of
flying planned and things can change during
the day. It is not unknown for things to change
even after take-off so be prepared for anything!
Analyse the real wind now that you are flying, look
at the crowd line and display line and plan to fly
just as you have practised. DO NOT get tempted
to modify your display dramatically to adapt to
local conditions or inputs, and if you are not
happy, land. At worst, no one will know whether
you really did or did not have a minor problem,
but everyone will know if you press on and muck
it up.
CONCLUSION
All of the advice above may seem daunting, but
most of it is common sense. As a military display
crew you are a representative of the service, and
the general public will to some extent, judge us all
on your performance. We would like them to think
that we are responsible professional pilots, so act
accordingly.
Finally then, do not be satisfied with less than
your best. Do not be too quick to take other people’s advice, but never scorn to learn from their
experience. Determine to be your own severest
critic; then, when you put your trust in your own
judgement, it will be well placed. By way of a
summary, a list of dos and don’ts is contained at
Annex C.
Phew! Finally, you have flown your sequence to
perfection and the crowd loved it and you are
feeling great. Do not relax. Someone else is just
starting his run-in and wants you out of the way.
Fly your planned departure and be on the lookout
for things that have moved since you got airborne.
Accidents can, and have happened whilst aircraft
(especially helicopters) are taxiing. Once you
have shut down you can relax.
Departing for Home Base. On leaving the show
site do not be tempted to do anything silly - I
know you wouldn’t, but others have! Leave sensibly, get back to base and tell the Boss how great
it all was and how much you are looking forward
to the next one. If leaving the day after the show,
watch out for the day after display syndrome. You
may have another display to go to, but yesterday’s show organisers will have lost any sense of
urgency they might have had the day before. This
last comment applies to everyone, not just engineering support personnel.
Double Effort and Treble Check. At the end of
the day, the great deal of effort that you have put
in should have paid off. Do not allow yourself to
think that because one show has gone well that
the rest are in the bag. Each show has its own
problems, and unless you prepare for the worst
you could become unstuck. Distraction is possibly the biggest hazard that you will meet. There
17
ANNEX A TO CHAP 2
WIND EFFECT
it is important to compensate. To illustrate this
point, Fig 1 shows the effect of a 30 kt wind on a
representative steep turn through 360 at 360 kts.
The wind has a vast effect on your show and must
be catered for. It is quite complex to write about
but much simpler in practice. To simplify the
problem, divide the wind into two components,
one along the display line from left to right, and
the other at right angles to it, either on-crowd or
off-crowd. Now let us study the effect of these
components on the various types of manoeuvre.
Note the drift is equal to a quarter of the diameter,
not the sort of thing that can be ignored.
In all cases the technique is the same: ease the
back pressure whenever the aircraft is pointing
into wind (if you keep the bank on as much as
possible the spectators will hardly be aware of
what you are doing) and crank round as hard as
possible as you turn downwind. The increase
in speed that results from easing the turn can
be used to get a temporary increase in turning
performance as the wind swings round to your
rear. It is good practice to over-correct all the
time as this puts you in a better position for the
next manoeuvre. The easiest to deal with is the
off-crowd wind as you are playing the turn in
the second half when the crowd line is in view.
The hardest is the on-crowd component as you
have your back to your reference during the vital
moments and are committed once you get the
crowd back in view again. It is in this situation that
over-allowance pays off.
When rolling into wind the distance covered will
be shortened, so you will have to start a bit later
and roll more slowly than normal. If it is downwind
then the effect is reversed and the roll must be
started early and hurried slightly. Unfortunately,
one aggravates the other, for if you finish the intowind roll early, which tends to put your wing-over
too close to the crowd; you are then faced with a
downwind roll which, if anything, you wanted to
start further away, not closer. The net result is that
your show begins to drift away downwind, and
you cannot rescue it once it has gone without an
ignominious straight leg while you steam against
the current in an effort to make up for lost ground.
A
Wind
B
2X°
A word of warning here:
X°
NEVER, NEVER BE TEMPTED TO USE GROUND
REFERENCE POINTS, OTHER THAN THE
CROWD FRONT, IN PRACTICE.
The correction on the way up
C
D
They will do you no good at all when you arrive
in the Little Muddlecome circuit for the first time
in your life. You must train yourself to work on a
crowd front only.
2X°
Figure 1
Cases 4a and 4b apply to the looping manoeuvres
with the wind blowing in the same plane as the
loop. The effect is more pronounced with the wind
behind you as the tendency is to gain ground in
a loop anyway. Under these circumstances it is
almost impossible to make a round loop and the
only way to maintain your positioning is to accept
this and pull up really early.
The wind continues to affect you in the turns and
wing-overs, and since you spend three times as
long in a full turnabout as you do in a slow roll
The effect of the on-/off-crowd wind component
on loops done along the crowd line, ie at right
angles to the loop, needs special consideration as
X°
Over the top, still tracking correctly
Second correction on the way down
18
will be seen from the following analysis (see Fig 2).
A
Wind
B
get to the pullout you will be right over the heads
of the crowd. The same applies for a loop or half
loop begun off the end of a slow roll, in which the
drift has been laid off. The only place that you
can change that 10 so that it is still acting in your
favour is when you are vertical.
2X°
X°
The technique, then, for a crosswind loop is this:
lay off the drift on the run in to keep you tracking
along your line. As you approach the vertical,
roll quickly through at least twice the number of
degrees that you laid off in the pull-up, towards
the direction that the wind is coming from.
Continue the loop and, as you come through the
vertical again, roll back to the original angle. This
will probably be done instinctively as the crowd
line will be in view. The bigger your loop, the more
trouble you must take over this correction.
The correction on the way up
C
D
2X°
X°
Over the top, still tracking correctly
Laid out step by step it sounds a bit complicated
but once you have tried it out in practice you will
find yourself doing it automatically. The usual
fault is to make the corrections too small, with
the result that on each manoeuvre the downwind
drift accumulates until eventually you have to put
in a straight leg to recover. The secret is little and
often, with a strong bias in favour of overdoing
it, for you will never have any difficulty in losing a
little ground if you do get too far upwind.
Second correction on the way down
Figure 2.
Imagine that you are about to pull up for a loop
with the wind blowing from your right. You lay off
10 to the right to keep on the centre line as you
pull up. As soon as you get past the vertical that
10 is corkscrewing you in the wrong direction, that
is, it is increasing the drift effect! By the time you
19
ANNEX B TO CHAP 2
PRE-DISPLAY PREPARATION
These items should be attended to as soon as
you receive tasking instructions for a display: find
a friendly pilot/crew to take the spare aircraft and
to look after the trivia.
As this initial planning approaches the definitive
stage, you will need to tee up a good deal of local
administration to ensure that the necessary support is provided for your single aeroplane plus
spare. If nothing else, this effort serves to remind
you that you are not the only person who is losing
his weekend.
Passports and inoculations if necessary.
Accommodation - book early to avoid frustration,
and do not accept a shared room, as it will normally mean a poor night’s sleep. Also watch out
for accommodation booked at excessive distances from the airfield; it can lead to long road journeys, extended delays whilst you wait for other
crews to complete their day, and unnecessarily
early rises in the morning.
Arrange with your squadron engineers for the
aircraft, fuel and spare aircraft to be ready in the
right configuration at agreed times.
Ensure that the squadron programmers know
your requirements.
Book the airfield opening time with Ops.
Find out exactly where the proposed crowd line
is and ensure that it meets safety criteria - small
civilian airfields can be particularly lax about this.
Book a met briefing.
Arrange diversions for the route.
Carriage of kit, spares etc.
Check the display frequency and pre-stud it/
them. Dialling in a new frequency at 600 kts and
half a mile out is an unnecessary distraction.
Time of arrival and departure, planned diversions,
meals, fuel, parking, ground equipment ... these
are some of the domestic points to discuss.
Exercise Public Relations with:
Is there to be a rehearsal, or can you have a private one?
Engineers
Security of the aircraft is vital, and the organisers
must have made adequate arrangements for roping off and guarding. It is not unknown for spectators to throw bottle tops into intakes or even take
bits for souvenenirs.
Operations
Engineering support? Remember that your ground
crew will probably appreciate being put on show
occasionally as compensation for all their efforts
during the season.
ATC
Fire Section
Met
Medical
Operating Base
20
ANNEX C TO CHAP 2
SOME DOs AND DO NOTs
By way of a summary, here is a list of some Dos
and Do nots:
Do not be afraid to ask for advice: better to profit
from someone else’s experience than to learn the
hard way.
Do get the sequence properly planned before you
start - you are wasting valuable time otherwise.
Do not be worried by ‘crewroom criticism’
Do de-brief thoroughly - preferably with the same
person and using a display chart
Do not fly with a hangover.
Do not deliberately fly into cloud.
Do read all of the rules and limitations produced
by the display organiser and attend their briefing
if possible; otherwise study a map or photograph
of the display area and get a telephone briefing.
Do not overstress the aircraft
Do not change your sequence. You will be asked
to ‘fill in time’ but resist the temptation.
Do try to arrange a practice over the display site.
Do not be tempted to fly just that little bit nearer
to the limits.
Do know the aeroplane - know exactly what to do
if something goes wrong during a critical period
of a manoeuvre. Think out contingencies for all
stages of the display to cover engine malfunctions, system failure, instrument malfunctions.
Do not fly below your briefed minimum height
Do not enter into competition with the other display pilots.
Do talk to the display organisers and make your
requirements clear.
Do not tighten up your display on the day. This
can be a temptation especially over a small display area - succumb and you will disturb your
sequence and affect your timing.
Do get to bed sober and on time - even though
everyone wants to host you.
Do check the flying programme carefully for conflictions-Zulu or Alpha time?
Do not assume the wing over is a routine positioning manoeuvre. It has no gate heights and is
potentially as fatal as any aerobatic manoeuvre.
Do prepare yourself mentally - visualise the whole
sequence by studying a large-scale map.
Do not improvise on your sequence by adding
unpractised manoeuvres. This can be tempting
if you have time left at the end of your display
slot. If your sequence goes wrong, do not take a
chance on entering a manoeuvre with insufficient
speed.
Do check the wind - it has a considerable effect.
Do remember your PINS.
Do go through your personal check-list before
running in and always include a check of the
altimeter setting.
Do not attempt your good weather sequence in
marginal weather. Stick to your weather limitations.
Do fly within your own capability.
Do not squeeze your sequence up too close to
the crowd line; spectators prefer to look up at
about 45°, not 60° to 90°.
Do stick rigidly to your weather minima.
Do perform your display EXACTLY AS PRACTISED
WITH NO AD LIBS. It is very natural to feel rushed
- try not to be.
Do not get sucked in by the Barnstorming atmosphere that you will sense at some shows.
21
Do not try to emulate the performance of those
who have great skill but set a poor example. You
are a professional military pilot, and while you are
on display, the reputation of the Service rests on
your shoulders.
This may seem to be a forbidding list of Dos and
Do Nots, and indeed there are a considerable
number of rules associated with display flying.
The degree of control imposed on the individual
may appear stifling to any young blood starting
the display game, but this close supervision has
necessarily evolved from bitter experience over
the years. The risks are high but are minimised
by full preparation and mature, responsible attitude. Display flying presents a deeply satisfying
physical and mental challenge, but you can rest
assured that it is also enormous fun.
Do not fly a farewell beat-up. They are dangerous
and the crowd will have gone home anyway.
When you get back on the ground, do watch the
rest of the display and learn from others. Resolve
to do it better next time, and expect by mid-season to have got it nearly right!
Remember that the responsibility you bear to the
Service does not end when you land.
22
ANNEX D TO CHAP 2
I LEARNT ABOUT DISPLAY FLYING
FROM THAT
PRIDE PRECEDES THAT SINKING
FEELING
off - on time of course - and ran in for my display
on cue. Then the problem started. I didn’t seem to
be getting enough power. At that stage in the turn
I should have been throttling back the reheat to
maintain 350 kts but I barely had 300! Both donks
showed full reheat. Agh, the blasted airbrakes
were out! With no time to wonder why they had
come out I selected in, got my 350 kts just in time,
cancelled reheat and went smoothly into a roll for
an inverted pass. The nose dropped alarmingly
and I had to shove the stick hard forward against
the stop to prevent a further descent. You’ve
guessed it, the airbrakes had come out again!
I completed the inverted pass, rolled upright,
selected airbrakes in and decided to cut out any
further rolling manoeuvres. That nose-slice had
really scared me! That meant no Derry turn and
no slow roll. You can well imagine the comments
after I landed.
Some years ago I was a Lightning OCU instructor and about to become one of the unit’s official
aerobatic display pilots. This was in the good old
days when almost every station had its own resident display pilot.
Shortly before the start of the season one such
station decided to give up its display commitment
because of a spate of fuel leaks brought on by too
much g. This meant that the displays previously
allocated to that unit were passed around the rest
of the Group’s display pilots. It so happened that I
was allocated the first of these commitments - as
my first ever show. The display, which was midweek, was for a group of visiting foreign dignitaries and was to be flown at the home base of the
unit that had withdrawn.
Still, the situation was not beyond redemption.
The airbrake solenoid was changed, and I was to
operate from this base for a display at a nearby
GCI site 2 days later. I had already been authorised for a practice at the GCI on the intervening
day, but I felt the need to save face so rang my
boss at the OCU and poured out my tale of woe.
He promptly gave me permission for another
practice at my host Station under the supervision
of their ex-display pilot’s commander.
I arrived on the afternoon preceding the display,
having arranged with my supervisor and with the
host station that an “arrival display” would be in
order; this was to be the only chance I would have
to practise at this airfield - which I had never visited before. All went smoothly enough, although I
had to cut short because of fuel shortage. When
I got to the crewroom, however, I could immediately sense the atmosphere. As plainly as if the
words had been spoken aloud, I could hear everyone saying things like:
The following day dawned bright and clear with
blue sky, a slight off-wind: in short, perfect display weather. Pre-flight preparation was faultless.
I had briefed with my supervisor, cleared the
display time with Wing Ops and Air Traffic, and
the ground crew had prepared the aircraft to my
requirements with the ventral tank empty, wing
and flap tanks full giving 2,600 lbs per side.
“So this is the blue-eyed whiz kid that’s doing our
displays for us”
and
“I wasn’t too impressed with his arrival show, our
man was much better than that”
As I was starting up I noticed a Canberra taxi
behind me. No problem, I thought, he will be
airborne by the time I get to the take-off point.
Wrong! There he was, stuck right in my patch
and he wouldn’t budge despite the fact that I’d
booked the airfield for my exclusive use! By the
time he’d wakened his navigator and lumbered off
It seemed that only the Station Commander and
OC Ops Wing were pleased to see me.
Well, worse was to come. The weather the following day prevented looping and I couldn’t even
demonstrate the famous Lightning rotation! I took
23
into the air my precious fuel was down to 1,800
Ibs per side!
“ Harrier this is Hexter, you may not land, we are
not expecting you”
I thought that, if I missed out on one of the less
spectacular manoeuvres and didn’t do the reheat
climb to contrail height at the end of the display,
I would probably only be a couple of hundred
pounds below minimum touch-down fuel!
Thanks?
With a final check that the canopy was down and
locked I roared down the runway and straight into
a half loop. The practice went very well indeed
and no-one could have noticed that I’d missed
out a turn. A final check as I was positioned for
my high speed run showed that I was already at
minimum touch down fuel! Without giving it a second thought I flashed over the airfield at a great
rate of knots, pulled the power back to idle and,
popping the airbrakes as I crossed the perimeter
fence, positioned for a straight-in approach. As
soon as I got 3 greens I chopped the No 2 engine
and started transferring what little fuel there was
left to the No 1. Apart from the higher than normal
pulse rate the landing was uneventful and I even
had enough fuel to taxi back in - though goodness knows I deserved the ignominy of a flame
out on the taxiway!
Fuel now getting low, no time to argue – let’s
land at Gutersloh and sort it out (thanks heavens
for Master Divs). Land at Gutersloh find piece of
paper with Hexter telephone number.
“ Hexter, are you having a flying show to-day?”
“ Harrier, Negative, no flying display here”
Ring up....
“Why didn’t you let me land, aren’t you having a
display today?”
“Oh yes we are, but no Harrier has been near here
today.”
“Oh horror, where was I then suspicion dawns in
my mind”
“How do you spell your airfield name?”
“H-O-X-T-E-R, Hoxter, near Hamlin”
That was certainly quite an introduction to the art
of display flying. I learnt innumerable lessons from
that one experience, and through 3 display seasons I never again allowed myself to fall victim to
wounded pride.
Suspicion now confirmed, I dig out the photo
that they’d sent me. Yes, nothing like the place I
tried to land at! Another look at the map confirms
Hoxter to be some 60 miles away from Hexter!
ANY AIRFIELD WILL DO
Red faced, I explain on the telephone that there
had been a small administrative error but that I
can still make the planned display time if I rush.
Usual excellent co-operation from VASS Gutersloh
and I’m airborne again this time for Hoxter. Raise
them on the radio, dump a bit of fuel all set to
land. Request temperature and pressure?
I was displaying the Harrier back in the days when
the Bona Jets were based at Wildenrath.
One of the difficulties with Harrier display flying in Germany is that many of the Air Shows are
located at small club airfields, which have limited
facilities. One day I took a telephone message
from Command requesting that I display at a civil
airfield called Hexter. A quick glance at the map
confirmed that this was near Paderborn, had a
small tarmac runway and appeared suitable. I
was fairly familiar with the area, time was short,
and details of the show were to appear in the mail
later, so a letter came from the club giving an outline of the show, some airfield details and a photo
of the airfield. All seemed good.
“89F and 28.50 inches”
Oh hell, what’s that in real terms? No time to convert, got a bit of hover weight in hand, so here we
go. Suddenly, while on finals for a rolling vertical
landing, there is a 15 second warning staring at
me! More adrenalin, overshoot, think again. Must
be hotter than I thought. Luckily I took a full water
tank, so I stick water on, and try again (low on
fuel for the second time). Land, quick refuel, then
successful display using the rest of the water.
On the Sunday appointed I set off in my Harrier.
A quick call on the VHF flying club frequency and
then in to land on the strip.... wait a minute, what’s
that?
Why no hover first time? 89 f and 28.50 inches =
32C and 965 mb. Hoxter, as it says on the map, is
24
COMPLACENCY
932 ft above sea level! I learnt about how to get to
your display from that!
I did not suffer any embarrassment in the second
year’s flying; however, I learnt two valuable lessons in my previous season. The first was not to
get blasé and over-confident over a sequence;
through lack of concentration I ruined the entry
to an inverted run by applying opposite rudder,
with the result that I stopped the roll at about l50°
of bank and entered a shallow dive and lost 150
ft. Since I had started at only 300 ft the resultant
pullout was quite spectacular.
IS THIS HOW YOU WANTED
ME TO POSITION
I once set off for a display airfield in a Harrier,
which slipped on the brakes at 52% (normal hold
being 55%) only to block the runway at Biggin
Hill for an hour by bursting 3 tyres very gently on
landing. The problem had not been slightly worn
brakes, as I had thought, but a leaking main oleo
on the main undercarriage leg, which allowed the
aircraft to effectively land on the outriggers. When
I switched off the anti-skid the 2 main wheels
slowly burst, and after a short taxi, one outrigger gave up the ghost. Things are never as they
seem!
RUSHED CHECKS
The second lesson I learnt was that, no matter
how pressed for time you are, you must do all the
basic checks. I was forced to change aircraft after
start up and rushed rapidly through the checks
in the new one. On entering the display in time
honoured fashion with a 6g turn I was dismayed
to note that I was greying out. I realised that the
anti-g was still off and I changed hands on the
stick, reached down and turned it on. The resultant punch in the guts unsettled me for the following few minutes.
HELICOPTERS HAVE THEM TOO
As far as embarrassing experiences go I can
mention two. The first was at an Open Day at a
Royal Air Force station and involved a car underslung beneath a Puma. This car had supposedly
been “illegally” parked, and during its transportation away by helicopter, was to be accidentally
dropped: a well-worn trick I know. Fortunately I
had decided to have a trial run on the morning of
the show. The trouble was that some kind soul,
thinking that helicopters could carry nothing more
than a verbal message, had removed the car’s
engine and gearbox. As a result it was so light
as to be almost impossible to carry. At speeds
above 40 kts the car swung quite dangerously,
and it was worse in turns. Thus I found myself flying away from the airfield at 30 kts, unable to turn
back. Eventually I managed to return by coming
to the hover, spot turning, and then slowly flying
back. The show went off as planned but I was
careful when manoeuvring with that car underneath.
INVERTED STALL
I was practising a rolling display on the fourth
sortie of the day when I really learnt about display
flying. The manoeuvre that went wrong was a
Derry turn with the wheels down, but the problem
had its source much earlier in the sequence. I
normally flew the preceding manoeuvre by turning
away from the crowd through 180° inverted, then
rolling upright and lowering the undercarriage
whilst decelerating.
On the day in question, the entry speed to the
manoeuvre preceding the inverted turn was a little high, so I took off some power. This took effect
but I was still about 20 kts fast in the turn. The
deceleration was normal, but the extra few knots
was exacerbated by a strong on-crowd wind.
Things were now getting a bit tight, so the undercarriage was lowered a little later than normal, full
power was selected and the Derry begun.
The second incident occurred during a winching
demonstration at a school fete. It was during a
summer’s drought and happened when my “survivor” ran out of the crowd as briefed, waving a
Day Night flare. The flare promptly set the grass
alight and the downwash from the aircraft fanned
the flames. Fortunately there was sufficient water
available to douse the fire and the display continued without the aid of a flare. This was a predictable incident, which could have been avoided with
a little forethought.
The aircraft stalled inverted half way round. The
subsequent pitch down gave a most arresting
and detailed view of a small area of grass and a
windsock. I watched in detachment as a set of
hands that did not seem to belong to me applied
full aileron, confirmed full power etc. As the world
re-appeared the right way up and rather adjacent,
25
I began to think again and set about achieving a
minimum radius turn in the approach configuration. I did this and cleared the ground by about
20 ft. That’s when I discovered that the manoeuvre required full power to work properly, and that
engine acceleration time has to be taken into
account sometimes. I had equated a selection
of full throttle with the production of full power. I
learnt about display flying from that.
Just as well in this case, because no sooner had
I selected the undercarriage than the engine
flamed out. There was a distinct lack of noise and
an excess of red lights - generators, fuel pressure.... plus 2 undercarriage reds. I rolled out from
the inverted into the finals turn and hit the relight.
That kept both hands fully occupied because the
relight switch was pre-mod and had to be held
on to keep the igniters running. There was no
sign of life from the engine however, and I could
see that I would soon have to move my left hand
to the RT button to answer Air Traffic’s Check 3
Greens with Finals 1 Green, or get on with pulling
the emergency selector in time for the undercarriage to blow down. Not that I could be hasty with
the emergency undercarriage though: I Couldn’t
afford to increase drag until the last moment.
THERE I WAS, UPSIDE DOWN,
WITH NOTHING
I had done two seasons of low level aerobatics in
the Hunter Mk 9 and then switched to the T7 the
next year. My show included a fair amount of negative g, so from the outset I had made it my business to learn as much as I could about the fuel
system in the Mk 9. For instance, although the
Pilots Notes made no mention of it in those day, I
had worked out for myself that I should allow an
interval of 45 seconds to permit the recuperator
bags to refill between negative g manoeuvres.
Fortunately the emergency system worked well
and the final clunk was heard very audibly and
thankfully in that quiet cockpit 3 Greens were
confirmed just before the threshold was crossed
for a fairly normal touchdown. The ensuing rollout was without incident, but the ride back to
dispersal behind the tractor was nothing if not
embarrassing. So were the subsequent discussions, although to be fair no-one else on the Wing
knew until after I had written out my Incident
Report that the Hunter T7 was not equipped with
recuperator bags. Subsequently it became clear
that the Pilot’s Notes statement about 15 seconds
worth of inverted flight at full power was based
on having full negative g fuel traps. In the event,
my downwind fuel state had not been quite sufficient to keep the booster pumps covered, so the
engine naturally flamed out.
When it came to working up on the T7 I used my
basic Mk 9 routine, but naturally had to make
some allowances for the lower thrust in the T7.
Equally naturally, I liked to rehearse with as low a
fuel weight as possible in order to offset the lower
thrust-to-weight ratio in the T7.
After four rehearsals at low level I had adjusted to
the slightly lower performance of the Hunter T7
and had got back into the old groove. I normally
landed off my last manoeuvre, and knew by now
exactly what fuel state to run in with to provide for
a touchdown at landing minima. It was therefore
slightly annoying to be asked on my fifth practice to hold off for 2 minutes - having started my
run-in. I didn’t want to land with 70 Lbs a side
less than the stipulated requirements, but on this
occasion it would have to do.
I certainly learnt about display flying from that,
but two obvious lessons are worth stressing:
Always plan to have a sensible amount of fuel in
hand.
The final part of my display was an outside break
to downwind, where I would roll out inverted,
extend the undercarriage and wait upside-down
for 3 greens. I always added 200 ft to the normal
downwind height just in case.
Just because you have made a special effort to
extend your aircraft knowledge during the workup, don’t let the process stop there.
26
ANNEX E TO CHAP 2
THE ART OF COARSE DISPLAY FLYING
When you go to a display, you’ll normally arrive
the day before; showing you’re a real ace by arriving last and being in the bar first - this is easy.
Most crews park their jet, kick the tyres and put
in enough fuel for the following day. Don’t kick
your tyres (it might be the last straw which breaks
the camel’s back) and don’t bother to refuel.
Aeroplanes don’t get thirsty. You do.
his run and break to land! Be polite to the helicopter pilot; he will only take about 30 seconds
to bore you with his display sequence, at which
point you can fob him off on the station educator
who will be on his annual visit to the mess for the
free beer. Give the man in the flying suit adorned
with badges a miss – he’s the SENGO of the local
squadron pretending to be one of the boys. Don’t
bother to chat up the wee nurse in the corner
either - she has no time to talk because she is a
busy member of the BUPA medical team, which
looks after the old folks of BBMF!!
Most places put on a welcoming barrel of John
Smith’s or similar. If this doesn’t happen, you
should get a beer from OC Ops when he comes
over for a friendly chat about your arrival. Don’t
worry –he’s more embarrassed than you. After all,
he used to fly much lower when he was a squadron mate - he’ll tell you about that too! No friendly
chat means that you were too high and impressed
no one. Or perhaps you were too fast and no-one
saw you, or you wired the wrong airfield. So get a
grip or you’ll give your aircraft a bad name!
There may be some chaps missing but do not fret.
The Harrier mate has probably been sent back to
base to get a clean aircraft, while the Tutor and
Tucano pilots will not yet have arrived. They are
both QFIs and will still be de-briefing their transit
sortie! The Hercules crew will be downtown in the
Hilton!
You may find yourself drinking alongside or near
to a navigator. Well, unfortunately, there’s not
much you can do about that, other than make the
best of it and try to persuade them to buy you a
drink. At least you can be sure that a navigator
will be talking less rubbish than a Harrier pilot.
You will notice that the Tornado crew will be taking the most stick as usual. And don’t forget to
pay your due respects to the Red Arrows if they
arrive for their orange juice!
On the day, you must make sure you get to the
aircrew feeder before the Red Arrows. They
trench like animals and leave nothing for anyone
else.... Remember to take along some out-of-date
maps and en-route charts to sell to Joe Public in
your continuing efforts to boost your squadron
fund.
And finally, on no account think about your display sequence. You’ve had the AOC’s approval,
so now you can really get stuck in and rattle a few
windows with a bit of spur of the moment extemporization! Got the picture?
Remember to console the F3 pilot who will be in
the corner crying into his beer. He arrived just
after the F15 and over-stressed his aircraft during
27
ANNEX F TO CHAP 2
THE TUTOR
Reviewed by Flt Lt Howard Carby, 2002 Tutor
Display Pilot
performance, as well as your ‘g’ threshold. So, if
its hot, remember to open both punkha louvers,
keep the canopy open when possible, or better
still, plan to land for a breather and a drink before
the show - if you can.
Being small and relatively quiet, the Tutor may
lack some of the dramatic impact enjoyed by fast
jets, but it does have a degree of manoeuvrability
which can be exploited to make an impressive
aerobatic display. The secrets are to keep it
close to the crowd, and to keep the manoeuvres
coming; there are few less impressive things than
a Tutor flying straight and level.
Turbulence. Whether caused by convection, or by
wind, turbulence can steal your valuable energy in
the form of airspeed loss. Beware the hot, bumpy
summer afternoon.
Fuel Load. Fuel load makes little difference to the
display (I did one once with full fuel), but I’m not
sure what the impact might be if flick manoeuvres
were included in the sequence.
These notes contain some guidelines on how to
design and fly a Tutor sequence, how to avoid
some of the pit-falls peculiar to the Tutor, and how
to survive the season.
Aircraft. They should all be the same, but they
aren’t. Find one you like, and a spare, and fight
to keep them. That way, you will have confidence
in your aircraft’s performance and consequently
fly a better display. You will also detect problems
sooner.
PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS
Height and Speed. The engine performance and,
therefore, the ability to maintain height during
manoeuvres decreases markedly with altitude.
It follows that the lower you start, the less height
you will consume during the sequence if there
are no other variables. During the work down, the
start height should be reduced progressively until
a minimum for the sequence is found. This may
even be as low as the minimum permitted base
height. The performance lost by starting higher
may itself be the cause of the height consumption
throughout the sequence. Remember that your
available energy consists of height and speed
so that if at any point you are at the right height,
but low on speed, you are actually low on energy
and may not be able to complete your sequence
without going below base height. Your aim should
be to trade speed for height and vice-versa with
the minimum possible loss of energy. (See ‘Flying
the Sequence’ for more about this). You should
also start with as much energy stored as possible
and as close to base height as possible, so dive to
start low and fast.
Transits. The IMC restriction has now been
cleared, but be aware lower airspace is busy at
weekends and a radar service is recommended.
Whenever possible, plan to transit the day
before the show, or failing that, as early as
possible on the actual day, so that you have a
fallback. Remember that a headwind can have
a considerable effect on longer transits. Keep a
close eye on the long-range met forecast, you
may need to go even earlier than planned if you
really want to get there. Finally, don’t give up until
you have investigated every avenue. With a little
ingenuity and careful planning, you can get just
about anywhere in a Tutor. But remember, no one
will thank you for taking unnecessary chances,
and, if it’s that bad, the display will probably be
cancelled anyway.
CHOOSING AND FLYING A DISPLAY
Temperature. The OAT has a significant effect
on the performance available from the Tutor’s
engine. An extra 10C may increase your height
consumption by as much as 200 ft. On a hot
summers day, the cockpit environment of the
Tutor with the canopy shut can affect your own
For the Command competition, you will require
a 4 minute aerobatic display sequence. It should
contain a good variety of looping, rolling and
vertical manoeuvres, which should not be biased
to a particular side of the datum. It will be flown to
a MSD of 500 ft. The limited performance of the
28
Tutor, however, leads to certain constraints if the
aircraft is to be kept low and close to the datum.
The following Do’s and Do Not’s will help you to
avoid most of the pitfalls, but there is no substitute
for individual style and lots of practice in the air.
vertical manoeuvres, where you cannot roll out
of the top. When flying looping manoeuvres, do
relax the pull and allow the aircraft to ‘go ballistic’
over the top - you will gain up to 200 ft by doing
this, and as the speed is now very low, ie totally
traded for height, you will save height on the pullout which you can now adjust to get the exact
entry speed for your next manoeuvre. Do not
pull any more ‘g’ than you have to - it kills the
speed, and robs you of energy. This is another
reason for getting the speed low at the top of your
manoeuvres - if you are fast on the way down,
you will have to pull harder, which wastes energy.
About +3 ½ to +4g is enough. Do practise your
rolling and vertical manoeuvres in both directions,
so you can always do them into wind when
required. Even hesitation and reverse stall turns
are quite possible ‘against’ the propeller, and they
must be done into wind, or they will ‘bridge’. This
not only looks bad, but will spoil your positioning.
Do allow the aircraft to gain as much height as
possible in vertical manoeuvres. From 120 kt and
500 ft, the Tutor can actually make some height in
a plain stall turn finishing at the same speed. If a
vertical roll is necessary on the way down, get on
with it immediately and do not let excess speed
build up.
DESIGNING A SEQUENCE
Do not be too ambitious; a well presented,
accurately flown display is much nicer to look at
than a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to do the
impossible. The chances are that few, if any, of
your spectators would recognise your inverted
conical ‘lomcovak’ anyway. It is ESSENTIAL
that you feel comfortable and confident with all
your manoeuvres at low level when performing
in public. So, if in doubt, throw it out. Do plan to
run in at 90 degrees to the crowd line, ie straight
toward the crowd. Even at full speed the Tutor
will probably look as though it’s on finals if you
run in along the line. Remember though to tell
the organiser about your run-in as he will not
automatically take it into account when allocating
a holding point etc. Do plan to start with a vertical
manoeuvre, during which you can regain lots of
height from a low, fast arrival in front of the crowd.
Beware the wind blowing you onto the crowd line
in your first pull up, an error you will not be able to
see until it is too late.
Do use a sequence card, and have it fixed where
you can see it on the instrument panel. The
sequence will be firmly engraved on your memory,
but for the one (or more!) occasion when your
mind suddenly goes blank, you’ll be glad of it.
All the professionals do this. You can also use
it to display vital information like the QFE. Do
think about the wind before you go. In the Tutor,
you cannot afford to slip downwind as you will
probably never get back to crowd centre. On the
ground, work out how you will fly your turns, and
where you will extend to compensate for wind.
Annotate your sequence card accordingly, but
stay flexible in case the 1000 ft wind isn’t what you
expected. At air shows, it pays to watch other light
aircraft, particularly those which trail smoke, if you
have the chance before your slot. Remember that
the wind has a particularly marked effect when
you are in the vertical and very low speed. The
drift here is also less apparent to the pilot. You
may need to pull up upwind of the normal position
as you cannot entirely compensate for drift in the
vertical. Plan ahead! The following guidelines will
be useful when considering the effect of wind:
Do not include manoeuvres that involve long
periods of negative ‘g’. The increased drag and
the loss of propeller efficiency leave you with a
speed penalty, which can only be regained by
height expenditure. Do make sure your sequence
is adjustable for wind direction. You must be able
to position it centrally, whatever the wind velocity.
To allow this, you must change from the A (crowd
line) to the B (90°) axis regularly or combine the
two (use the 45° axis), using turning manoeuvres
which can be flown in either direction. You should
be able to turn directly into wind after every two
or three manoeuvres. In still air, your sequence
should not ‘track’ in one particular direction, or
you will not be able to compensate easily for the
‘worst’ wind.
FLYING THE SEQUENCE
Do give yourself some flex. Having worked out
the start height, add a little so that you are not
struggling to maintain base height. Make sure
that you always start manoeuvres with the correct
energy, ie. height and speed must be correct or
you will not make your top gates. Achieving the
‘bottom gate’ is especially important when flying
Whenever possible, start your looping
manoeuvres into wind.
29
Stall turns should be made into any sidewind
component.
Check the throttle friction. Its value is debatable
in some aircraft, but it may be wound tighter than
you really want.
Rolling manoeuvres look best with the wind
behind you, but they travel a long way, so they
may have to be flown into wind for positioning
reasons.
When strapping in, give your harness lugs a sharp
tug to make sure they’re securely in the QRF
before you tighten up. In the same vein, make an
extra check of the fire extinguisher security before
you get in.
With the wind behind you, a steeper pull-up or
dive will help you compensate, and vice-versa,
with a headwind.
Double-check the really important things as you
run in: QFE, fuel cock, magnetos, flaps, harness
and canopy, spring immediately to mind.
When rolling with a crosswind, roll into it, and pick
an aiming point, which allows for drift.
When looping with a crosswind, roll into wind on
the way up, reverse the roll by twice the amount
over the top, and you will come out with the right
drift on.
Don’t start anything you can’t finish; make
sure you have enough height and speed at the
beginning of your manoeuvres.
CONCLUSION
If in doubt, over-compensate; it is much easier to
slip downwind again than to struggle back against
it.
Displaying the Tutor is great fun, but like any other
aeroplane, it will bite you if you ask too much,
so don’t be tempted to push your limits. Careful
energy management will get the most out of the
aeroplane. You cannot emulate a Pitts Special, so
don’t try. Instead, stick to what you and your Tutor
can do well and you will have a safe, enjoyable
and successful season.
Make sure you know which way each of your
manoeuvres would track in still air; a loop, for
example, will track in the direction in which you
started. Armed with this knowledge you can make
the appropriate corrections more quickly if things
do not work out as planned.
FURTHER READING
SOME SAFETY HINTS
There is an excellent book by the late Neil Williams
on the subject of aerobatics. Entitled simply
‘AEROBATICS’ it is published by AIRLIFE and is a
must for novice light piston display pilots.
Empty the side pockets of anything that can’t
be firmly wedged in, otherwise, you might find
yourself forced to read the aircrew manual during
the first slow roll.
30
ANNEX G TO CHAP 2
THE HARRIER
Demonstrating the Harrier GR7 to its best effect
calls for attention to all of the details that have
already been mentioned in this booklet. However,
because of the Harrier’s ability to hover and land
at small grass airfields, some problems will be
met which are peculiar to the type.
a hard decelerating turn with nozzles and STOL
flap selected; a high power setting will avoid the
nasty pitchdown when the flaps schedule at 165
kts, or select them as you pass through 120 kts.
Partially jetborne turns made in the 30 kt to 120 kt
regime add great interest to the display; however,
pilots should be careful to keep the AOA and side
slip under control otherwise the GR7 will depart.
If the ac is in 3-pylon fit, take extra care to ensure
that 15 AOA is not exceeded. During these turns
the SAS bleeds a lot of thrust, and this combined
with the loss of lift due to vectoring in turns, can
combine to produce a very nasty sinking feeling,
especially if coupled with hot-air re-ingestion in a
down wind manoeuvre.
THE DISPLAY ROUTINE
As with any aircraft, it is vital, having selected
a display routine, to stick to it. Changes should
only be made after careful thought, followed
by consultation with an authorising officer and
then some practice. Four routines will be necessary: the full show, rolling show, flat show and
the hovering-only routine for very poor weather.
Rather than devise four entirely different routines, it should be possible to produce one basic
show with variations to suit the circumstances.
However, a Harrier pilot is at an advantage over
most others when it comes to weather minima;
so long as the spectators can see the aircraft, a
Harrier can be displayed, albeit in jetborne fashion, in poor weather. This makes every weekend
a challenging experience. Again, in front of the
spectators, the Harrier makes a lot of noise at 100
ft, so there is no need to hover low in the wingborne part of the display in order to impress the
crowd.
Steep decelerating transitions are exciting, but
care should be taken during the flare. The flare at
the bottom of the descent should be made whilst
still wingborne - do not rely on jet-lift to arrest the
descent - the use of water should be avoided, as
steep attitudes can blow the water pump. Steep
accelerations from the hover (when permitted)
require extra care. An over-enthusiastic nozzle
movement can result in the nozzles going fully
aft before wingborne speeds are achieved, giving a tremendous pitch-down. One Harrier pilot
resorted to ejection after experiencing just such a
pitch change.
The first essential is to note the position of the
display line, which should normally be parallel
to, and must be at a safe distance from, the line
of spectators. This line should not be crossed
except in dire circumstances - running out of performance and crashing at the display line is not
as safe as translating away, albeit over the crowd!
Particular care must then be taken when planning
maximum performance turns towards this line,
such as low speed/high ‘g’, as any misjudgement
results in the crowd line being infringed in a big
way! Note that your display lines change as you
accelerate from jetborne to wingborne flight.
Lastly, an unusual feature of any Harrier display
sequence is the number of times the undercarriage is raised and lowered to fit in with the
VSTOL routines. Build in extra checks prior
to landing, to make sure the gear is not out of
sequence!
PREPARING FOR A DISPLAY
Considerable preparation is necessary prior to
a Harrier display at an away airfield. Firstly, it is
highly desirable to visit the airfield before the display to inspect the facilities and discuss the show
with the organiser. The following particular Harrier
points are additional to those quoted in Chapter 2:
Clearly, all planned manoeuvres must be safe
and within the Release to Service; however, some
limits are more hazard than others. In a slow
speed aileron roll, the Harrier will dish out quite
markedly, often throwing it off the crowd line.
Moreover, the pilot must take great care during
Fire Cover. Ensure that fire cover is adequate
and brief the fire crews on your ejection seat and
escape facilities. Otherwise, it is usually best to
take your own fire vehicles to small airfields.
31
Practice emergencies in the simulator whilst flying
the display sequence. Know undercarriage and
engine emergencies intimately as these usually
occur at very low fuel states.
Runway. Emphasise the FOD potential of the
Harrier and insist that the runway is swept. For
grass airfields, ensure that the LDA is sufficient
even when wet, and that a loading test has been
carried out before landing.
Visit the display airfield before the display - if possible read site notes made by previous display
pilots. Check suitability of runways, grass areas,
Mexes etc. Ensure that fire/ambulance cover is
adequate. Confirm that spectator clearances are
correct. Check aircraft guarding arrangements.
Consider the birdstrike hazard on the airfield.
Ensure that a NOTAM has been promulgated for
your display and that the vertical limits are sufficient.
Fuel. Fuel must be of the correct grade, with FSII.
Otherwise provide your own bowser.
ATC. Inspect air traffic facilities or provide your
own mobile ATC - a pilot in the spare ac can
assist by wearing a headset and being on hand
with a set of FRCs . In any event it is worth liasing
with the ATC controller and explaining the foibles
of your display discussing how they can assist
during emergencies such as an undercarriage
problem that requires an inspection.
Practise at least once in the week before the display. Tailor your practice to the shape size/layout
of the display airfield. Fly the display aircraft if
possible.
Briefing. Brief the organiser carefully on the special aspects of the Harrier: its relative shortage
of fuel, the danger from jetblast in the hover, the
requirement for wind and accurate temperature
readouts. All parked gliders and light aircraft must
be kept well away from the parking slot and hovering areas. Helicopters must not be permitted to
operate close to the Harrier as they can blow FOD
into intakes.
On transit to the display airfield remember that
weekend flying is marked by a profusion of gliders
and light aircraft - flying above 5000ft can reduce
this risk. Check the aircraft for perfect serviceability. Do an inverted flight check. Confirm all
JPTL datums are correctly set. Ensure that fuel is
feeding symmetrically.
FLYING THE DISPLAY
The show is not over until you have shut down
and are out of the cockpit with the seat safe!
A Harrier display is demanding on the aircraft
as well as the pilot. The biggest single factor is
the wind. Lack of appreciation of a tightening
crosswind on finals can naturally ruin the display. Temperature is the other big problem in the
Harrier, and it is wise not to place too much trust
in temperature readouts from the tower. A full
water tank is a very useful precaution to employ
against unexpectedly high temperatures; and if
you are flying overseas, remember that many civil
airfields are well over 1000 ft AMSL.
If the worst comes to the worst and there is some
aspect of the display organisation that you don’t
like, but which the organisation won’t change,
don’t fly. Withdraw your aircraft and report to
Group/Command, who should back you all the
way.
CONCLUSION
Displaying the Harrier should be fun, impressive
and absolutely safe. Safety is mainly a matter of
sticking to the rules and applying common sense.
However, the tricks of the trade that have been
described in the preceding paragraphs can save
a would-be display pilot from pumping excessive adrenaline and will ensure that he enjoys a
smooth, trouble free performance when operating
from small, unfamiliar airfields equipped with limited facilities and amateur organisers.
Fly the display as if it were a practice, ignoring
as far as possible the distractions of the crowd.
Post-display euphoria can be particularly hazardous; it looks silly to taxi into a ditch whilst waving
to the applauding masses. The unhappy example
of the Harrier pilot who was inadvertently ejected
after forgetting to safe up his ejection seat after a
display, is the saddest case in point here.
HINTS AND PITFALLS
To complete the picture, the following are a few
extra hints applicable to the Harrier, potential pitfalls and ways to avoid them:
32
ANNEX H TO CHAP 2
THE HAWK
The following notes have been extracted from
the end-of season report submitted by Flt Lt Ian
Wood after the 1992 display season, and make
good reading for all would be aeros pilots.
negative G capability of the aircraft.
The next stage of designing the sequence is like
a 3 dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Make a list of the
manoeuvres that you can fly in the Hawk and pick
about 10 that you wish to use. These are the basic
manoeuvres such as a slow roll or half-cuban.
By the time you have included your link flying
manoeuvres such as derry turns and wing-overs
you will have got about a 6-minute batch of aerobatic material. Six minutes is a good length; it is
the required timing for the Wright Jubilee Trophy
and it is about the right length for your own G tolerance plus Joe Public’s interest retention span
for a singleton Hawk.
INTRODUCTION
I was selected as the Hawk Display Pilot at the
end of the last season and was lucky enough
to fly with the previous display pilot on his final
display of that season. This was of tremendous
benefit. Not only did I witness at first hand the
excitement and precision of flying low level aerobatics but I also saw just how much planning
and preparation goes into every show. The display was overseas at a very difficult site, in poor
weather, with minimal display organisation. It was
a classic lesson in the various pressures that can
be applied to a display pilot operating on his own
a long way from base. I considered this to be an
invaluable step in my preparation for the forthcoming season.
I felt that there were 2 ways of starting the
sequence, either arriving fast and low or from a
standing start; both impressive in their own way.
An experienced display pilot told me that you
shouldn’t go straight into your sequence from
take-off in your first season. With hindsight I think
that was sound advice. It is much more settling to
get airborne, get away from the crowds and get a
measure of the met conditions for the day before
running in. This gives you a slow time opportunity
to do an inverted flight check and triple check the
trivial things that can throw you out of your stride.
I always had a ‘warm-up’ routine, which included
an 8 point roll, an outside turn and a max rate
turn. I then knew that I was not going to black out
for any reason and that my hands and feet were
working at the same speed. I therefore elected,
for my display, to run in fast and low from the
hold.
There are numerous sources available to the
prospective display pilot which can help him
design a sequence that will work: previous end of
season reports; DASC Flying Display Notes; and
the Synchro Pair Finally, by talking to the British
Aerospace Hawk Test Pilots, particularly when
unusual manoeuvres are planned, he can find
out how close he might come to something nasty
happening! I have tried to collate the information
that I found invaluable to produce an account of
how I designed and flew my aerobatic sequence
in the Hawk.
PREPARATION
My final manoeuvre was easily chosen because
I wished to include vertical rolls in the sequence
and if you don’t want to waste valuable time coming back down again, you have to put these at the
end.
Firstly, decide what aspects of the aircraft you
wish to present. Remember that ultimately you are
displaying the aircraft to the public. Although professional pride will dictate that you include something difficult or unusual for the aviation buffs,
most of the punters will be happy to see you flash
past making lots of noise. Because the Hawk is a
relatively quiet aircraft you will probably want to
have full power selected for as long as possible
and control speed with airbrake. The attributes I
tried to highlight were the excellent roll rate, small
turn radius, the high sustained rate of turn and the
There are other manoeuvres that you will probably have your own ideas about how you wish
to present them. In my case I was determined
to include an outside turn which went from one
45° line to the other with the canopy glancing the
230m line crowd-centre. This means that you have
certain pieces of the jigsaw which are immovable.
There are probably other manoeuvres which have
33
similarly fixed positions.
minutes to 6 minutes and 10 seconds. This was
partly due to the reduced turning and looping
radii at low level and partly due to my increased
proficiency the more I practised. Do not despair
if you have difficulty positioning the display at
5000 ft - it becomes easier as altitude decreases.
You will also find that your techniques for flying
the sequence change. You will rely much more on
looking out of the window and less on chasing the
altimeter.
You must now carefully draw to scale your proposed manoeuvres making sure that what you
want to do is feasible in still wind conditions. This
can be done by drawing 3 abutting circles with a
radii of conditions. This can be 1500 ft against a
6000 ft line as shown in Fig 1. This represents the
framework within which you should try and stay
for a good tight show. 6000 ft is the approximate
distance covered during slow rolls and 8-point
rolls, after which you should always aim to be
turning back or pulling up towards crowd-centre. The 45° axis should be used as well in order
to keep the display compact and provide variety. Exploiting a secondary axis in the Hawk is
straight forward because of the accuracy of the
AHRS (Attitude Heading Reference System).
The AHRS is an invaluable aid in the Hawk, particularly at non-airfield display sites. I suggest you
dial into the course window the heading of your
line and use the yellow bug for one of your 45°
axes. If you now select ILS mode and switch the
ILS box off you will get a solid bar, which instantly
tells you where your line is. The yellow bug will
either be at the 12 o’clock position or on the 90°
point when you are working the 45° line. This
accuracy of heading position is invaluable especially when flying something like an outside turn.
Pitch information is also important during the
sequence and you will rapidly acquire a feel for
how it is going on all the vertical manoeuvres relative to pitch angle. During your pre-season workup, calibrate your eyes accurately on exact 45°
cues for 8-point rolls versus the AHRS. I would
strongly suggest that an AHRS unserviceability is
a no-go item unless the weather is very good and
it is an easy display site.
Whilst considering the practicalities of your
manoeuvres you must bear in mind the following
rules:
A loop finish 0.25 mile beyond the pull-up
point.
A Half Cuban Eight will base out 0.5 mile
beyond the pull-up point.
A Half Horizontal Eight will base out 0.5 mile
behind the pull-up point.
Do not plan on any straight and level bits - the
aircraft must be kept moving the whole time.
Gate Heights. How does one define gate heights?
I suggest you use 2 separate gate heights. Have a
minimum height which is that required to recover
from a particular manoeuvre, a ‘never go below’
height. Then set a ‘target’ height which is what
you are actually going to aim for every time. In the
Hawk, to recover by 500 ft you are going to have
a minimum height for your looping manoeuvres
of 3600 ft plus 100 ft for every 10 kts in excess
of 200 kts. You would therefore set yourself a
gate to aim for of 3700 - 3900 ft with the speed
below 200 kts. This feels comfortable and can
be achieved consistently with practice. Be aware
that speed over the top will dramatically alter your
looping radius and could catch you out if you
extend and accelerate for any reason at the apex
of a manoeuvre. At 5000 ft your minima and gates
will be much larger - work out what they are, and
then apply these when you do your first practice
at 1500 ft gradually reduce these during your 1500
ft practices until you have a realistic figure for this
height. When you move down to 1000 ft retain
the same gates and repeat the process of whittling away gradually. Once down to 500 ft you will
Try not to have any fill-in manoeuvres such as
aileron rolls at this stage - you will need these
when the wind is blowing.
The sequence must be balanced. Ensure that
you have an even spread of vertical manoeuvres
crowd-left, right and centre. Vary your rolls to the
left and right and do not have all the flat manoeuvres in one half of the show followed by all the
vertical manoeuvres.
Once you have got your sequence mapped out on
paper you can start flying it at 5000 ft. Initially you
will find it difficult to link the manoeuvres together
and fly them accurately at the same time. You
will probably need regular ‘time out’ in order to
practice individual manoeuvres before stringing
them all together again. You will need to know the
sequence backwards before flying it at low-level.
At 5000 ft, your sequence will take considerably
longer than at low-level. I reduced mine from 7.5
34
slowly arrive at the same gates proven through
experience. It is important that you go through
the process of learning these and proving them
for yourself - only then will you be comfortable in
pulling through every time.
dow and bug the 45 line.
Turn off the radio not in use and deselect guard.
Tuck your shoulder strap ends back under the
harness. During my first outside turn at 500 ft, the
end of the shoulder strap went up under the corner gap in my visor and gave me an instant eye
patch.
Wind. See Chapter 1 for some good advice on
how to deal with wind. I found that you soon
become accustomed to how wind affects your
particular sequence in different ways, particularly when flying slow-speed manoeuvres. Initially
I used to divide the wind into 2 components
- on/off-crowd and crowd-left/right - and then
consider how this would affect each manoeuvre.
Later in the season you will be able to assess the
wind effect automatically if you have flown in a
variety of conditions. The only manoeuvre I found
to be very difficult to control was the slow loop.
At near ballistic speed over the top, this manoeuvre is very susceptible to wind. If the wind was
on-crowd, the pull-up had to be started a long
way off the line and once committed, there was
little flex for bending it. Therefore, if the wind is
more than 25 kts on-crowd, consider discarding the slow loop and go straight into the next
manoeuvre - a wing over. Taking out the wind
during the full show is straightforward because
you are constantly getting a plan view of how
it is going and you can see the line readily. It is
also easier taking the wind out in the vertical. The
problems are more difficult during the rolling and
flat shows particularly with an on crowd wind.
This is because most of the time you are turning
away from the line blind and having to put in ‘a
few bananas’ of wind correction. Once you pitch
back you are committed and can do nothing more
than fly at max performance in order to prevent
flying through the line. This is a potential trap
whilst flying wingovers back onto the line during a
tightening wind. The temptation may be to deepen
the wing-over in order to gain more turning room
- remember there are no specific gates for wingovers so beware this pitfall.
PLANNING
Once you have finalised your full sequence, start
to think about a rolling and flat show. Try to keep
the order of manoeuvres the same so that there
is a logical progression from one display to the
other. There is nothing worse than running in for
a full display and suddenly being told you have to
go rolling for airspace restrictions. You need to be
able to go from one to the other without a complete brain dump. Try and fly some of your vertical
manoeuvres in an oblique manner to cope with
varying cloud bases and to maintain position in
any transition from full to rolling. Thorough preparation will ensure that your first few displays go as
smoothly as possible. Once into the season you
will be able to decide exactly how much you need
to do before. Once you get your list of displays
from Command, you can then start planning. It is
easier to get as much done early on rather than to
suddenly find you are working like a one-armed
paper hanger in the middle of July. Order a set
of site photos from JARIC asking for the same
format as the Red Arrows. Be careful to specify
the LAT/LONG of the display site (you will need to
check with the organisers) At some of the unusual
sites such as Buchan and Boulmer, it may not be
coincident with the radar head or domestic site.
Establish the exact display datum and line with
the organiser and prepare a 50,000 Site Map.
If you are arriving straight into the display from
somewhere else you will need to combine this
with an IF-to-Target run. To sort out your timing
before the season starts, fly at 2000 ft and 360
kts and select full power from a known point on
the ground and measure on a 50,000 map your
own timing marks. This assumes you plan to
arrive as fast as possible. It is easy to accurately
measure your 6000 ft line on the 50,000 and plot
your different axes and headings. You can then
transfer this information to your photograph,
which will be a very good briefing aid. If you have
more than one display during a day you will need
to liaise with the organisers to establish different slot times and try to give yourself as long as
TRAINING
Once you start training at low-level, include the
following extra checks before you start every
practice or display:
Double check the security of the rear seat apron especially the pip pins at the top. I lost one cover
completely in the middle of a display!
Check that both PEC covers are firmly stowed.
Select the ILS off, dial your line into the CSE win-
35
very generous in providing a display flying suit
and a good deal of promotional material eg, stickers, badges, posters and ties. This Sort of support helps tremendously in rounding off the whole
display and giving it a professional finish. RAFSC
ASIs require you to produce a display brief which
you send to Air Show organisers in advance. In
addition to this, you should send information
about yourself and your sequence with suitable
photographs. Obviously, Air Show organisers who
have a display in early May are having their brochures printed a few weeks earlier, so have your
material ready to send out as soon as displays
are allocated. The pre-season DASC symposium
provides an excellent forum for meeting people
involved in running the display season, particularly your desk officer at Command, and for hearing
lectures from people who have done it before. The
provision of mobile telephones to display crews in
RAFSC helped enormously. On numerous occasions the ability to check on last minute details
such as weather and timing proved invaluable.
possible between displays. Plan your route on a
half mil and have a bad weather back-up planned
on a high-level map. I enjoyed transiting at 2000
ft if the weather was good and I was not going
through areas of high civvy intensity. Give glider
sites and minor airfields a wide berth at weekends
and if necessary fly at medium level. I planned to
go everywhere at 360 kts for 2 reasons: firstly,
360 kts gives you good speed-up/down capability to make hard TOTs; secondly, because arriving
at the correct fuel weight is important, you can
adjust fuel weights accurately by using the airbrake. At 360 kts/2000 ft, a clean Hawk uses 15kg
fuel per min whereas with airbrake out, full power
will maintain 360 kts using 30kg per min. If I had a
long transit, then I would take an extra 100 kgs as
flex for the all-too-often delays. This could then
be burnt off once an accurate display time had
been established. The portable telephone was a
great aid in getting a last minute check on timings.
RULES
FLYING THE SEQUENCE
Sequence. Before the beginning of the season, one needs to be aware of the rules covering approval of the display sequence. In PTC
the Stn Cdr has the authority to approve a
display sequence and directly supervise the
work-up of his display pilot. Others may be
subject to GASOs, which require them to have
their sequences approved by their Group. This
can cause delays, so start the process early.
Additionally if something doesn’t work in a
sequence, or looks wrong, it is helpful to be able
to change it at Station level.
Here are the techniques I used for flying individual
manoeuvres during the 1992 display:
Half Horizontal Eight with Push-out to Inverted
Flight
This was a manoeuvre I saw the Mirage 2000
perform the previous year and thought looked
impressive. After some experimentation at 5000
ft, I found it was perfectly feasible in the Hawk.
The difficult thing to quantify was a gate height.
This varied tremendously with speed so it was
particularly important to perform the whole
manoeuvre consistently in order to achieve a
safe and consistent recovery. I pulled up from a
100 ft high-speed pass at idle with the airbrake
selected using +7.5G. This gave an apex of about
4300 ft; the nose was pulled to 60° nose down
and then checked, at the same time selecting airbrake in and full power; my gate height of 3 100
ft arrived very soon with a speed of about 270
kts. The stick was then pushed to the front stop;
initial recovery is good but then slows as the
speed increased to about 380 kts at the inverted
position. The negative G increases to -3.5G, but
I backed off the push with about 100 to go to the
inverted position. This gave me about 300 ft of
flex for the unexpected or slightly different entry
parameters and also allowed me to ‘feel’ the last
bit of the recovery to a nice level inverted attitude.
Psychologically this was the hardest manoeuvre
to bring down to low-level. It was certainly a real
Authorisation. Delegation of authorisation to
display pilots once their AOC has given Public
Display Authority is also helpful. Supervisors
cannot expect to foresee every eventuality that
may occur over a 4-day, 10-sortie period and this
makes blanket authorisation meaningless. If a
number of displays are being flown over a weekend from different airfields, the weather can drastically alter your plans and force you to operate
from bases other than those planned.
ORGANISATION
The early appointment of the display pilot gives
him ample opportunity to sort our his publicity
material. I approached British Aerospace and
asked them if they could produce a brochure
for me. Obviously this sort of thing takes time to
organise and print British Aerospace were also
36
eye-opener for the first time at 500 ft! My pullup point for a good centred recovery was 300m
beyond the end of my 6000 ft line; this was then
adjusted for head/tail wind.
the selected nose-up attitude, which required a
lot of top rudder to hold the nose up due to the
low speed. Minimum height to pull through was
3600 ft + 100 ft for every 10 kts in excess of 200
kts. I therefore elected to have a gate height of
3700 ft to 3900 ft with a speed of less than 200
kts.
Derry Wing-overs
These were always a flexible feast adjusted for
the wind of the day. Nominally flown to 60° nose
up, these were flown flatter with an on-crowd
wind to gain greater displacement from the line,
and steeper with an off-crowd wind. The danger
here is that there is no clearly defined gate height
with this type of oblique manoeuvre. Angle of
bank versus nose-down attitude has to be carefully monitored to ensure a safe pull-out, particularly when pulling hard for the line with a strong
on-crowd wind. The angle off the line (usually 45°)
when pulling up for the wingover is also adjusted
for the left/right wind component. I flew one of
my wingovers as a negative-G manoeuvre with
a push-up instead of pull-up just for variety; the
principles remain exactly the same.
Outside Turn
Coming out of the Half Cuban, speed was controlled with airbrake in order to enter the outside
turn with 330 kts. This meant the stick could be
put on the front stops without overstressing and
gave about -3.25G. It was important to roll in and
select the right AOB in order to make a good level
turn. Minor changes in AOB were then used to
stay level. At low level, I noticed that the altimeter
rapidly unwinds to about 100 ft as you roll in and
push due to pressure error, which can be quite
disconcerting; you have to look out the front and
convince yourself that you are not descending.
The other uncomfortable aspect of the outside
turn was at sites which had tall obstructions atone
end of the line. Even though you knew geographically that you were clear, it was tense turning
towards them unsighted. Inevitably these were
flown with an increased MSD.
Eight-Point Roll
An extremely satisfying exercise when you fly
a good one. You need to ensure that you start
any rolling manoeuvre m the Hawk with the
nose in the right place and also achieve a good
level inverted attitude. Pronounced pushes are
required at the 135° and 225° points in order to
stay straight and stop the nose dropping. A lot
of practice is required to hit 45° on every point
- cross referencing of visual attitude versus the
AHRS ensures accuracy.
Decelerating Half Horizontal Eight
The pull-up for this manoeuvre was flown at idle
and airbrake so that as the aircraft came over the
top undercarriage and full flap could be selected.
This gave a relatively low apex height at approx
3300 ft. The nose was pulled to approx 40° pitch
down and checked briefly, before rolling erect.
This was a difficult roll to fly without dishing out.
The aircraft was then flown towards crowd-centre
with a large correction for the wind of the day in
order to position accurately for the dirty 360° turn.
Max Rate Turn into Derry
Because I had flown the Eight-Point Roll at full
power, I needed airbrake at the entry into the max
rate turn to reduce speed from approx 400 kts
to 350 kts to avoid overstress. Speed could then
be controlled through minor buffet variations.
The max rate turn was let out as required for oncrowd winds. In order to Derry the turn, a positive
unload was required to avoid a big corkscrew in
the smoke. Loaded rolls look very untidy. Again,
nose position was very important prior to entering
the Derry turn. A hesitation Berry at the inverted
position was flown to cater for strong off-crowd
wind.
Dirty 360° Turn
This was entered at 190 kts with full power coming on as I turned away from crowd-centre. It was
flown at 300 ft with gear and full flap down. In
still wind the turn could be flown at +2G and the
speed would sit at the 190kt mark. If this turn was
let out for wind, then care had to be taken not
to exceed the speed or G limits. The positioning
of this turn was critical because it preceded the
slow loop, which had to start in the correct place
for the wind of the day. It was also imperative to
have 190 kts as I rolled out with full power already
established.
Half Cuban Eight
Flown on the 45° line, I pulled to 70° nose-up for
this manoeuvre +10° depending on the on/offcrowd wind component. Airbrake was used briefly
on the pull-up to ensure a speed of less than 200
kts over the top. A hesitation roll was included at
Slow Loop
As I rolled out on the line, I selected the flap up
37
and then gear up, simultaneously pulling up at
200 kts. Care had to be taken not to enter the buffet especially when the flap was travelling those
last few degrees. As the aircraft reached the vertical, I used to unload my pull slightly to ensure I
got my minimum height of 3000 ft over the top.
Wings level had to be carefully maintained on
the AHRS during pull-up. Speed over the top
reduced to around 60-70 kts which resulted in
more of a flop over with the nose pitching through
the horizon quickly. Height loss builds up very
quickly and you must keep the pull on throughout the recovery on the very lightest of buffet.
Entry parameters were critical to achieving my
target height of 3100 ft. If I found I was slightly
slow coming out of the dirty 360°, then flap could
be selected to mid for the last part of the turn in
order to gain a few more kts before pull-up. This
does however increase your turning radius so you
must have a bit of flex before the 230m line. In
emergency, remember that you can always select
mid flap during the recovery from any looping
manoeuvre. You will undoubtedly overstress the
aircraft and have to land, but it may save you from
hitting the ground. Careful planning and attention
to critical heights will avoid either of these eventualities.
and roll onto that. As you pull through you can
use the rudder to bend it back onto the line if you
are slightly out. Gate heights are the same as for
the Half Cuban Eight. If you wish to extend into
wind you can put a roll-off into this manoeuvre.
Beware accelerating and note well the notes on
gate heights.
Slow Roll
I flew the slow roll to the right and from an
inverted to inverted position in order to be unusual. This meant establishing a good inverted
attitude prior to commencing the roll and finding
that same attitude on the exit. As with all my rolling manoeuvres I tried to fly them at the same
cadence and achieve the inverted (or erect in this
case) position at crowd-centre by starting from
the right place. This was obviously adjusted for
crowd-left/right wind. At the end of any rolling
manoeuvre which went down the line and then
into a hard turn, I would throw in a Canadian
Break or roll the long way round into the turn
which ensured the jet was always moving.
The following additional manoeuvres were flown
during the rolling display:
Push-up Half Cuban Eight
Exit speed from the Quarter Clover needed to be
330 kts which was achieved with airbrake. As per
the outside turn, the sticktop could then be put on
the front stop without worrying about overstress.
The push was kept on until 80° nose-up, which
coincided with about 3000 ft. Airbrake was needed again on the push-up to reduce speed to 200
kts. The pull through was as before; once ensured
of capturing 500 ft MSD the pull was slackened to
level at 100 ft MSD.
Vertical Rolls
A +7.5G pull to the vertical from approx 430 kts
meant that vertical rolls could be flown to 10,000
ft. This should ensure that even on a good clear
day you will be out of sight to most people. Use
the AHRS to achieve the vertical and once rolling,
a lot of forward stick is needed to maintain it.
Four-Point Roll
The points to this roll need to be held twice as
long as the eight-point roll in order to cover the
same ground track. This means they come under
longer scrutiny and need a slight fudge factor in
order to look right. Imagine you were flying a fourpoint roll to the left from crowd-left to right. The
first point should be at 85° and the third point at
265°. This makes the aircraft appear in plan form
from the crowd sight line. Full rudder is required
to keep the nose up on the points with a good
push at the inverted position.
Oblique Loop
This was a useful manoeuvre to make maximum
use of the cloudbase on the day. Positioned
crowd-centre, it was very much a case of looking at the clear sky available, and pulling hard to
a point at 90°, holding the same angle of bank,
and varying the pull to suit the wind of the day.
The idea being to glance off the cloud opposite
crowd centre. On a day with a 3500 ft cloudbase,
this would not be far off the vertical; with a 1000
ft cloudbase, it would be not much more than a
max-rate turn. The only problem with the manoeu-
Quarter Clover
The pull-up for this manoeuvre was at 350 kts on
the light buffet checking as soon as the aircraft
hit the vertical, rolling rapidly through 90° and
then straight back into the light buffet. Where the
line was a nice long runway, this was a straight
forward manoeuvre, rolling the runway to the
top of the canopy and then pulling it through the
nose. At other sites, you have to pick a feature
close to the aircraft at 90° once in the vertical,
38
vre is the lack of gate heights. Nose-down attitude must be carefully monitored against height
on the pull out.
up to around 50° was initiated, maintaining the
back pressure as roll was fed in, to be pointing
at crowd-centre 90° off the line. The roll and pull
were then combined to finish close to the line and
once again parallel to it. A good safety check is
at the halfway point as you are pointing at crowd
centre. If the nose is above the horizon, things
are looking good. If the nose is below the horizon
then alarm bells should start to ring; slacken the
pull and keep rolling for the horizon. Once a few
have been flown at low-level you will get a feel for
back-pressure versus pitch.
Barrel Roll
A useful manoeuvre which can be flown with care
in a 1500 ft cloudbase. When practising always
practise for the worst case. The technique I
found best was to position parallel off-crowd by
3000 ft. This was done by flying a max-rate turn
through 180° at the end of a rolling manoeuvre.
Crowd centre was now in the 1.30 position. A pull-
39
ANNEX I TO CHAP 2
THE HEAVIES
If you are a ‘heavy’ display pilot and have given
the preceding chapters of this booklet a miss, you
should turn back to the beginning. Although this
section will inevitably reiterate some of the earlier
points, the content of Chapters 1 and 2 is of paramount importance to you and should also be of
consuming interest.
the turn will be completed in 40 seconds, thus
the diameter equals 2 miles (40 seconds worth
of 180 kts) divided by it, which is 1300 yards. In
the same way as the aerobatic pilot plans out his
sequence on a scale map, so the heavy aircraft
display pilot should plan the turns which link his
sequence.
PRESENTING YOUR AIRCRAFT
GETTING THE FEEL
Clearly, pre-display preparation and a thorough
knowledge of both one’s own and the aircraft’s
capabilities and limitations are fundamental to
any sort of display. However the great difference
between ‘heavy’ and ‘fighter’ displays must inevitably lie in the content. The range of manoeuvre
afforded to large aircraft by Air Staff Instructions
and structural considerations is limited. You must
therefore compensate for any possible loss of
spectacle by detailed planning, skilled presentation, accurate timing, correct positioning, the
imaginative use of lights and pyrotechnics, and
the use of bank to display the lines of the aircraft
and show off the low level handling characteristics. Obviously, therefore, the manner in which
the aircraft is to be presented deserves the most
careful consideration. In Chapter 1, members of
the ‘bloodshot-eyes’ brigade are advised never
to fly their aircraft straight and level during a display. This is impractical for the ‘heavy’ pilot. That
advice must be modified to avoid straight and
level constant-speed fly pasts when possible;
and every opportunity must be taken to pass the
crowd with bank on. Use of large bank angles will
show off the aircraft in plan form to the spectators; slightly less bank may reveal the bomb bay
contents to the crowd.
In the case of all heavy aircraft, you must also
work the aircraft out thoroughly at a sensible
height to know how hard you can pull, how much
is too much buffet, how far the speed can decay
before the wing-over becomes unique, how long
you have to wait before the way you are pointed
becomes the way you are going, and the effect of
various AUWs.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Irrespective of aircraft type, you must practise
each manoeuvre separately until it works right
every time and allows for change of run-in direction. The visibility from the left-hand seat will be a
dominant factor in your display, particularly when
turning right. By the time you can see that you
have misjudged it, it’s usually too late to do much
about it So make sure that you are aware of the
effect of wind, haze layers and the late afternoon
sun. Most important, educate your co-pilot and
make full use of him. When you are confident of
each manoeuvre - with and without undercarriage/bomb doors/etc - put them together. There
aren’t many so it won’t take long, but remember
that a smooth and speedy transition is necessary
if you want to keep the display crisp and near the
datum.
BASIC PLANNING
FINE TUNING
Basic planning must be done for the ‘heavies’ (as
for the fighter pilot) on the drawing board. You
must know the diameter of your turns. Fast jets
maths is complicated, so do it this way: a Rate 1
turn completes 360° in 2 minutes. The circumference of a turn is expressed as it x diameter. Thus
at 180 knots the circumference equals 6 miles
= it x d. The diameter of the turn can be found
by rearranging the equation thus: diameter = 6
divided by it, which equals 1.9 miles. At Rate 3,
Naturally you will have practised your manoeuvres
at height before presenting the sequence to your
executives. You must always have the same mentor watch and debrief your show, you should then
get a consistent standard of criticism. Remember
that the aim of display flying is to impress the
public - which in general is often highly entertained by some of the more basic aural and visual
assaults on their senses, and upon whom the
40
organisers to avoid further delays. Your limited
speed range means that the size and orientation
of the holding pattern must be carefully planned
to enable you to lose or gain time. Most air shows
have laid-down holding points to which aircraft
are allocated by broad category, ie all the ‘heavies’ together. However, if you would rather use a
different holding point - or vary from defined patterns or heights - ask the organisers. Most are
amenable to necessary change. In any event, be
sure to select some track features between the
‘hold’ and the display to ensure that you arrive on
the right line and pointing in the right direction.
finer (and often more demanding) points of flying and airmanship are lost. If you have clearance
to use them, pyrotechnics and searchlights may
indeed arrest the consumption of ice-cream. For
example, landing lights can be turned on with the
undercarriage down; the Nimrod searchlight can
be switched on and the night illumination flasher
selected with the bomb doors open; taxi lights
can also be used effectively throughout a display.
You will find that the use of large bank angles
does make accurate height keeping a little more
difficult. Variations in height during prolonged
turns look bad, particularly with the aircraft in full
plan form. However, since the crowd cannot judge
aircraft height very accurately, you can compromise and make the whole sequence look tidy by
adjusting height when turning away or towards
the crowd, and accepting whatever height you
have when in full plan form view of the spectators (provided you are at or above your MSD).
Accurate positioning in front of the crowd is
probably the one most important point, it is very
easy to find one-self drifting away. A crosswind
coupled with a continuously reducing radius of
turn compounds the problem, but there is no substitute for practice in coping with the various wind
effects. Pilots must practise in both on-crowd and
off-crowd winds- on any one day the display can
be practised in both wind conditions simply by
having an observation point at either side of the
main runway.
Naturally you must know precisely how long your
display lasts, you must establish markers during
the sequence to keep you informed of any variations and use your crew to monitor adherence to
the schedule. It also helps to know the duration of
individual manoeuvres; thus, if half way through
your show the display controller tells you that the
Blundertwits will be on stage 45 seconds early,
you will perhaps be able to miss out one manoeuvre and still make an orderly departure.
It goes without saying that slower speeds tend
to increase the effect of any wind, and it is only
too easy to exceed ‘g’ or angle of bank limitations
in an attempt to rescue a poorly planned turn.
Practice and more practice is the ultimate solution, but prior attention to the wind strength can
make life easier. The use of landmarks may be
counter-productive for the fast jet display pilot,
but ground features can be very useful when displaying a heavy aeroplane. When you practise
around your own airfield, take note of the features under your turn-in/pull-up/procedure turn.
When you are back on the ground, get hold of
the 1:50000 map and measure these points as a
range and bearing from the display datum. Then
when you are displaying at Little Snoring, you can
get the local 1:50000, mark on the crowd datum,
measure off the same range and bearing, and
look for a likely feature. You will often find features that will be of use, but of course you must
allow for wind rather than place blind faith in a
still-air plan. Moreover, it is worthwhile ensuring
whenever possible that you get a visual reconnaissance of the topography surrounding the airfield or site at which you are to display. A display
rehearsal offers the best value, a long hard look
from circuit height is a poor second best, but be
very wary indeed of accepting display commitments at completely unknown sites.
TIMING
Accurate timing of course is important for the
smooth progress of the whole show, but to arrive
at the threshold bang on time adds that professional touch. When you only have a speed range
of 130 kts to 250 kts within which to make ETA
adjustments, it is useful to plan a route from the
holding point to the display datum that allows
corners to be cut or legs to be extended. Then
with sensible use of the aircraft navigation system, combined with speed adjustment in the later
stages of the run in, display times can he made to
within 2 or 3 seconds.
Notwithstanding the structures of the programme,
it is an exceptional show that runs absolutely
on time throughout. When changes take place,
the aircraft with the most fuel (the heavies) are
inevitably the ones that are asked to hold off and
accept the longest delays. Your subsequent arrival precisely on the revised time should not only be
a matter of personal pride, but will also assist the
41
CREW CO-ORDINATION
over-stressed because of this as well as turbulence on windy days.
Displaying a large aeroplane requires as much
team work as operating the aeroplane in its tactical role. It is therefore important that the pilot
practises and flies on displays with the same
crew. As your own confidence grows, be sure to
instil the same feeling in them. This is not what
most AEOs and navigators had in mind when they
joined, and they are not sitting in the comforting
Martin-Baker embrace. Each crew brief must be
confident and comprehensive and detail exactly
what is expected of the members. If your aircraft
has no look-out stations, positioning assistance
cannot be expected from anyone other than the
co-pilot. However, in aircraft that have astrodome/beam windows/nose/tail look-out stations,
the crew can provide the pilot with invaluable
clues as to how a turn onto the datum is going.
Further-more, in the crowded air traffic environment of most air displays, the look-outs may be
of considerable use in calling the position of other
aircraft. However, beware too much chatter on the
intercom, which is not only distracting but could
cause you to miss a vital call.
OVER COMMITMENT
Finally, you must consider in advance - and honestly - whether what is being asked of you is
not going to stretch you just a little too much. A
straight forward display, taking off and landing
at the mounting base is fine, but look carefully at
those Bank Holiday tours. You may be asked to
perform two, three or more times in one sortie.
That could make it a three hour job, with the air
traffic complications, timing problems, varying
display environments, and an aircraft (to begin
with at least) much heavier and less forgiving than
you would prefer. Don’t succumb to the temptation to make do with a bit less fuel so that you
can enter the first display at a more acceptable
weight. Equally, if the aircraft is heavy, don’t fly
just below the ‘g’ limit - buffet or turbulence can
quickly take you over it. In fact, it makes sound
sense for you to have a separate sequence ready
for a heavy aircraft display. You must plan these
multi-show days extra carefully, eliminate the
surprises, and if you have doubts, express them
clearly in good time. Better to reduce the commitment than increase the risk.
POOR WEATHER
Having a separate bad weather show up your
sleeve is less important to a ‘heavies’ man than
to a fighter pilot. The majority of your manoeuvres
will be fairly flat at any rate; thus with few adjustments the same show can be done equally well
with a 1200 ft cloudbase as with 2500 ft. However,
you must bear in mind the potential dangers of
goldfish-bowl/no-horizon weather. In such conditions you must increase the height of your turns
by 100-250 ft or more. The weather parameters
for the good weather/bad weather display formats
are largely a matter of judgement for the display
pilot and therefore have to be decided beforehand. Quite contrary to their normal practice, Met
men at display airfields often tend to be optimists.
They, like the organisers, want the display to be
a success. Moreover, in marginal weather conditions, reported cloud bases and visibilities can be
the best, not the worst. On the other hand, when
displaying on a hot summer’s day in a flat calm
you may experience trouble in flying into your
own slipstream. Aircraft have been slightly
If you have done all these things, then the show
itself should be almost a formality. You know what
you can do, you know what you intend to do, and
you have practised dealing with the unexpected.
Now practise humility. Do only that which is within
your training, briefing and authorisation. Ignore
with a distant smile the Mephistophelian characters, always present at those displays far from
home, who will assure you that nobody else will
bother with the height and proximity minima, that
there are no FAA observers on the island, that last
year’s Shackleton/Nimrod/’VCl0 stole the show
with a vertical roll. If it turns out that they suddenly want 10 minutes rather than 7, don’t come
up with some-thing new at this stage. At best,
somebody will write to the AOC with a photograph and graphic description of your brilliance.
At worst, the Board of Inquiry will enter its own
commentary. Playing to the crowd is unrewarding,
unprofessional and unacceptable.
42
ANNEX J TO CHAP 2
HELICOPTERS
By Flt Lt P Lees, 1992 and 1993 Wessex Display
Pilot.
for instance, but you can hover, fly backwards,
etc. It is worth thinking about who you are trying
to impress. Most of the people who will watch
your display will be lay public and very easily
impressed by even very simple manoeuvres, so
don’t push it to the limits.
INTRODUCTION
Helicopter displays before the public range from
the ‘simple’ role demo to a full scale display at IAT
or the like. Nevertheless, each must be planned
with care and attention. Many of the back-ground
factors relating to planning, preparation, practice,
PR and other pressures described in previous
pages of this booklet are relevant to helicopter
displays. The following notes should be used as a
guide to preparing for your display/role demo and
are aimed at all helicopter types. Displays and
role demos are considered separately.
APPROVAL BY HIGHER AUTHORITY
The first approval from above will probably come
in signal form allowing you to practise your
new sequence. Be mindful of any caveats that
may have been imposed. If ‘the big man’ has
questioned a particular manoeuvre, it is worth
rechecking that it is possible or sensible to fly it. If
you still believe it to be safe, fine.
DISPLAYS
PRACTICE
As the build up to the display season begins several weeks or months prior to the first display let’s
start at the beginning and progress from there.
After initial selection of your routine, the most
important factor is practice, and then more practice! Start gently though. Think about your entry
heights and speeds again, set absolute limits
for yourself AND NEVER BE TEMPTED TO GO
BELOW THEM. Start your practices at a safe
height, say 1000 ft - 1500 ft, so that any wrinkles
can be identified and ironed out, and you can become fully conversant with the routine. Once you
are happy at this height go down lower as soon
as possible. High energy, low altitude helicopter
flying is heavily reliant upon visual clues. These
clues are not available at height and most flight
instruments are not responsive enough to compensate, so get lower as soon as cleared.
SELECTION OF PILOT AND CREW
As a conscientious would-be display pilot you
can’t do much about this phase except volunteer
for the job. Before putting yourself forward ensure
that you know what you are letting yourself in for
- many days away from base, lots of paperwork,
extra days at work etc... If this all appeals, then
volunteer and good luck.
SELECTION OF THE ROUTINE
So you have been chosen to display your aircraft
this year. The choice of routine is your opportunity to stamp your individual mark on the season,
but how? You may have seen previous shows
and been impressed (or disappointed) with some
aspects of them. Think about how the display
flowed, what would you change? Is the aircraft
capable of more? If possible, talk to last year’s
pilot and discover what he would have changed.
By repeating the process a few times you will
soon be down towards your legal base height and this can be as low as 50 ft for some parts of
the display. Remember a couple of things about
flying this low. One, there is very little room to
play with if things go wrong, and two, if you fly
very low and close to a large crowd only the front
few rows will see you! Perhaps a more realistic
compromise is 100 ft.
At this stage, you will not be authorised to practise the full sequence so you will have to imagine how one manoeuvre will blend with another.
Remember that you are flying a helicopter you will
never be able to out-aerobat a Hawk or Tucano
As you get more confident at this height, start
to introduce variables. These include poorer met
conditions, using different display line orientations, etc. You should aim to fly a few times, at
least, in weather conditions as close as possible
43
to your legal minima so that poor weather will not
come as a surprise. Vary the wind velocity angles
by changing runways, this also prevents you relying on fixed visual markers unique to your base. If
you are planned to display over the coast or open
grass areas try to practice in similar locations.
You are aiming to reach a situation where whatever happens on your first display, you will have
seen something like it before.
pital landing sites marked - just in case!
Whatever else, confirm exactly what the organisers want from you. It has been known for a helicopter crew to be requested to fly a VIP before
the start of the show to allow him to view the
scene from the air. Don’t be pressurised into performing these tasks on the spur of the moment - if
you don’t want to do it due to fuel, authorizations,
weather, or just that it is too adjacent to your slot
time -DON’T DO IT.
PRE-DISPLAY PLANNING
OK, so now you are the fully checked out,
approved and qualified display pilot. What next?
After practice, the biggest part of your preparation will be paperwork. Every show that you
attend will require information. This ranges from
planned arrival time, display length, accommodation requirements, fuel requirements, departure
details, personal details about you and your crew,
facts and figures about the aircraft and its role
and a myriad of other items. Each set of organisers has a different questionnaire format and the
list seems endless. A good idea is to produce
your own fact sheets covering yourself, the display, the aircraft and its role.
Finally, if you can plan to arrive the day before, do
so. This is advantageous for several reasons. You
get to see the display area and are able to think
about your display orientation, you can iron out
any minor problems with organisers and, last but
not least, you actually get there. Nothing is more
frustrating than having a CAVOK met report from
the show venue when you have 8/8 clag at base,
or have to negotiate an active front en route, etc.
Plan ahead and try to get there early.
THE BIG DAY
Here you are then, well rested, relaxed and fully
prepared for your first ‘live’ display. What is there
left to do? Probably not a great deal if you have
planned ahead correctly, but even the tiniest task
will take on mammoth proportions in your highly
aroused state. So here are a few tips.
Ensure that when you write to the organisers you
brief them fully on rotor downdraught, otherwise
you could end up parked close to a light aircraft,
unable to lift-off and show the world your wellrehearsed display. If your helicopter can ground
taxi, say so, adding any restrictions you may have.
Ensure you get to the briefing on time. If you are
too early you can always grab a coffee and wait; if
you are late you will miss something. Listen carefully to all the brief- has your slot time changed
and become unworkable? If you need 20 minutes
to get airborne after starting rotors check that no
one has slipped a parachuting display into this
period. Check the wind and work out how it will
affect your sequence. Confirm that ATC frequencies have not changed - sometimes the published
frequencies for a station are altered for the duration of the flying programme. It sounds ludicrous
but it has happened.
Several organisers may ask whether you are SAR
capable in the event of a major disaster on the
day. Only you can answer that, but if you have a
stripped down machine and no crew then the
answer is probably ‘no’. If you are not SAR capable say so now, or else you could find yourself
planned as an integral part of the disaster plan.
It is worth remembering that if you are at a large
show, and maybe a mile or so from your helicopter when an accident happens, you will be next
to useless anyway. It is better to say no and be
a possible bonus should circumstances permit,
than vice a versa.
Once you are satisfied, fully brief your support
personnel. Check that they know what time to
arrive at the aircraft, again give yourself plenty of
time. Don’t get in a situation where you have to
rush checks and risk missing something.
Plan your maps carefully - most helicopters are
not capable of flying above, or through, a summer weather front with associated thunderstorms.
Make sure you know where you can get fuel at
weekends should you need it. This may sound
obvious, but it is better to be prepared than
embarrassed. Even if you are not a declared SAR
asset, it is worth having local area maps with hos-
As your flying time approaches, re-check all the
details. Some of the larger shows, IAT for example, have several hours of flying planned and
things can change during the day.
44
OK, so you’ve done all the pre-flight, got airborne
and are now ‘off and running’. It is not unknown
for things to change even at this stage so be
ready for it. Analyse the ‘real’ wind now you are
flying, look at the crowd line and display line and
plan to fly just as you have practised. DO NOT
get tempted to modify your display dramatically
to adapt to local conditions or inputs, and if you
are not happy, land. At worst, no one will know
whether you really did or didn’t have a minor
problem, but everyone will know if you press on
and muck it up.
ROLE DEMOS
The helicopter has unique handling qualities that
invite it to be used as a PR vehicle for the RAF at
small fetes and shows throughout the summer.
These are not full-blown displays, but role demos.
Rules concerning role demos are often, deliberately, less strict than those for displays, thus
several different types of event can be supported,
with the operating crew being relied upon to use
common sense and flexibility.
Many of the points raised in the display section are pertinent here too. However, there is no
format, approved sequence, practices are not
always required and a special pilot/crew is not
always employed. Despite all this do not be led
into a false sense of security.
Finally, you have flown your sequence to perfection and the crowd loved it and you are feeling
great. Don’t relax. Someone else is just starting his run-in and wants you out of the way. Fly
your planned departure and be on the lookout for
things that have moved since you got airborne.
Accidents can, and have happened whilst helicopters are taxiing. Once you have shut down you
can relax.
Many role demos are organised on a small scale,
often by a local charity, and occasionally little or
no aviation knowledge is present. Venues can be
far too small, surrounded by vertical obstructions
and totally unsuitable. It is not uncommon for
there to be no RT comms available and the helicopter is the only thing flying. The organisers will
be incredibly keen, and very persuasive, that you
show up to ‘do something’. Resist the temptations
to compromise the rules and your safety in an
attempt to please those on the ground.
DEPARTURE
On leaving the show site do not be tempted to do
anything silly - I know YOU wouldn’t, but others
have! Leave sensibly, get back to base and tell
the Boss how great it all was and how much you
are looking forward to the next one.
FINAL POINTS
If you are going to perform a SAR demo make
sure the ‘survivor’ is well briefed, his kit tested
and the dinghy will inflate. Remember the possible falseness of the scenario if you are over a
field, or the potential risks if you have a man in the
sea at a coastal show. Try to keep it interesting,
the tiny blob that is a helicopter several hundred
yards away will not keep people’s attention for
long. The best way to demonstrate SAR capability
is for real - over a boat or near a cliff. Often this
is impossible, so do not get too tied down with
authenticity.
Be prepared for organisers to throw a couple of
fast balls. To you it is another show, to them it
is one of the highlights of the year, perhaps with
much prestige at stake. Some fast ball examples
are: requests that you fly an altered sequence
in weather below your minima, that you extend/
shorten your routine by a couple of minutes, let
VIPs and/or the public look around your helicopter, put on a mini show the next day, etc. If you
don’t have a formal, approved poor weather show,
don’t fly an impromptu one. (Better to plan one
in January to cater for the British summer!) Other
requests maybe possible but could compromise
your schedule. Before you fly, do not allow yourself to be distracted by a ‘special favour’ to the
Stn Cdr. Either suggest an alternative time or
politely decline.
Similarly for SH demos. The natural SH environment is moving fast at low level, trying not to be
seen. Try to identify a method of portraying this
role, but let the crowd see you. If you decide to
use an under-slung load, check it is correctly
rigged. Also check that there are safe approach
and departure lanes.
Lastly, if, despite all this, you do not enjoy yourself quit. Display flying should not become a
chore for that is when it gets dangerous.
If you intend parking the helicopter at the event
for any length of time, ensure that it is properly
guarded. The public has an uncanny knack of
being able to remove bits as souvenirs, or of acci-
45
dentally breaking essential components, so only
let them near your aircraft under close supervision.
Finally, just as for display flying, if you don’t like
the way things are going, stop. It could save some
very red faces later.
46
ANNEX K TO CHAP 2
THE TYPHOON
Sqn Ldr Matt Elliott provided these notes from his
experiences of the RAF’s first years of displaying
the Typhoon.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17a.
17b.
These notes are written to try and pass on some
of my experience having displayed the Typhoon
for 2 very enjoyable seasons (2005 & 2006), but
they must be taken in some context. My first season was limited to displaying 2 seat ac only, and
during my second season I could not guarantee
getting my hands on a single seat ac every weekend; therefore all my gate heights and assumptions are based on the lowest common denominator – the two stick tub. Along with this, both
seasons were flown with FCS Phase 3 software,
which is/was some way short of the ultimate ac
performance. If you are lucky enough to guarantee a single seat ac with FCS Phase 4 software
(or whatever the future holds), then your display
may well include more dynamic manoeuvres than
these.
The display used approximately 2,400 kgs of
fuel from a display venue take-off, less if starting
from an airborne arrival. Thus at some venues
I was able to take-off with only 4,000 kgs total
fuel, making the initial loop that much tighter (and
easier!). The display could also be flown with a
centre line fuel tank fitted, as long as the tank
was empty prior to starting the display – useful
for displays that you either can’t, or don’t want, to
land at (or close by).
The mechanics of the manoeuvres that worked for
me are as follows:
My premise on putting the display sequences
together was that someone could stand at display
centre and see the ac at all times whilst having to
move his or her head as little as possible, and so
I tried to keep the routine as tight as possible (by
staying slow enough to be ∙ limited rather than g
limited most of the time), and also making use of
the 45° axis as seen from crowd centre. The jet is
also fantastically loud in full reheat, so comparisons of full power noise and idle power silence
can be used to good effect.
Loop from Take-Off: During my first season I flew
this from a rotate speed of 125kts, and then nursed
the tub into the vertical trying desperately to avoid
an ALSR engagement (not always successfully!).
The trouble with this technique was that at relatively hot and high (for the UK) airfields the performance of the tub was barely sufficient. A much
more satisfactory technique (even in a single seat
ac) is to keep the ac on the ground until 160kts
and then rotate – no one will notice that you have
‘cheated’ slightly to gain some more energy. The
rotate can be flown with Full Back Stick (FBS) as
the FCS will limit the ac performance with the gear
down. As the gear travels ease back the stick to
capture 15 ∙ and hold this until you are through the
vertical by at least 30° - you should be at 230kts
through the vertical, but don’t accept any less
than 200kts as this will inevitably lead to an ALSR
engagement (at FCS Phase 3). The ∙ control is the
critical path, any more and you will not accelerate
in the initial climb. Once through the vertical and
with the knowledge that you either have already, or
are going to, capture your gate height and speed
you can back stick the ac to perform a tight(ish)
loop that you can easily recover by the base
height. My personal gates for looping manoeuvres
were height greater than 3,200’ and speed less
than 250kts at the apex.
2006 Display Sequence
1a.
1b.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Canadian break from inverted into 270°
flat turn.
Derry turn towards crowd centre
Square Loop.
60° Off-Crowd VV reversal.
Hi Speed pass into Vertical departure.
Hi speed pass into Reverse break to land.
Take-Off into loop.
100’ Arrival (430kts) into loop.
45° Off-Crowd VV reversal.
100’ 450kt pass.
90° Off-Crowd idle VV reversal.
Slow Speed ‘arc’ from 45° on-crowd to 45°
off-crowd (110kts, 500’).
1⁄2 Cuban 45° off-crowd.
Oblique Loop.
1⁄4 Clover into Pirouette.
Loop towards crowd centre.
Min radius level 360° turn.
45° off-Crowd VV reversal.
Inverted 4 point roll.
47
If you have to capture a 230m display line that is
offset from the runway, then kick 10° towards the
display line once above 50’ and roll 10° towards
the display line once in the vertical. This should
get you laterally displaced from the runway and
parallel to it once you are at the apex of the loop.
This method is also useful for strong on-crowd
cross wind components.
Slow Speed Arc: Decelerate the ac on-crowd
from the previous manoeuvre to 120kts pointing
at crowd centre. Below 150kts the ∙ will quickly
build to max available at idle power, so anticipate
this to catch 120kts (holding FBS) with power. I
held this at 800’ on-crowd, using the power to
stop any sink rate, with the intention being that
the crowd saw the ac planform from below almost
‘hovering’ towards them. Before you bust the
230m line (easy with an on-crowd wind and limited manoeuvre capability at this attitude) turn
through 90° at crowd centre to depart on the
opposite 45° axis.
100’ Arrival into Loop: Much easier, but doesn’t
look anyway near as impressive! Arrive at the
datum at 100’ and 430kts, use FBS and ensure
that you capture your gates. Continue the FBS
pull until the ac is pitching up through the 40°
nose down attitude, only then be tempted to ease
the pull to level off at a base height if you have
height to spare (the same can be said of all the
looping manoeuvres).
1⁄2 Cuban: Entered from the end of the slow
speed arc. Select full reheat, and as it bites pull
using FBS to 70° nose-up. The ac stabilized at
170kts on the way up from my normal entry speed
and weight. At 1500’ roll inverted – the technique
I used was to start the roll and almost immediately push to full forward stick as the ac started
to move. Capture 60° nose-up once inverted, and
at a minimum of 2500’ pull FBS. Ensure that the
gates are met at the apex and then continue to
pull through.
45° Off-Crowd VV Reversal: Outbound on the 45°
axis, pitch the ac using FBS to 45° nose-up and
then initiate full roll control in the opposite direction to your intended turn whilst holding FBS and
full power for 270° of roll – essentially a Derry
Turn. At FCS Phase 3 the ac rolls around its
velocity vector during the manoeuvre; this is more
pronounced at slower speeds, ideally 250kts. The
manoeuvre can be flown at up to 400kts, but is
nowhere near as tight a turn. The pitch can be
started below 500’ (I used a limit of 300’) so long
as the ac is above 500’ prior to rolling through 90°
of attitude.
Oblique Loop: Entered at 300kts, use full reheat
throughout manoeuvre. Roll to 45° off-crowd and
simultaneously pitch to 30° nose-up. Ensure you
are parallel to the crowd line at the apex (approx
1,500’) with the nose coming down through the
horizon; capture no more than 25° nose-down to
complete the manoeuvre.
100’ High Speed Pass: Nothing much to say,
other than that you don’t need to be at max speed
by the start of the crowd line. Keep the ac tight
to the crowd and accelerate down the line – the
crowd can then see the ac accelerate and get an
idea of it’s performance.
1⁄4 Clover into Pirouette: Pitch up at 350kts
using FBS and full reheat into the vertical, and
roll 90°away from the crowd at 1500’ to place the
underside of the ac towards the crowd. Pitch
back (relatively gently) to be inverted at 4000’ flying perpendicular to the crowd line – select idle
power when required to be at 250kts when level.
Roll the ac to 90° of bank towards crowd centre
and ‘arc’ through 90° of turn to end up displaced
from crowd centre by 4000’ and parallel to the
display line, at less than 250kts (ideally 200kts)
and a height of 4000’. Simultaneously apply
FBS and full rudder towards crowd centre at idle
power, and maintain this until the ac is pointing
vertically down and parallel to the crowd in the
opposite direction to that at which you started.
Roll to place the lift vector towards crowd centre
and at your gate (mine was 2500’ minimum and a
maximum of 250kts) pull FBS whilst selecting full
reheat.
90° Off-Crowd VV Reversal: After my attempt at
using an on-crowd idle barrel roll to slow in to
the slow speed pass in my first season backfired
somewhat at RIAT, I used this much simpler (and
safer!) technique during my second season. At
the end of the high speed pass, aim to have at
least 450kts at the end of the crowd line. Select
idle power and max perform the ac to 90° offcrowd, then immediately perform a VV Reversal/
Derry maintaining idle power to point back at
crowd centre. This will then leave you at about
180kts and 45° displaced from crowd centre, the
entry parameters for the slow speed arc. If you
enter the manoeuvre at less than 450kts, you may
need power during the later half of the reversal to
avoid an ALSR excursion.
Loop towards Crowd: Watch any on-crowd wind
48
component – it’s easy to get caught out! Pitch
into the loop from the B-axis with minimum of
250kts, using a maximum of 18∙. If above approximately 330kts then FBS can be used throughout,
the gates remaining as before. To break the oncrowd vector on exiting the loop, I rolled through
90° and used full in-to-turn rudder as well as FBS
to ‘skid’ the ac away from the crowd line whilst
still nose down.
RtS times for inverted flight as published. When
2500’ displaced from crowd centre on the other
side than that from which you started, select idle
power and pull FBS until 90° nose-down pointing
at the 230m line. Hold this attitude until reaching
either 2500’ or 250kts, then select full reheat and
FBS to level out pointing back along the display
line. Again, this gate is generous for a single seat
ac but will work for the tub as well.
Min Radius Turn: Use FBS and full reheat to stabilise at 230kts and 300’. Don’t select reheat until
sub 270kts if entering from a faster speed as the
ac will take some time (and most of the turn) to
decelerate, and so will not be a MIN radius turn!
To compensate for on or off crowd winds during the manoeuvre, roll 5° towards or away from
the crowd whilst in the vertical, or track wing low
whilst inverted. Remember that roll stick inputs
have to be ‘reversed’ to get the same effect whilst
inverted to that given in level flight – it can feel
very odd to input roll towards the crowd to then
track away.
4-Point Roll from Inverted: Aim to get lined-up
with the display axis early, with a minimum of
300kts but ideally 350kts; hold this speed with
use of the autothrottle. Roll inverted prior to
the start of the display line, then bunt from the
inverted to 4° climb followed by rolling to 90°
attitude whilst simultaneously feeding in full rudder control. The FCS will not hold the nose up
on the knife-edge, hence the initial bunt, nor will
it enable the ac to track in a straight line without
bunting whilst holding the 90° attitude. Once the
nose has dropped to the horizon roll upright, followed by a pitch to 4° climb before the second
knife-edge. Roll out inverted and Canadian break
from this attitude through 270° to track away from
the crowd line.
Vertical Departure: Roll through 360° whilst in the
vertical to show the impressive roll rate of the ac.
Pick a feature first (sun, cloud) to enable the roll
to stop crisply back at the start heading else you
will get disorientated.
Avionic Set-Up: Have the HSI on the PA format
with the HSI Course Marker orientated to the display axis and the Heading Marker on the B-axis
outbound heading. Relate this to crowd centre by
using Steer Hold on a nav point entered at crowd
centre. I also had the fuel page permanently on
the left MHDD, as 5000kgs of fuel can disappear
very quickly!
Derry Turn Towards Crowd Centre: Position the
ac pointing towards crowd centre on the B-axis
at 300’ with at least 4000’ lateral spacing from
the 230m line on a calm wind day. Pitch up to 50°
nose-up (or more if you need to stop any unwanted closure with the display line) and perform a
VV Roll through 270°. End the manoeuvre by
descending back to 300’ along the display line. If
in doubt, use more lateral spacing at the start as
any on-crowd wind will exacerbate your problem
with closure to the line – I bust my line enough
times to learn the lesson!
Good luck, and ENJOY yourself!
Square Loop: Arrive 2500’ displaced from crowd
centre along the display axis at 350kts and 300’,
pitch using FBS and full reheat to the vertical and
hold this attitude until 3000’. At 3000’ select idle
power and pull using FBS to the inverted to track
back along the display line at 4000’. Catch the
speed at 200kts with dry power; you may get a
FUEL LOW caption/audio warning at this point as
the fuel computers cannot calculate fuel usage at
differing power settings whilst inverted – trust the
49
50
ANNEX L TO CHAP 2
THE SPITFIRE AND HURRICANE
THE BBMF SPITFIRE and HURRICANE
LIMITED FLYING HOURS
Provided by Sqn Ldr Clive Rowley OC BBMF, 2004
Accurate and detailed planning is essential
to the successful completion of displays and
flypasts. BBMF fighter pilots work in a singleseat cockpit with no modern navigation aids; they
have to transit VFR below cloud or in sight of the
surface (this is an engine failure / forced landing
consideration and the aircraft do not have an
IFR clearance) and they often arrive at a venue in
close formation. Sometimes the first opportunity
that a pilot gets to orientate themselves with
the display line and datum is as they break out
of close formation with only 30 seconds and
a positioning turn to get their bearings before
commencing their individual display. Although the
pilot may be expecting to be a formation wingman
and to be led to the display venues, aircraft
unserviceabilities may result in him becoming the
leader or going as a singleton. Thorough planning
is therefore, self evidently, a very necessary
requirement. In addition, BBMF sorties frequently
involve multiple tasking, perhaps 2 full displays
and several flypasts at different venues utilising
the full fuel capacity and range of the aircraft. A
BBMF fighter pilot’s pre-flight planning, therefore,
typically takes up to 4 hours for every BBMF sortie
and, of course, this has to be done in the pilot’s
own time to fit around his primary duties. On
occasions the full details of display venues and
timings are not provided to the Flight in adequate
time to ease this pre-flight planning burden,
despite the best efforts of the BBMF Ops staff.
This is an area where display organisers can either
make the lives of the BBMF aircrew much easier
or alternatively more stressful.
One of the principal factors governing BBMF flying
operations is the seasonal limit on flying hours,
intended to ensure the long-term preservation of
these historic aircraft. In practice this does not
present a problem, merely a challenge, but one
that is not always fully appreciated by those who
do not have to work within it. Each display season
is planned jointly by the Participation Committee
and the BBMF to wring the maximum possible
benefit from every hour in the air. Each sortie
will be planned to appear over as many venues
as possible and sortie durations of over 2 hours
with 5 or 6 mixed displays and flypasts are not
uncommon. Excessive use of flying time due to
The lucky few pilots who are permitted to
display the ‘Fighters’ of the BBMF are extremely
privileged, after all most pilots dream of having
the opportunity to fly a Spitfire or Hurricane.
BBMF flying is sometimes exciting and often
rewarding; it is also just plain old-fashioned
fun! However, this ‘dream come true’ can also
be very challenging, occasionally even nerve
racking and, like all display flying, could be
potentially hazardous. The BBMF ‘Fighter’
display sequence is intended to allow the public
to see and hear these rare aircraft in flight, not
to demonstrate the aircraft’s full capabilities
or the pilot’s skill. In addition, the BBMF is
dedicated to the long-term preservation of these
historic aircraft and therefore operates them
with power settings and g limits much reduced
from the original design limits. The BBMF
‘Fighter’ display sequence is therefore very
simple and quite short. It consists of a series of
linked wingovers, steep turns and low passes
to the minimum cleared height of 100 feet. The
only truly aerobatic manoeuvres are the ‘derry
wingovers’ and the final climbing aileron or
‘victory’ roll. The sequence can be flown either
as a singleton or, with only minor amendments,
as a ‘synchro pair’. All manoeuvres are flown
using between +1 and +3g (+4g never-exceed for
Spitfires only). The simple display sequence has
the advantage that it can easily be flown left or
right handed, it requires no alteration to fit into
the 3-ship (Lancaster, Hurricane, Spitfire) display
and can also be flown as a ‘synchro’ display if
required.
The following notes do not attempt to detail
Spitfire or Hurricane flying techniques nor how
to fly the BBMF ‘Fighter’ display as these skills
are taught to new BBMF fighter pilots during
their conversion and display work-up. However,
some of the specific problems involved in
displaying these historic, single-engine aircraft
are described below. An understanding of these
points could be useful to other display aircrew
and air show organisers and this, in turn, may be
helpful to the BBMF.
51
‘slack’ planning by the aircrew, e.g. over-generous
holding time or unnecessary navigational detours,
is actively discouraged. With all this effort to
minimise the wastage of flying hours and to
maximise their value, requests to hold-off at air
shows or to prolong airborne time unnecessarily
may meet with little sympathy from the BBMF
crews unless there are very good reasons. This
is not personal nor is it ‘bloody mindedness’ and
any assistance that can be provided by organisers
or other display aircrew to avoid wasting valuable
flying hours will be much appreciated. The
‘bottom line’ is that wasted airborne time could
result in the cancellation of someone else’s
display or flypast later that season.
mobile is switched off or has no signal. The
precise timing of events is not of paramount
importance to the organisers of such shows. It
is a good idea in these cases to make a positive
effort, both in the planning stages and in the
execution, to de-conflict the display/flypasts with
any animal-related events on the ground, e.g.
the pony rides, the dog obedience show or the
sheepdog demonstration. An arrival at low level
and high speed, smack on time may be cause
for celebration inside the cockpit but might not
be appreciated to the same degree by those
on the ground chasing bolting ponies, sheep or
dogs whose obedience has suddenly deserted
them. BBMF fighters therefore tend to arrive at
such venues from altitude if possible, perhaps
even spiralling down in the overhead before
commencing the display or flypast, giving the
people on the ground plenty of warning of their
arrival. This technique has the added benefit
of allowing the pilot to recce the site for any
unexpected obstacles.
DISPLAY SITE HAZARDS
The Enthusiast. When operating from ‘away’
airfields especially those hosting a display,
one of the greatest hazards facing the pilot of
an historic aircraft is the persistent enthusiast
and, to only a slightly lesser extent, the air show
video cameraman. One well-known and very
experienced civilian ‘warbird’ pilot swears by
remaining ‘incognito’ to counter this hazard,
dressing in such a way that no one would ever
guess (or even believe) that he was a pilot, he
dons his flying overalls only immediately before
entering the cockpit. Unfortunately, that option
is not open to military aircrew who must dress
the part and accept that being pestered goes
with the territory. This is no problem when time
is available and the pilot is outside the ‘sortie
bubble’. However, it can be distracting and even,
potentially, a flight safety hazard once pre-flight
preparations have begun. The best solution to the
problem is always to leave more than sufficient
time for each activity especially those in public
areas, e.g. sortie briefing at the aircraft or preflight ‘walk round’, and to avoid becoming rushed.
The only place that a pilot cannot be disturbed is
in the cockpit; strapping in 5 minutes earlier than
needed provides an invaluable few minutes of
thinking and ‘focusing’ time.
AIR DISPLAY SPECIFICS
Engine Overheating. One of the perennial
problems of operating BBMF fighter types,
particularly the ‘Baby’ (MkII and MkV) Spitfires,
is the tendency for the engines to overheat
rapidly on the ground. (To a lesser extent this
affects all marks of Spitfire in the air at display
power settings or with the undercarriage down).
When operating from the display airfield, BBMF
pilots are under remit to ensure that the display
director and ATC are briefed on the likely engine
overheating problems. Typically, on a hot summer
day a ‘Baby’ Spitfire will overheat in approximately
5 minutes from engine start and it would be
necessary either to take-off within that timescale
or to shut down. Clearly, once the show timing
has been confirmed, clearance to start commits
all concerned to a take-off within the pre-briefed
time scale or a ground abort will ensue. This
overheating problem also applies after landing
and very long taxy distances, ground holding or
snails-pace ‘follow me’ vehicles could lead to
having to shut down on the taxyway, possibly
causing an inconvenient blockage.
Off-Airfield Venues. The BBMF frequently flies
full display routines or flypasts, as a formation or
as a singleton, at rather less well-defined and/or
poorly controlled venues such as summer fetes
or veterans’ reunions. ‘Dog and pony’ shows
present a variety of problems; even finding the
site in the first place can prove an interesting
challenge. Typically, there is no R/T contact
with these shows, sometimes even pre-sortie
telephone contact is impossible as the organiser’s
Cockpit Noise Levels and R/T. At display power
settings, the ambient cockpit noise levels are high
in a Spitfire and extremely high in a Hurricane.
This can make it difficult for the pilots to hear the
R/T. Please rest assured that if the response to
your R/T transmission is a “Say Again”, this is
not (entirely) down to the age and deafness of
52
the BBMF pilot. One of the standard points in
the BBMF written brief to air show organisers
is a reminder of the possible need to fire a red
‘very’ cartridge to stop the display should this
be necessary and if an R/T call is unsuccessful.
Unnecessary R/T transmissions on the display
frequency should be avoided during BBMF
displays, partly because it may be misheard for
the reasons above and also because, during
formation displays, the radio is needed for coordination between aircraft in the team. BBMF
fighter aircraft are equipped with VHF-only
radios and a dedicated VHF display frequency
is therefore highly desirable at all displays and
essential for team or ‘synchro’ displays.
clearing the runway (onto the grass if necessary).
If, after an engine failure, it were not possible to
reach the runway for a forced landing, the pilot’s
next choice would be to force land, probably
wheels-up, on any suitable grass area.
Holding Areas. BBMF aircraft usually ask to
set up a 4-minute hold approximately 2 minutes
out from the display datum prior to the run-in to
display. During a BBMF team display the aircraft
waiting their turn for their individual displays, hold
crowd rear at heights (depending on the cloud
base) between 500ft and 2,000ft. From a BBMF
perspective the location of published display
holding areas is often unacceptable and the crews
have to negotiate for dispensation. Because the
fighter aircraft are single-engined, the pilots will
wish to avoid holding over water, built-up areas or
any terrain that is unsuitable for forced landing. In
general, the fighters will want to hold above 1500
ft, this being ‘Low Key’ for a forced landing and
also the minimum bailout height. The regulations
governing BBMF display flying do not permit any
helicopter pleasure flying from anywhere on the
airfield during the display, even from crowd rear,
as this is where the BBMF aircraft hold and run-in
from during a team display.
Weather Limits. The crosswind and maximum
wind strength limits for the BBMF aircraft are
restrictive compared with most other types
because of the directional control difficulties
generated by the undercarriage arrangement on
the ground. In addition, the BBMF will not display
its fighter aircraft in rain as this causes damage
to the wooden propellers. With the long-term
preservation of these precious aircraft in mind,
these sensible limits mean that, on occasions, the
BBMF will not be able to appear when others have
no problems doing so.
Circuits and Landings. Because of the need to
remain within gliding range of the airfield from
downwind and to counter the poor view over the
aircraft’s nose on the final approach, BBMF fighter
pilots fly tight circuits and curved approaches
to land. They will not take kindly to being asked
to extend to fit in behind other aircraft flying
long straight-in approaches or ‘bomber’ circuits.
Finally, landing these aircraft neatly is really not
that easy so please feel free to ‘banter’ if any are
less than perfect whilst, of course, continuing to
make no mention at all of those occasions when a
pilot gets it absolutely right so as not to encourage
over-confidence or over-inflated egos!
Runway Availability During Display. An engine
failure during the display would transform a BBMF
fighter into an instant and not very efficient glider
with a rate of descent in the order of 2,600 fpm. In
most display circumstances this would allow no
more than 30 seconds before the aircraft reaches
‘terra firma’ one way or the other. It is therefore
essential that the runway is kept clear during
BBMF displays to permit a forced landing should
it become necessary. If other aircraft are required
to be on the runway, perhaps lining-up for takeoff or backtracking, then it is essential that they
are listening out on the (VHF) display frequency
and could react to an emergency immediately by
53
ANNEX M TO CHAP 2
THE TORNADO
My concept of display flying is to keep the aircraft as close as possible to the crowd centre,
always be manoeuvring, and generating the largest amount of noise you can! For simplicity the
displays were designed to the same geometrical
plan/form, so that you could easily switch from
one to the other, which was really useful in deteriorating weather. Also, you finished heading in
the same direction as you started, so the display
could be finished quickly with a break to land if
you were short of fuel or time. The rules were a
5000ft cloudbase for a full display, 1500ft for a
rolling display and 1000ft for a flat display. The
minimum height for aerobatic manoeuvres was
500ft, 300ft was used in turns and 100ft for flybys.
people forget about their hamburgers but remember, wings must be level until 100ft to satisfy
JSP550. The Tornado looks good at low speed
in a tight turn near the ground. Lift off at crowd
centre at 180kts which takes about a 3000ft. I
maintained 15 AOA and 240kts until 60° before
roll-out heading. Flaps then selected up with
thumb on manoeuvres for crisp roll out and accelerating to 330kts for the cuban.
Looping. You have to ‘loop the loop’ to keep the
punters happy. To change the theme slightly I
included an oblique loop, half cuban eight and a
half horizontal eight. Safety gates are all important and I used the nav to confirm ‘good gate’
before I continued. He used his head down
altimeter for this. 5500ft was the gate for the half
THE DISPLAY SEQUENCE
FULL
ROLLING
Take-off into Min Radius/Max Rate Turn
Take-off into Min Radius/Max Rate Turn
1/2 Cuban Eight
Derry Wingover
67° Wing Flypast
67° Wing Flypast
Derry Wingover
Derry Wingover
4 Point Roll
4 Point Roll
270° Turn
270° Turn
Canadian Break toward crowd & Derry
Canadian Break toward crowd & Derry
Slow speed flypast & turn away
Slow speed flypast & turn away
Slow speed steep climb from crowd
Slow speed steep climb from crowd
Dirty Barrel Roll
Dirty Barrel Roll
1/2 Horizontal Derry
Wingover
Oblique Loop
Canted Max Rate Turn
Derry Turn
Derry Turn
Slow Roll
Slow Roll
Derry Wingover
Derry Wingover
High Speed Pass
High Speed Pass
Vertical Departure
67° Wing Break
Those are the sequences and what follows is
how I did it. Bear in mind that these techniques
(and more importantly, safety gates) work for me;
however, you should find out what works for you
before you get too close to the ground.
Cuban with a max speed of 250kts. The aircraft
was then always max performed through a 90°
nose down gate of 3500ft / 300kts to 40° nose
down gate of 1500ft. Only then was the pull let
out setting up for the 67 wing flypast.
Take-off. This has got to be impressive to make
Rolling. The secret to performing slow and hesi-
54
tation rolls in the Tornado is your initial attitude.
With the CSAS fighting you all the way in knife
edge flight, the best you can do is to slow, with
rudder, the speed at which the nose drops. The
roll starts at 2° nose up, falling to 2° nose down
when inverted. Push the nose back above level
then start the process again to completion of the
roll. Imagine flying mini barrel rolls, but keep it as
flat as you can.
to 3500ft before rolling out and pulling into the
oblique loop. Although you cannot have a gate
for the oblique loop, I used to aim for 30° nose
down at 1500ft which seemed to work well.
Wind. There’s already a lot of wind in this article
you may say. Well strangely enough, even in a
high performance jet, wind is still a big player as
far as display flying is concerned. The normal
display axis is 230 metres from the crowd line.
Imagine a 20kt on-crowd wind and say a manoeuvre such as a 360° turn, which if it took 30secs
to complete would result in a downwind drift of
280 metres; very embarrassing if not allowed
for. Wind has to be compensated for in virtually
every manoeuvre performed. In the Tornado it
was convenient to have the wind displayed on the
EHDD (Pilots Electronic Head Down Display) to
back up any ‘feelings in the water’. The no-wind
ground track was plotted on a 1:50,000 map and
ground features used throughout the display. The
cadence of the display was equally important
adding 1sec to the outbound derry heading for
every 10kts of on crowd wind component which is
all you have over the sea.
Dirty Barrel Roll. I flew the dirty barrel very procedurally as I felt it was the one manoeuvre that
could give you a significant difference in nose
down attitude for a minor change in pull and roll
rates. It was started with an offset of 20° away
from the display axis so the roll could be completed towards the crowd. I started at 220kts
with gear down, mid flap and probe out and used
full reheat as I pulled to 20° nose up when the roll
was started topping at 30° nose up. Roll cadence
was varied to be inverted as the nose came
through the horizon and I never allowed the nose
to drop below 30° nose down. I also used a gate
height of 30° nose down and 1300ft.
Gate Heights. As mentioned earlier the gate
heights I used were: 5500ft before pulling
through, 3500ft at 90° nose down, and 1500ft at
40° nose down. Find your own heights through
trial and error at height, and stick to them. It can
be done tighter; however, in over 100 displays and
practices, my underpants stayed the same colour throughout the display! For the ½ Horizontal,
I pulled inverted to 60° nose down which I held
And finally. The Tornado, although not exactly
the most agile jet on the circuit, is a good display aircraft. It’s noisy, looks impressive with the
wings back at 600kts and turns well enough for
your average airshow punter. Know and plan your
displays so that you don’t get put off by the many
distractions and pressures that will undoubtedly
appear during the display season.
55
ANNEX N TO CHAP 2
THE TUCANO
“The Tucano is just like a Jet Provost but with a
propeller on the front”. This is a quite common
comment heard when people are discussing the
merits of the Tucano in comparison to its venerable predecessor the Jet provost. However, this
statement is not true and the Tucano is a very
different aircraft, requiring fresh ideas to show
it at its best. In display flying especially, the
Tucano can turn tighter, climb quicker and carry
out manoeuvres that were not possible in the Jet
Provost.
the most important factor; for this reason, some
esoteric manoeuvres were dropped from the display. One such manoeuvre was a stall turn flown
facing the crowd with the undercarriage down
during the pull up. With a 0g to + 1.7g limit during
retraction, the manoeuvre was too slack and, anyway, nobody seemed to notice the undercarriage
from the ground!
When I started preparing a Tucano aerobatic display sequence I had less than 30 hours on type.
The display was, therefore, based primarily on
what I had previously flown in the Jet Provost.
Added to this was a list of Tucano manoeuvres
that, after practice and post-flight discussion,
were thought to be suitable in a low-level display.
The guidance given elsewhere in the Display
Flying Notes was invaluable and I followed the
recommendations about sequence construction
very closely.
What a manoeuvre looks like from the ground is
A very tight turning ability (300m turn radius).
The final display was centred around three outstanding display flying attributes of the Tucano:
A short take-off run and quick acceleration, allowing a take-off straight into the display.
A short landing run which can be used to finish
the display.
Close liaison with my supervisor and other
‘experts’ from the crewroom produced the following 5 minute sequences for the 1990 season:
Full Display
Rolling Display
Take-off 1/2 horizontal 8
Take-off climbing turn
Aileron roll
Slow roll
1/2 hesitation Cuban
Max rate turn
Aileron roll
Reverse wing-over
3/4 loop 1/4 roll down
4 pt roll
Noddy stall turn
Derry wing-over
Canadian break, max rate turn
Aileron roll (45 degree line)
Stall turn (45 degree line)
Turn aileron roll (45 degree line)
Canadian break max rate turn
Wing-over
Hesitation stall turn (45 degree line)
Barrel roll
Outside turn
180 degree max rate turn
Knife edge bridge, 1/4 roll down
Slow roll
Slow roll
Reverse wing-over
180 degree max rate turn
'Spectacles' (360 max rate turn, inverted run 360 max
rate turn)
Aileron roll
Wing-over
1/4 clover
Oblique loop
90 degree max rate turn
Inverted run
Inverted run
235 degree max rate turn
Reverse wing-over
45 degree Outside turn
Land
Reverse wing-over
Land
56
The tight turning ability is a feature of the Tucano
which should be utilised fully when designing a
sequence. The display can be very compact and
the crowd can watch the aircraft perform immediately in front of them. Also, because the aircraft
is fairly quiet, it is desirable to keep the display as
close to the crowd as possible.
at low speed and flight idle, a feature that can be
used to restrict speed build up in the vertical. It
can also be used to allow a steep approach or a
rapid deceleration prior to landing where the airbrake is not very effective.
Listed below are details that might be of help in
flying some individual manoeuvres:
FLYING THE DISPLAY
Stall Turn. Entry speed is 150 - 160kts. If fast, pull
up with flight idle - bringing the power up as you
reach the vertical. Yaw at 60kts (to the left) to
reduce unwanted sideways movement (bridging).
At low-level the Tucano can be displayed at low
speed; this keeps the manoeuvres tight, allows
a large number to be flown and restricts the top
height of the full display to 2300ft. The speeds for
the display range from a minimum of 120kts for
the slow roll after take-off in the rolling sequence,
to a maximum of 220kts for the ¾ loop in the full
sequence. Most manoeuvres are flown in the
speed range 160 - 190kts. This is ideal for turns
at 180kts, which coincides with 6g and the light
buffet. For stall turns, keeping the speed low is
vital to restrict the time in the vertical; 150-160kts
is ideal but a stall turn can easily he flown from a
pull up speed as low as 120kts.
Noddy Stall Turn. Torque can be used effectively
to aid the yaw rate - nod left (full power), nod right
(reduce power), nod left (full power). If a stall turn
hangs, judicious use of power can be used to provide slipstream on the rudder.
Knife Edge Bridge, Stall Turn. Pull up at idle to
60° nose up, roll right to 90° AOB and keep the
nose up with rudder increasing to full deflection.
At 80kts yaw down to the vertical. The manoeuvre must be flown using left top rudder to hold the
knife edge, otherwise insufficient rudder is available to counteract the torque.
Gate heights are vital for low-level display flying. In the Tucano I used 1800ft msd for a pull
through from inverted, and 1200ft msd from the
vertical for a 500ft base height. These gates were
absolute minimums, while still allowing adequate
safety margins, and who in the crowd will notice if
you commence pull out 100ft high?
Take-Off/Slow Roll. Accelerate the aircraft to
100kts on the runway, then rotate quickly into a
climbing turn (NB tyre limiting speed of 110kts).
On cleaning up beware of pulling too much ‘g’ as
the gear will stop retracting. On reaching 500ft
start a slow roll at approximately 100kts and
accelerate to 140kts during the roll.
The Tucano has limitations when flying inverted
and, if negative ‘g’ is used, the oil system recuperation times are quite long. If a negative ‘g’
manoeuvre of over 10secs is flown, the recuperation time is twice the inverted time and after 3
consecutive minimum recovery periods an additional 60secs is needed. It is very important to
note here that a stall turn entered from 170kts
gives 15 seconds at less than + 0.5g. A hesitation or a noddy stall turn (from 170kts) gives 18-20
seconds. Hence, another reason to keep entry
speeds to a minimum. Analysis of the ADR can
he very useful in finding out whether the proposed
sequence is sailing close to the wind!
Take-Off ½ Horizontal 8. Hold the aircraft down,
until 170kts (approximately 5-6000ft from brakes
off), then pull 4-5g to commence the loop. The
aircraft tops at 1200ft and the roll out is commenced at 900ft levelling at 500ft; it is important
not to commit the nose too low.
Max Rate Turn. An entry speed of 180kts allows
at least 5g to be sustained for ¾ of the turn with
the speed stabilizing at 150kts.
DISPLAY CONSIDERATIONS
Roll rate is much faster than in the Jet Provost,
and very crisp hesitation rolls can be flown. Best
roll rates are at speeds above 200kts and, as can
be seen from the previous paragraph, this is too
fast for stall turns; again, careful sequence planning is required.
A 5 minute display takes only 30kg of fuel (50kg
start up to landing); this allows a low start up fuel
weight - ideally I used 200kg or less - which gives
a 150nm diversion range! Higher fuel weights do
not significantly degrade aircraft performance but
must, nevertheless, be taken into account eg, add
100ft to gate heights and apply power from stall
The propeller produces a large amount of drag
57
turns earlier.
Tucano has an excellent range which helps significantly when planning a display schedule. Its
good short take-off and landing performance
mean that it can be landed at almost any display
venue which has a runway.
Long holds on the ground prior to takeoff should
be avoided, particularly in a cross wind from the
left, to prevent the oil temperature from creeping
up. OAT has a marked effect on engine performance with the maximum torque being 85% on hot
days. Flying with the air-conditioning off would
increase torque available but is not recommended
because 100% oxygen would be required and
cockpit temperature would he high. On cold days
over-torquing can be a problem but this can be
solved by using the air-conditioning on boost.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the Tucano is an excellent aircraft to display. It can turn on a sixpence, fly a full range of
aerobatics and, with its take-off and landing performance, give an impressive start and finish to
its display.
58
CHAPTER 3
SUPERVISION
SELECTING THE SUPERVISOR
AND THE DISPLAY CREW
has fewer distractions than a married man. All
the aircrew and groundcrew must be volunteers
and be made fully aware of the total commitment required to complete a successful season.
Throughout the season aircrew and groundcrew
will experience thousands of distractions, they
must be capable of rising above these and carry
on with a safe performance. Choosing the right
man for the job makes all the difference between
anguish and relaxation. With the right crew,
supervision is most straight forward because selfdiscipline, initiative and common sense all take
care of themselves; all that is needed is a firm
approach periodically to bring the undoubtedly
elated crews back to reality - just for a while!
Supervisor. Ultimately the responsibility for
supervising a display crew rests with the Stn Cdr,
however, due to the continual supervisory process required during the preparation and training
of display aircrew it is essential that the Stn Cdr
nominates an officer to meet the close supervisory requirements. The nominated supervisor
need not necessarily be a senior commander,
indeed given the heavy demands on time, particularly during training, it may be better to choose
a pilot with a minimum rank of squadron leader,
preferably with previous display experience,
whose primary job allows him the time to meet
the demands of the job. The supervisor should
be dedicated to all display practices where possible; this is of particular importance during the
early practices when continuity, trust and easy
communication are so important to the success
of the work up. The Station Commander will obviously take a close interest in the work up and will
no doubt join the supervisor during some of the
practices. Also, he will probably insist on a full
record of training, detailing the training carried
out and any problems encountered. It is a good
idea if this record is scrutinised by the Stn Cdr at
least once a month.
BRIEFING
Stn Cdrs and the nominated display supervisor
must ensure that display crews are thoroughly
briefed on what is required of them, making clear
the huge responsibility and the great commitment
that they are accepting. The briefing of display
crews both in general terms and for specific sorties, is integral to the supervisory process and as
such is the responsibility of the supervisory chain.
As a guide to supervisors, experience has shown
that briefings are required on the following occasions: Stn Cdr to brief the display crew and the
supervisor at the beginning of training and again
following display clearance but before the first
public display; supervisor to brief display crew
before each practice and prior to detaching for
display commitments (a standing out brief would
serve these requirements well). The following list
contains some of the points that should be covered in the briefs:
Display Crew Selection. There are many aspects
to the art of selecting the right aircrew for the job
whether it be for solo aerobatics, 2 seat aerobatics or a multi crew display. Whilst the AOC will
have the final say, nominees must in all cases
possess the following attributes: excellent aircraft
handling skills, be a bit of a showman without
being a poser; be totally reliable and trustworthy
in all respects; and as aircraft captain have the
authority and credibility to deal with situations
and people (sometimes quite senior!) who are not
acting in the best interests of safe display flying.
Furthermore, solo and 2 seat display pilots must
be capable of supervising and looking after the
spare aircraft’s pilot and his groundcrew. When
the display commitments involve several weekends away a bachelor may be preferred as he
Display aircrew must be made aware that they are
the public image of the Service and as such must
conduct themselves in a thoroughly professional
way at all times. To be selected as display aircrew is a great honour, but carries with it a great
responsibility.
Display aircrew must be informed that display flying is a very demanding flying discipline, which
59
requires a full knowledge and understanding of
the strict orders that control display flying and
the need for full compliance with them. Previous
experience has governed the need for these rules,
stretching or breaking them will almost certainly
end in disaster.
important safety gates, again described in paragraph 2. In the 2 crew environment it is useful for
the navigator to have heading details for the start
and finish of each manoeuvre, particularly if it is
offset, since this ensures that the pilot does actually pull through to the exact angle-off heading.
A flying display requires detailed planning and
strict control to operate safely. Display aircrew
must ensure that they are fully conversant with
the plan and the extra restrictions imposed by the
Display Director. To this end they must read the
display operation order and they must attend the
display briefing. During the briefing they should
clear up any doubts they have and satisfy themselves that the display area, including the overhead is sanitised for their display. Before flying
display crews must have a good situation awareness of the conduct of the airshow and, in particular, for the period they are airborne they must
have the following information at their fingertips:
Learn the Sequence. It is of enormous benefit
when you are monitoring the rehearsals from ATC
to know what is coming next, at what speed, at
what height and in what configuration. This is of
vital importance in your flight safety and supervisory roles and will be useful during the AOAs
display clearance as he is bound to ask the odd
question! When supervising rehearsals, you are
required to be in 2-way contact with the display
crew; a long land-line/headset such that you
can stand on the ATC balcony and watch the
sequence is a good way of meeting this requirement, whilst maintaining a clear view of the whole
display. It is essential that you have an agreed call
if, for any reason you wish the practice to be curtailed and let the pilot know if you notice a wrong
configuration. Don’t assume that he knows and is
doing it for a good reason, inadvertent selections
have happened before and could be absolutely
crucial to the display minimum criteria. Make sure
that your display pilot does not suffer unnecessary distractions, eg do not allow any other transmissions on the display practice frequency.
Take off time and landing slot; diversion details
including weather; holding points and are they
in use; details of aircraft airborne immediately
before, during and immediately after your display;
the crowd and crowd safety lines and how they
are marked; the display quiet and chat frequencies; fuel requirement including any hold off
requirement; and, an accurate time check.
Work-up. It is worth mapping out the work-up
and check-ride rules care-fully and then decide
on how many sorties need to be flown above
5000’. Flying in the back seat (if available) during
the 5000 ft check ride is definitely recommended
for three reasons: to keep the bull, that always
exudes from the display pilot, down; to confirm in
your own mind the practicality and feasibility of
each manoeuvre; and to clarify that a safe recovery could be made anywhere in the sequence in
the event of a major failure. Further check rides
should be flown at lower heights at the supervisors discretion or as dictated by higher authority:
Aerobatics below 2000’ are entirely different so
at least one check ride at the lower altitudes can
prove beneficial. As supervisor, you will need to
submit a work-up programme to Gp HQ anyway;
it should also serve as a nice guide to match the
work-up rate to meet the date on which the AOA
finally checks the 500’ display. The date of the
first display must be established as soon as possible, this is not as easy as it sounds! As soon as
this date is reasonably firm, the date for the AOA’s
approval must be decided and the work up tailored to that aim. Experience has shown that the
If the crew have any doubts about display safety
then cancel even if it means a gap in the show
and a huge loss of pride.
SUPERVISING A DISPLAY PILOT
Aircraft Selection. Primary and secondary aircraft must be selected as soon as possible and
they must be prepared for the season. In the case
of aerobatic displays choose an aircraft with low
fatigue and one which can be reasonably certain
of being available for the whole of the display
season. Also, remember that the special requirements of the display aircraft may limit its availability for the daily flying programme and aircraft
generation on exercises. It is also important to
plan early for any re-painting requirements.
Display Sequence. Supervisors must be totally
involved in the development of the display
sequence. Use the guidance in chapter 2 and,
finally, when the display sequence has been
agreed, double check (on paper) the heights
and speeds required at the top of each vertical
manoeuvre as these will form the basis of the all
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pilot must be practising at 1500 ft six weeks prior
to the AOA’s check and at 500 ft five weeks prior;
this will probably mean starting training in late
February when the weather is by no means reliable. Try and arrange work-up and currency rides
to match the crew’s daily routine; in other words,
the crew do not want to be under any hassle or
feel rushed when they go out to practise. Ideally,
a pattern should be established for practising
with the sorties being flown before or after normal
station flying; this will help the display aircrew to
settle into a routine, prevent practices being disrupted by other aircraft recoveries and minimises
impact on the station flying programme. Once
practice times are known, let other local squadrons know so that the circuit can be kept clear.
Once the pilot is proficient in good weather, he
must practice the sequences in weather that is
close to the lower limits; the first time he encounters a tricky day should not be on his first display.
When the pilot is proficient at his home base, it is
vital that he practices at other bases; it is easy to
become over-familiar with ground features, display lines etc at home. The first away match can
be a bit of a shock.
display should be chosen as these are generally
the hardest to cope with for a Service pilot - this
statement is, sadly, not always true because some
Service displays can prove tricky too. The supervisor must be careful not to be an added burden
to the display pilot and so he must play his part
as a member of the support team and do his best
to assist throughout the weekend. A couple more
visits to displays should suffice for the remainder
of the season making sure to monitor one display
towards the end of the season. Experience has
shown that you will soon hear if your display pilot
is performing well or badly but don’t rely on this
as your only form of feedback. Indeed the display
pilot himself must be relied upon to handle the
whole spectrum of display flying and be trusted
to let his supervisor know if he runs into any real
problems.
Record of Practices. Keep a record of each
practice (Height flown, Full/Rolling/Flat) plus
a remarks column for the odd note to aid the
debrief. Such a record also acts as an indication
of a tendency (eg always dishes out of a Derry
to the left). As previously mentioned, this record
is an ideal tool for keeping your Stn Cdr up to
speed. He will probably insist on seeing it, but
in any case, pop it under his nose at least once
a month. The record is also a useful prompt for
producing your end of season report or any other
report required by higher authority.
SUPPORTING THE DISPLAY CREW
Rest Periods. Supervisors must insist on the
display pilot taking days off mid-week when he
is away at weekends. As mentioned already, the
squadron must anticipate this burden, in addition
to losing him, and probably the spare pilot, on
Fridays and Mondays at regular intervals.
The display pilot has enough to deal with during
the season without any unnecessary hindrances.
Throughout, he must be fully supported by the
Station in all departments to help ease the burden. It is your responsibility as supervisor to
ensure that this happens.
Manager. The pilot of the spare aircraft must
take as much of the load as he can away from
the display pilot and indeed should take on the
role as manager. He must get involved early in the
planning sequence arranging slot times, practice
times, arrival and departure times to other displays, turnaround facilities etc. During transits,
he must plan the routes and lead the display pilot
around, leaving him with no demands other than
simply flying the display. On the ground, the spare
pilot must shield the display pilot from all unnecessary trivia, of which there can be an enormous
amount. In sum, the spare pilot is most definitely
not someone on a weekend jolly, he must be competent, conscientious and an integral part of the
whole team. By the same token, the supervisor
must be prepared to allot time without distractions to his task. The briefing, authorising, watching, debriefing, cycle can be 11/4 to 11/2 hours.
Personnel must also be nominated to record the
practices on video.
Display Season. Clearly your supervisory role
continues throughout the display season although
the emphasis naturally changes as your display
pilot becomes proficient with more emphasis
placed on monitoring rather than training. It is
important that, once the season is in full swing,
the display pilot must be given freedom and the
flexibility to operate autonomously. The monitoring role should not be over-zealous, and heavy
handedness and interference should be avoided.
That is not to say that any signs of overconfidence
should not be sternly dealt with. As soon as possible during the season, the supervisor should go
to one of the displays, not with the intention of
checking on his own pilot but primarily to see at
first hand what problems and pressures there are
on the pilot and his team. Ideally, a large civilian
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Engineering. In our experience, a small pool of
engineers must be established to support the
aerobatics. Obviously these men must be reliable,
competent and resourceful in order to look after
the aircraft safely in some strange locations during busy weekends. The selection of this team, in
its own way, is just as important as the selection
of the pilot himself.
who face criticism from the local population concerning safety.
CONCLUSION
I hope the above comments are helpful.
Remember that all aspects of display supervision
can be very satisfying and enjoyable providing
you tackle them properly. Even if things are going
exceptionally well, it does no harm to talk to the
crew firmly now and again, to take stock of the
situation, to re-assess heights and speeds, to
warn the pilot against complacency or over-confidence. If the pilot declares he finds the sequence
easy and he is very happy about it all - watch out.
He must keep the concentration going.
Administration. The administrative backup by the
Station must be good, prompt and flexible. Some
unusual requests may well appear which require
resolution at short notice; the display pilot must
be able to rely totally on the back up of the admin
staff, leaving him as worry free as possible.
ATC/Ops. There may well be occasions during the
season when the display pilot asks for the airfield
to be open at strange hours and at weekends for
seemingly trivial reasons. However, it must be
borne in mind that the pilot loses many weekends
throughout the season, thus, what on the surface may appear a thin reason to open up on a
Saturday evening, must be measured sympathetically against the number of Saturday nights he is
away from his home during the year.
When you’re first given the job of organising the
station families day for the next year you probably feel a little excited and prepared to rise
to the occasion. After all, its just a question of
superior organisation and you are going to make
it the most spectacular families day the station
has ever seen. After a few days, the realisation
of the enormity of the task begins to sink-in and
you wonder whether 12 months is going to be
enough. Where do you start and which essential
documents do you need to read and understand?
First of all don’t despair, there are many flying displays organised each year and there is a wealth of
experience willing to give you a helping hand. The
Airshows at Leuchars and Waddington have permanent airshow managers who know all there is
to about airshow organisation – ask them for their
advice. The following paragraphs hopefully will
give you some initial guidance on how to plan and
organise a flying display.
Noise. In the early stages, there are undoubtedly
going to be a lot of practices flown at low-level
overhead the base. The Station CR0 must, therefore, prepare the ground and let the local population know what is happening. Emphasis should be
put on the care taken by the Station before and
during these practices. In 1989 BBC South West
produced a half hour documentary on solo aerobatics, stressing the care and supervision taken;
this programme may well be of use to Stations
62
ANNEX A TO CHAP 3
A PERSONAL OVERVIEW OF ASPECTS OF
DISPLAY PILOT SUPERVISION OC 20 SQUADRON
The following article is based on the experiences
of Wg Cdr M Jenkins who, as OC 20(R) Sqn, was
the supervisor for the 2000/2001 Harrier display
pilots. His personal views strongly support the
opening passages in this chapter.
Beware planning too long a sequence and trying
to tighten it up into a set time. Agree gates and
standards on the ground and ensure the crew
firmly adheres to them. Discuss escape manoeuvres at length especially from looping manoeuvres (at what height 90 degrees nose down may
be outside seat and flight envelopes!) Be very
wary of comments like, yeh it was safe, though
in my experience it is usually accompanied by a
change of shorts in private. Before going low-level
practice every conceivable failure/emergency in
the Sim, in the GR7 we experiment with escape
manoeuvres without auto flap or with nozzle
runaway (we try full power and fwd nozzle as an
escape from the blown loop as well).
CHOICE OF DISPLAY CREW
Crew Selection should have been based on the
balance between skill, experience and attitude.
Assuming the volunteers are able, attitudes in
the air and on the ground are key elements in
preventing overconfidence or poor performance
under pressure. Other elements should be considered, family circumstances (babies or pregnancies) previous experience, administration skills
(see later) and promotion prospects. There is little
point selecting in Oct a crew which will be promoted from the board in the middle of the season,
delay acting rank (without their knowledge and
consent) or be selected for exchange. PMA are
very helpful in this aspect and close consultation
will avoid later difficulty; especially as those most
suitable for the display season are often those
senior enough to be close to promotion.
On the ground the planning of the sequence
needs to be completed and submitted for approval early, every staff officer is a display expert
when clearance time comes! Don’t change it
when its approved unless experience shows a
safer way, a change will make the scrutiny worse
(healthily so) as it brings into doubt your judgement at getting it right first time. Ensure that
sponsored flying suits, badges and the like are
sorted early. Make sure that the crew, and you,
goes on the media-handling course at Halton.
Approach PMA for a holding officer to assist in
the display season planning and admin. Get the
publicity photos and publications sorted and
audit the display fund.
WORK-UP PERIOD
In my view the key for the work-up is not to hurry
the pilot; he will be the best judge of when he
is fit to practice at lower heights. Putting the
emphasis on him also builds the close, friendly
relationship of trust, which you will need when
the first display infringement occurs. You need to
be an umbrella but also the safety valve. Debrief
every practice HUD film/video and make notes
on all the practices but beware, unless you have
done it yourself you could show a complete lack
of credibility and lose it; take advice read CAP
403, the RAF Display Manual and watch a few
videos before jumping in. Above all, use the previous crew as mentor for the new team if they are
available. Ensure that the crew practice at different airfields and sites including over the water,
we use Holbeach for some events, in a variety of
weather conditions and if possible, when it is hot
(Cyprus?).
Once the PR material and Ribbon have been done
these can be passed to the display organisers so
ensure that they are in a format that all can use. A
short Sqn history should also be included and a
summary of the aircraft systems for the commentating team at the show.
DURING THE SEASON
Try to go on as many display weekends as you
can but don’t crowd out the guys. Ensure that
you keep a handle on creep, STC are always facing new requests for flypasts and displays and
the season can get out of hand. Limit the crew to
2 base locations a weekend if you can. Beware
63
mates asking for flypasts during transits between
shows and clear everything through STC/AS21.
from crusty Flying Control Committee members.
A balanced and protective view needs to be maintained but in extremis the crew may need to be
cautioned or stopped. Above all you must trust
the crew.
Give the crew time off, the display is a burden to
all the Sqn as they pick up the additional work,
this can cause resentment in the ground and
aircrew. Try to get a coach or partner crew who
work well with the display crew to look after all
the positioning and transit planning etc. Be particularly aware of the crew tightening the display,
fatigue and family stress. Work induced stress is
easier to manage and keep people off the back of
the crew while they are at work. Remember that
the display is a Sqn commitment and it will hurt!
Remember also that the public is our employer
and master so don’t treat them with disdain, they
may be a bunch of spotters but their impression
of us is very important.
A key issue is credibility and, if you have no display experience, don’t be tempted to tell people
how best to do something and keep views to ‘the
display looked good but you appeared to be tight
on…’ . Try the sequence yourself at high level
and in the Sim. Go away on at least 3 weekends,
beginning middle and end, so that you experience
the display admin pressures. If you do go away be
useful and don’t expect the guy/gal to look after
you! Be cautious about the intake of alcohol by all
the team members and be aware of the mentality
of the ground crew, if the ground crew is boozy
change them.
Ensure that the crew gives you a full briefing
on the displays, venues contact numbers and
all matters before you authorise them. They will
always want self auth powers but because the
Harrier can amend its displays slightly (venue
constraints at some sites) I retain power of auth
as the last link in the common sense chain however, I’m on call all of the summer. If you feel
comfortable the Gp Capt can delegate self-auth,
it does help all concerned but leaves one less
check on the system. Ensure that each weekend is debriefed properly and a post display file
is run with comments on each venue (example
attached).
Try to establish a couple of guys who are prepared to go away and support the display pilot,
that means sitting in the tower or spare and acting as DP while the display is on. In addition, the
spare can pre-book ATC clearances and brief
controllers and display organisers on the needs of
your jet in an emergency. It is also possible that
both the pilots will have static display duties and
be smart and knowledgeable to the public, our
employers!
The best thing you can do for your crew is to get
a holding officer to manage the phone and venue
work during the season. PMA are very helpful in
this respect and it allows the display crew to do
at least some routine work on the Sqn. Be aware
that the ground crew envy the Team Groundcrew
and will moan about manpower shortages on
shifts yet when it comes around for volunteers
there are very few to commit themselves for the
season. In addition, be wary of too many venues
in a weekend; the duty of care to the engineers
travelling all over the country at the weekend can
be stretched to the limit.
POST SEASON
Make sure the filing system is adequate so that
post venue reports are completed and available to
the next pilot and supervisor, blacklist any goats
and feed up the line to Displays 1.
Don’t forget to pat the bloke on the back if its all
gone well, write it up in the ACRs of all the Team
and reflect some of the associated bits as secondary duties.
For what they are worth I have laid out my
thoughts on the display and its supervision. You
may wish to accuse me of teaching to suck eggs
or whatever else but, I know that good supervisors are those who are regarded as such by their
charges, not by themselves. Its worth asking your
team what they think of you or your performance
every now and then, in the bar on the display circuit perhaps.
SUPERVISION
It is essential that a supervisor develop an open,
friendly and trusting relationship with the display
pilot. While closely monitoring the display and
pilot for stress, tightening, over aggressive flying
or family personal issues, the supervisor must
provide top-cover for the inevitable mistakes
during the season, be it an airmiss with puddle
jumpers in transit between displays or trouble
Trust, openness, protection and caution are the
64
key words in my experience. Coupled with an
understanding of the extra burden the display
causes on the air and ground crew, those 4 words
will stand you in good stead, 20 Sqn’s motto is
‘deeds not words’ and my display commitment
has tested my Sqn to the limit at times. We maintain a role demo pilot to stand in if the display
pilot is maxed out however, a cancelled display is
better than a poor one or a flight safety incident
through overstretch.
65
CHAPTER 4
GUIDE TO FLYING DISPLAY
ORGANISATION AND ADMINISTRATION
When you’re first given the job of organising the
station families day for the next year you probably feel a little excited and prepared to rise
to the occasion. After all, it’s just a question of
superior organisation and you are going to make
it the most spectacular families day the station
has ever seen. After a few days, the realisation
of the enormity of the task begins to sink-in and
you wonder whether 12 months is going to be
enough. Where do you start and which essential
documents do you need to read and understand?
First of all don’t despair, there are many flying displays organised each year and there is a wealth of
experience willing to give you a helping hand. The
At Home Days at Leuchars and Waddington have
permanent airshow managers who know all there
is to about airshow organisation - ask them for
their advice. The following paragraphs hopefully
will give you some initial guidance on how to plan
and organise a flying display.
Mid-October DPR hosts a forum that objectively
looks at the last seasons achievements and sets
the objectives in terms of PR and Recruitment
areas that should be targeted for the next season.
At the end of October, armed with the information
from the Symposium and the PR forum, the PC
meets for the first time to discuss the objectives
set and agree the way forward in terms of allocating display assets for the next season.
The ET then liase to determine what assets will
be available and to produce the first draft of the
display programme.
In January, the ET has its second meeting and
agrees the programme.
Display organisers are then informed of their allocation and are given a breakdown of the costs
which includes display insurance.
MECHANISM OF THE PARTICIPATION
COMMITTEE (PC)
Throughout the season the ET deals with fast
balls and changes to the programme.
In an average year, there are about 2000 requests
for display assets throughout the UK of which
approximately a half are approved. The task of
collating requests and allocating resources falls
on the Events Team (ET). Forward planning is
the key to its success and the whole process of
display asset allocation for the next year begins
before the end of the previous years display season. Chronologically, the basic format of planning
is:
With an insight into the big picture, how does this
affect your organisation of an Air Display?
DISPLAY ORGANISATION
The Organisational Team. The biggest point to
hoist aboard is that display organisation is not
a one man show. There are many key players
essential to the safe and effective running of an
air display. The Display Director, who as detailed
by JSP 550 has to be an officer of the GD(Air)
Branch (or RN/Army equivalent), is in charge of
flying at air displays. This is probably the most
important person at an air display. Annex A gives
guidance for display directors. Further guidance
is available in the ‘Guidance to Unit Commanders
- Stn Open and Families Days’
Before the end of September, airshow organisers
submit their requests for display aircraft to the ET
for the next season. The ET responds by sending
the organisers details of display teams, conditions for their use, information on what aircraft are
available for displays and insurance requirements.
In the Autumn, DASC organises the Post-season
Display Symposium where display crews and
organisers get together and discuss the good and
bad aspects of the display season. Agreement
is then reached on the way ahead for the next
season.
STC/18523/SASO dated 11 Nov 97
The Flying Control Committee (FCC). FCC’s have
been used most effectively in the past, most
notably by IAT and it is an invaluable tool for the
66
larger displays in the effective supervision of flying. Annex B is an article written by Wg Cdr (Retd)
Peter Fennell, formerly Displays 1 at HQSTC. It
gives an insight into the role of the FCC.
-2 Months:
Draft display order.
Start an accommodation plan.
Distribute display order.
Check condition of display markers.
Arrange repair a/r.
Draft static order.
Disaster Plan. For all events, the possibility of a
disaster cannot be ignored. Even more, the carnage at Ramstein highlighted the responsibilities
of organisers of large events and their Duty of
Care in minimising risk. Clearly every possibility
cannot be accounted for otherwise there would
not be a flying display. However, an effective disaster plan incorporating medical planning is part
of that Duty of Care. Annex C gives guidance on
these aspects.
-1 Month:
Contact HM Customs if you have overseas participants.
Distribute static order.
Arrange hire cars.
Send arrival times to flying and static crews.
Coordinate display slots with take off and landing
slots.
Prepare display map.
Confirm insurance requirements.
Stop accepting last minute participants.
Confirm display order.
Carry out a table top exercise of the disaster plan.
Display Check List. A chronological guide to
organising an air display from the onset would be
most useful. The following has been provided by
the Airshow Manager at Leuchars:
September the previous year:
Bid to PC for Military assets.
Bid for civil assets.
-2 Weeks:
Update accommodation requirements.
Put out a token display line.
Prepare a list of emergency contact numbers for
display crews.
-5 Months:
Work out a parking plan.
Gain confirmation of bids.
Make initial bids for accommodation.
-1 Week:
Publish practice times.
Final update of accommodation requirements.
Prepare commentary information.
Confirm that insurance has been paid.
Lay the final display line.
Confirm parking arrangements.
-4 Months:
Distribute flying questionnaires.
Liase with ATC reference Temporary Restricted
Airspace.
-3 Months:
Get arrival times for VIPs
Compile initial programme
Distribute static questionnaires.
This is obviously not an exhaustive plan for any
airshow; however, it does give a framework with
timescales, around which you can build your own
needs.
67
ANNEX A TO CHAP 4
DISPLAY DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Emergency Alerting Procedures iaw the
Disaster Plan.
The role of the Display Director is vital. JSP
550 gives guidance on the responsibilities of the
Display Director and states he is to be responsible for the coordination, control and safety of
all flying activities. To satisfy these criteria it is
not sufficient to just arrive in the tower on the
day and enjoy the show! So how do you decide
that a particular display is safe? For all aircraft
you must have sight of the display routine to
satisfy yourself that there are no manoeuvres
that are potentially dangerous at your show.
Consideration should be given for airfield topography and crowd areas etc. For military aircraft,
the display will have been approved by the AOC,
so this should give you a more comfortable feeling. For civilian aircraft, the display pilot must
have an authorisation form the CAA known as the
Display Authorisation (DA), clearing him to display. The display sequence needs to be looked at
closely to ensure that individual manoeuvres are
in accord with the DA1. It is also essential that
the Display Director has some indication from the
civilian display pilot of the number of times he has
flown the display sequence he intends to fly at
this airshow.
Decide whether to cancel the display. Are there
sufficient emergency assets still available to
respond to a second disaster?
Alert the Military Rescue Services iaw the
Disaster Plan.
Consider authorizing a PA broadcast.
Activate the Civilian Emergency Services.
When the Senior Police Officer is at the incident,
pass control to him. As the big day approaches
what is the best course of action for the Display
Director?
DISPLAY SCHEDULE
After praying for good weather, do not make the
display slots too tight. Leave one min between
events. Try to make it easy for participants: takeoff , display, land is easiest from an organiser’s
point of view. Run the show yourself and keep
an overview of whole thing. You need good ATC
controllers to do the actual work:
Any British Military formation team will be operating to an approved SOP. It is the Display
Directors responsibility to ensure that he has read
and accepted the SOP prior to the display. For
foreign military display teams their display has to
be cleared by the Chairman of the PC and a copy
of the SOPs are sent to the Display Director, who
can either agree them or not allow the team to
display at his airshow.
Approach. Marshals airborne aircraft to holds
etc.
Local. Display frequency, quiet whilst someone is
displaying.
Ground. Controls all movements prior to take-off
and after landing.
The Display Director is also responsible for contingency plans to cover the eventuality of an aircraft accident on or near the airfield during the
period of a public display. Annex C gives more
guidance on Disaster planning, however, if the
Display Director is not convinced that he has the
resources to provide the right Duty of Care, then
it his responsibility to cancel the display. Should
the worst happen ie a crash during the display,
then a checklist for the Display Director is essential. The following is an example of a DISPLAY
DIRECTOR’S CRASH CHECKLIST:
After the show. Some departures, FOD clearance,
a long day.
Video is very good for showing to participants.
Look after everybody – it’s a Station responsibility.
Follow the successful show with an excellent
party.
68
Rules and Regulations Brief.
Have transport arranged to take participants to
accommodation. Some will want to go early.
Have a set time to end it all, most people have to
fly next day.
Flying Regulations. (Slide)
Conventional Fixed Wing Aircraft. (Slide)
MILITARY AIR DISPLAY EXAMPLE BRIEF
VSTOL Aircraft. (Slide)
Time Check (based on BT Speaking Clock).
Helicopters. (Slide)
Attendance check.
Minimum Heights. (Slide)
Station Commander’s Welcome.
Weather Minima. (Slide)
Met Brief.
Last Minute Changes to Flying Programme.
The Aim. (Slide)
Flight Safety and Timing.
ATC Brief:
Questions and Individual Briefings if required.
Runway Details. (Slide)
(Footnotes)
Diversion Details. (Slide)
1There are various types of DA dependent on the type of
display to be flown. The display pilot has to satisfy the
CAA that he is competent to perform manoeuvres up to the
requirement for that DA. Once he has a DA, the pilot can
organise his sequence in any manner he wishes provided he
does not perform manoeuvres of the type that are not covered
in his DA. Therefore, he can legally change his sequence at
any time without further approval from the CAA
Frequencies in use. (Slide)
Local Area Brief (if required).
Royal Flights and NOTAMs (displayed in
Planning Room).
69
ANNEX B TO CHAP 4
FLYING CONTROL COMMITTEES
Display Flying Notes 1997 carried an article on
Flying Control Committees (FCCs) which have
been a feature of the Farnborough International
and Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) airshows
for a number of years. FCCs were introduced formally for the major RAF airshows in 1996 through
the medium of JSP 550. For those unfamiliar
with FCCs, they are composed of up to 4 suitably qualified people and headed by the Display
Director (DD). Specialists, for example a civilian
display pilot or an ATC adviser, may be co-opted.
The FCC normally assembles a day or two before
the show and disperses when show activity and
the FCC report complete. The purpose of the
Committee is to provide the DD with extra eyes,
brains and experience in the supervision of the
operational and safety aspects of the airshow,
thus allowing the DD to devote more of their time
to the supervision of the complete event. The
members of the Committee should also be able
to ease the DD’s stress loading and spot the final
gotcha. However, the DD remains firmly in charge.
So what’s in it for you? To prepare for each season, a one day seminar will be held, normally in
February or March, for existing and potential FCC
members and others with an interest. If you are
the right person for the job, membership of an
FCC offers you a few days away, inevitably over a
weekend, the chance to make an invaluable contribution to the success of a flying display, and
enhances your experience into the bargain. And
you get to watch the show, usually from the best
seat in the house, for free!
The members of a particular FCC should be
selected well before the display. In assembling
their FCC, the DD may well find that there are
insufficient appropriately experienced candidates at home base to provide a properly balanced team. Thus, they may need to look further
afield, either to people they know or to HQSTC
(Displays 1) where a database of candidates is
maintained. The members of the FCC will need to
keep tabs on the display programme as it develops, although it is not essential for them to attend
pre-display meetings. In the day or so before the
show, they will need to be present to familiarise themselves with the arrangements and local
regulations and to ensure that the display arena
is properly marked. They may be required to
approve individual or team displays, or check the
currency and availability of regulatory documents.
During the show they may need to assist participants and attend briefings and they will monitor
each individual display for safety and compliance
with regulations. If breaches of regulations or
other matters of concern do arise, they may be
involved in debriefing the pilot and deciding on
further action.
At least 4-6 weeks prior to the display, and
through the chairman of the FCC, ensure that
they are made aware of the display programme
and, subsequently, any changes.
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR
PERSONNEL CO-OPTED ON TO
RAF FCC
The FCC is a committee comprising of up to 4
personnel with the relevant experience and qualifications as laid down in JSP 550. The FCC is not
in the direct organisational chain for an air display
and is formed to oversee the safe execution of the
display. Those co-opted on to FCCs are to:
Satisfy themselves that display sequences are
properly cleared and authorised and accord
with national rules and regulations and do not
conflict with any local rules and regulations.
There may be a need to view certain displays.
HQ display staff may need to be consulted.
Satisfy themselves that the display programme
is sensible and reasonable and that there are
no flight safety conflictions.
Notify the relevant authorities of any concerns,
clearances needed, or further information
required. Participation at an air display is not to
be cleared until the FCC has been satisfied that
all relevant clearances have been given.
Be available prior to the display (1-2 days) for
consultation with display crews/organisers as
necessary.
70
play, which should consist of brief details of any
supervisory or regulatory related flying incidents
during the show.
On the day of the display the FCC is to:
Be present at the display briefing and
introduced to display participants.
The format for reporting incidents should be:
View the display from a position close to Air
Traffic Control/the Display Director and from
where immediate contact can be maintained
with the display controlling authorities. One
member of the FCC may need to be positioned
near to the display crowd line.
(1) Aircraft type and operator.
(2) Captains name.
(3) Details of incident.
(4) Remedial action taken.
Ensure that all rules and regulations are
adhered to throughout the display, and that
any infringements are properly reported and/or
dealt with.
(5) Captains remarks (if any)
(6) FCC Chairman’s comments.
Debrief display crews and authorities as
deemed necessary.
(7) Recommendations (if any)
The signal should be sent to HQSTC for Air Cdre
Ops Spt, Info DASC Bentley Priory for SO1 FW,
and relevant Group/Command HQ. The signal
should be caveated STAFF, using sic ACA/KOA/
KQJ/KOJ.
The Chairman of the FCC is to submit a post
display report in accordance with the directions
issued by HQSTC, as follows:
The Chairman of the FCC is to submit a Priority
signal report within 2 working days of the air dis-
71
ANNEX C TO CHAP 4
CRASH AND DISASTER PLANNING
References:
(2) Casualties can be documented.
A.JSP 551 Vol 2, Post-Crash Management
Procedures, Aircraft General.
(3) Sections can fulfil their obligations to
their Chain of Commands.
1. A flying accident, aircraft incident, or an
incident in the crowd area during the airshow
might constitute a disaster. The display organisation needs to produce a plan to detail how
it will react to meet a disaster on base, or in
the immediate local area. Early and close liaison with local Service units and civilian police,
fire and ambulance services will be an essential part of this process. The local Emergency
Planning Department and NHS Executive Health
Emergency Planning Department should also be
involved as early as possible.
3. Command And Control.
A. Overall Control. In the event of an incident
involving injury or loss of life, the Senior (civilian) Police Officer should co-ordinate the
response, whether the incident occurs on or
off base.
B. Display Director. The Display Director
should exercise initial control of any aircraft
related incident or accident from the Visual
Control Room (VCR) at ATC or at the Mobile Air
Traffic (ATC) cabin.
2. General Outline. Officers from the local Police
Service, Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service
should be on site during the display and integrated with any Service support to deal with any
incident that may constitute a disaster. An Initial
Incident Team under the direction of the Military
Incident Commander should constitute the
Primary Response and should aim to achieve the
following:
C. Military Incident Officer. A Military Incident
Officer should be appointed to exercise command and control over the personnel of the
Incident Response Team (IRT). He should be
established at the Visual Control Room (VCR)
and should maintain radio contact with the
Display Director/ATC/PA commentary positions and the IRT throughout the airshow. In
the event of an incident, he should liase with
the Senior Police Officer.
A. An appreciation that an accident/incident
has taken place and an accurate and
reasonable assessment of its consequences.
D. IRT. The IRT should be collocated with representatives from the local Fire, Police and
Ambulance services in a pre-determined location, together with all the equipment necessary
to fulfil its role.
B. Effective initial command and control
including:
(1) The establishment of an Incident Post.
4. Outline Reaction to a Disaster.
(2) Manpower to contain da, cordon the
area, control the crowd, muster survivors
and evacuate casualties from the scene.
A. Reaction Philosophy. The fundamental philosophy is to avoid alarming the public unnecessarily. Leaving aside those directly affected
by any incident, it must be recognized that
the public potentially represent the most significant obstacle to the swift and successful
reaction to an incident. The flying display may
continue as a means of diverting the attention
of the crowd as the situation is assessed, and
it may be prudent to restrict public address
announcements referring to the incident. The
use of certain emotive words such as ‘crash’
(3) The securing of access and egress
routes for the Emergency Services.
C. Subsequently, the development of an effective working relationship with the cian emergency services so that:
(1) Lives can be saved.
72
or ‘bomb’ should be avoided and the word
‘incident’ used in all public address, tannoy or
radio broadcasts.
flying display. Further actions would be:
(1) The Senior Police Officer, the Mary
Incident Commander, the SMO and the Fire
SNCO and should deploy to the scene of the
crash.
B. Alerting Procedures. The alerting procedures for the airshow should be decided in
advance and detailed in an Annex to the plan
(2) The Display Director should inform the
Royal Air Force accident/rescue services.
C. Initial Response. In the event of an incident,
the Senior Police Officer, the Military Incident
Commander and the on-site emergency services should deploy to the area. The locations
of the on-site emergency services should be
decided in advance and detailed in an Annex
to the plan.
(3) The Display Director should authorize
PA Broadcasts as necessary. Standard
broadcast messages should be produced in
advance so that time is not wasted trying to
compose a suitable message.
D. Flying Display. If a non-aircraft-related
incident occurs during the flying display, the
Senior Civilian Police Officer should consult
with the Display Director to decide whether the
display should continue.
(4) The Police should ensure that the access
roads to the incident site are open for emergency vehicles and should act to prohibit
the approach of non-emergency vehicles.
(5) The Police should ensure that Civilian
Emergency vehicles are allowed unhindered
access through the emergency entry and
exit points.
E. Civilian Emergency Services Rendezvous
Point. A rendezvous point for extra civilian
resources should be determined. This would
be activated if so required by the Senior
Civilian Police Officer.
(6) The Police should prohibit the entry of
non-emergency vehicles onto the Station
and clear access and egress routes of
pedestrians and vehicles.
F. Emergency Entry and Exit Points.
Emergency entry and exit points should be
identified for use by emergency vehicles in the
event of a disaster, and clearly marked on a
plan of the station.
B. Off the Station. The response to an aircraft crash off the Station will vary, dependent on the location. The appropriate State of
Readiness action, should be taken but no PA
broadcast should be made unless the Display
Director considers it necessary to inform the
public or to restore public confidence. The
Display Director should arrange for subsequent
flying displays to be amended or cancelled,
as necessary. A decision to continue the flying display can only be made in the knowledge
that an emergency response to a second
incident would not be impeded by the original
incident. The following specific actions should
be taken:
G. Emergency Assembly Points. There might
be a need to cancel the flying display and
move the spectators to an emergency assembly point. These areas should be designated
on the station map.
5. Additional Actions if the Disaster Involves
an Aircraft Crash. In the event of an aircraft
crash, additional actions will be required in
accordance with Reference A. Instructions for
the Military Incident Commander in the event
of an aircraft crash should be detailed in an
Annex to the airshow plan. Specific actions,
depending on whether the crash is on or off
the Station, would be as follows:
(1) The Senior Police Officer, the Military
Incident Commander, SMO, and the Fire
SNCO should deploy to the scene of the
crash by the fastest means possible (ie by
helicopter if available).
A. On the Station. In the event of an aircraft
crash on the Station, Initial State 1 action is
to be taken but no PA broadcast made unless
the Display Director considers it necessary
to inform the public or to restore public confidence. The Display Director should cancel the
(2) The Police should ensure that Civilian
Emergency vehicles are allowed unhindered
entry through the emergency entry and exit
73
DOCUMENTATION
points.
(3) The Display Director should authorize the
appropriate PA Broadcasts.
13. The following documentation should be available:
(4) The Display Director should inform the
Royal Air Force accident/rescue service.
A. A plan of the Station and a map packup
containing Ordinance Survey Maps covering
the area around the station for the Military
Incident Commander and the IIT.
SERVICE SUPPORT
6. Cordon Party. The IIT should react to incidents
as directed by the Military Incident Commander.
Reference A provides detailed orders for the
Military Incident Commanders, OIC crash guards,
crash guards, cordons and control of access and
crash sites within the UK, which should be followed at all military aircraft accidents. A copy
of Reference A should be held by the Military
Incident Commander. All officers nominated as
Military Incident Commanders, OIC Cordon parties and the OIC IIT should familiarize themselves
with it prior to the airshow.
B. JSP 551.
COMMAND AND SIGNAL
14. For the disaster plan to function effectively
good communications are essential. The communications plan should include the following elements:
A. Ground to Air Comms.
B. Management Radio Networks.
7. Police. A security desk should be set up provide support for incidents. In addition the SNCO
IC Police should ensure that the emergency entry
and exit points are kept clear of all traffic during
emergencies. In the event of an on-Station disaster, car parks should be closed and the SNCO IC
Police should ensure that all access and egress
routes to the incident site are kept open for the
use of emergency vehicles.
C. Station Telephone Facilities.
D. Public Address Systems.
E. Exemplar PA broadcasts.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS AND
PROCEDURES
15. A series of Annexes should be produced to
provide detailed instructions for the following
areas:
8. Medical Services. The SMO would be responsible for Service and other military medical services
and should liase with the civilian medical authorities to ensure that RAF medical facilities are provided in the event of a disaster. Further details are
provided elsewhere in this guide.
A. Initial Incident Team.
B. Emergency Alerting Procedures.
9. Press Facilities. In the event of a disaster, the
Airshow Public Relations Officer should establish
a press briefing facility in a suitable location. No
statements should be issued without the express
authority of the Display Co-ordinator.
C. Location of Emergency Services.
D. Civilian Emergency Services Rendezvous P.
E. Instructions for the Military Incident
Commander in Event of Aircraft Crash.
10. Service Casualty reporting. In the event of a
disaster, a Service Casualty Reporting Cell should
be set up.
F. Day Director Instructions to Military Rescue/
Emergency Services.
11. Mortuary Facilities. In the event of a disaster,
a temporary mortuary should be established,
together with a receiving and recording cell.
G. Public Address Broadcasts.
12. Relatives Reception. In the event of a disaster,
a reception area for relatives should be set up.
I. Motor Transport Requirements.
H. Medical Resources.
J. Communication Plans.
74
ANNEX D TO CHAP 4
MILITARY AIR SHOW – RISK MANAGEMENT
– DASC GUIDANCE
1. Display Directors should:
f. In conducting 2nd step Risk Assessment
avoid ascribing mathematical figures to human
performance.
a. Recognise that JSP550 provides Display
Flying regulations, which can be considered as
strategic RM.
g. Under the 3rd step control measure analysis
process:
b. Ensure that TORs clearly articulate their
safety responsibilities.
i. Transfer financial risk through insurance.
c. Familiarise themselves with Military Aviation
Risk Management processes and procedures
set out in JSP 551 Vol 3 and conduct deliberate RM. Of note is that a Risk Assessment (as
commonly used today) is only one element of
the 5 step RM process.
ii. Ensure that insurers are apprised of RM
documentation.
d. Consider using the What If? process at RM
300.105 under the 1st step Hazard ID Process.
Hazard ID is the most important and fundamental step in RM. In particular, it is the risks
which are unique to a particular site which
must be identified. Unique considerations
include crowd size and density, proximity of
other populations to aircraft operating areas
including holding areas, risk exposure, and
the availability of civilian emergency response
organizations.
a. Rehearsal.
b. Coded commentary in event of accident.
iii. Provide an Air Show disaster response
plan,
which includes inter alia:
c. 1st response capability (incl. medical
capability).
d. Escape routes.
h. At 4th step Risk Control Decision and
Implementation, report upwards where risks
cannot be adequately controlled.
e. Avoid using Hazard ID tools suited for
equipment Safety Case development, which
require professional input - such as Fault Tree
Analysis.
i. Manage change by maintaining RM documentation and keep records of decision making.
75
ANNEX E TO CHAPTER 4
MILITARY AIR SHOW – RISK
MANAGEMENT – FRAMEWORK
DOCUMENT
DASC guidance notes are in italic
RAF LITTLE SNORING AIR DISPLAY 25 AUG 04
RISK MANAGEMENT
References:
A.
B.
JSP 550.
JSP 551 Vol 3.
INTRODUCTION
1.
Authority for event.
2.
Purpose (Mission).
3.
Description of event.
4.
Key personnel (include authority and area of responsibility).
5.
Supporting units.
6.
Estimated crowd.
76
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
7.
Risk ID Team:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Display Director
OC Ops/Cdr Air
Member of Flying Control Committee (FCC)
SATCO
Fire Officer
Medical Officer
Security Officer
Salvage Officer
Etc
8. Hazard ID meeting date(s)
Operational analysis
9. Description of mission.
Key events - table 1
Date Time (local)
Event
Key participants
Resources
Action Officer
24 Aug - 0800
Disp rehearsal Brief
24 Aug - 0815
1st Response units
pre-position
OC Ops/SATCO/Disp
aircrews etc
Fire crews/Medics/
Salvage etc
Station Briefing
Rm/IT
Station/Civilian
1st response
SATCO/SNCO IT/
etc
OC Ops/Fire
Officer/MO/ etc
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
25 Aug - 0800
Display Brief
OC Ops/SATCO/Disp
aircrews etc
Station Briefing
Rm/IT
SATCO/SNCO IT/
etc
****
25 Aug - 1200
****
Crowd control barrier check
****
Security Team
****
MT
****
Security Officer
25 Aug – 1415 -1430
Red Arrows display
Red Arrows
Red Arrows
OC RAFAT
****
****
****
****
****
Hazard/Cause – table 2 (“What If” brainstorming method recommended)
Hazard
Cause(s)
****
Ac impacts populated area (local caravan site)
****
Overrun on Rwy 05 (brake failure)/major failure on t/o
Ac wreckage impacts crowd
Ac mid-air collision/etc
****
****
In depth Haz ID (incl source) of data – table 3
Hazard
Cause(s)
Source
Ac wreckage impacts crowd
Non-adherence to display regulations
DASC Occurrences data
Ac impacts runway
HF
RNFSAIC Occurrences data
Explosion in crowd
Terrorist act
ModSy/Police
****
****
****
77
RISK ASSESSMENT
10. Risk Assessment Jury:
a. Display Director (accountable risk manager and final arbiter)
b. Suitably experienced SO2- non-participant* (aviator/ATCO/Ops Spt)
c. Member of FCC
*An FSO from the Command FS organization or another unit is recommended.
11. Jury advisors:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
OC Ops/Cdr Air
SATCO
Fire Officer
Medical Officer
Security Officer
Salvage Officer
Etc
Risk Assessment – table 4
Hazard
(from Haz
ID)
Exposure
assessment
Hazard severity (“What
If” brainstorming method recommended)
****
catastrophic
Event probability
(“What If” brainstorming method recommended)
****
infrequent
Assessment
(from RA
Matrix in
JSP551)
*
A
****
Ac impacts
populated
area (local
caravan site)
Ac wreckage impacts
crowd
Ac impacts
runway
Explosion in
crowd
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
Overrun on
Rwy 05 (brake
failure)
1000pers
catastrophic
seldom
B
2pers
major
seldom
C
100pers
catastrophic
seldom
B
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
*
*
*
*
*
*
78
RISK CONTROL MEASURE ANALYSIS
Notes:
•
Insurance is one of the control measures for each risk but is not shown on the table.
•
1st and 2nd emergency response units are to provide the appropriate capability to meet the disaster
response plan.
Analysis – table 5
Prioritised Hazard
(fm Haz ID)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Ac wreckage
impacts crowd
Explosion in crowd
Ac impacts runway
Ac impacts populated area (local
caravan site)
****
****
****
Control method
options
Determine control effects
1. Ensure compliance
with JSP550 display
regulations
2. Monitor crowd line
3. Reduce crowd density/
4. Provide disaster
response
1. Enhance security
patrols
2. Reduce crowd
density
3. Escape routes
4. Public
announcements
5. Provide disaster
response
Cumulative effect:
1. Ensure compliance
with JSP550 display
regulations
2. Provide disaster
response
Cumulative effect:
1. Ensure arrestor
barrier serviceable
2. re-route display line
3. ask police to patrol
boundary fence
4. Use alternate Rwy
5. Provide disaster
response
****
****
****
Severity reduced to major (by
reducing number of pers and
disaster response) Probability
reduces to unlikely)by barrier/reroute
Revised assessment = C
Severity remains catastrophic,
probability reduces to unlikely
Revised assessment = C
Cumulative effect:
Severity remains catastrophic,
probability reduces to unlikely
Revised assessment = C
Severity remains major, probability reduces to unlikely
Revised assessment = C
****
****
****
79
Prioritised risk control
1. Compliance with
procedures
2. Briefing
3. Rehearsal
4. Crowd control
5. Provide disaster
response plan
1. Enhance security
2. Provide patrols
3. Increase size of
crowd enclosure
4. Provide signed
escape routes
5. Provide disaster
response plan
1. Compliance with
procedures
2. Briefing
3. Rehearsal
4. Provide disaster
response plan
1. Ensure arrestor
barrier serviceable
2. Re-route display line
3. Ask police to patrol
4. Provide disaster
response plan
note: alternative Rwy
option not practicable
****
****
****
RISK CONTROL DECISION AND IMPLEMENTATION
12. The Display Director is responsible for making the risk decision. This may include passing the risk
decision up the Command chain or delegating/passing on to an appropriate specialist such as the Fire
Officer/SATCO.
13. In the context of Air Shows:
Risk
Risk
Risk
Risk
level
level
level
level
A – Not acceptable under any circumstances must be reduced or activity cancelled.
B – Risk ownership must be transferred to a higher authority. Normally the AOA.
C – May be accepted by Display Director but must be carefully controlled and monitored.
D – Acceptable without further control. To be monitored under the change process.
Risk decision – table 6
1
Prioritised Hazard (fm Haz
ID)
Ac wreckage impacts crowd
2
Explosion in crowd
3
Ac impacts runway
4
Ac impacts populated area
(local caravan site)
5
6
7
Selected risk control(s)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Compliance with procedures
Briefing
Rehearsal
Crowd control
Provide disaster response plan
Enhance security
Provide patrols
Increase size of crowd enclosure
Provide signed escape routes
Provide disaster response plan
Compliance with procedures
Briefing
Rehearsal
Provide disaster response plan
Ensure arrestor barrier serviceable
Re-route display line
Ask police to patrol boundary fence
Provide disaster response plan
****
****
****
****
****
****
14. The Display Director is responsible for implementing risk control measures.
80
Risk decision
Accept
Accept
Accept
Accept
****
****
****
Control measure implementation – table 7
Prioritised
Hazard (fm
Haz ID)
1
Ac wreckage impacts
crowd
2
Explosion in
crowd
3
Ac impacts
runway
4
5
6
7
Ac impacts
populated
area (local
caravan site)
****
****
****
Selected risk control(s) to
be implemented (from risk
decision) directive to implement assumed
1. Compliance with procedures
2. Briefing
3. Rehearsal
4. Crowd control
5. Provide disaster
response plan
Action Officer
(establish accountability)
Support from
1. Disp Dir
2. OC Ops
3. AOA/
Disp Dir
4. St Cdr
5. Disp Dir
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Disp Dir/aircrews/SATCO
OC Ops
Disp Dir
Sec Off
Disp Dir/OC Ops
1. Enhance security
2. Provide patrols
3. Increase size of crowd
enclosure
4. Provide signed escape
routes
5. Provide disaster
response plan
1. Compliance with procedures
2. Briefing
3. Rehearsal
4. Provide disaster
response plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sec Off
Sec Off
Sec Off
Sec Off
Disp Dir/OC Ops
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
St Cdr
St Cdr
St Cdr
St Cdr
Disp Dir
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Disp Dir/aircrews/SATCO
2. OC Ops
3. Disp Dir
4. Disp Dir/OC Ops
1. Disp Dir
2. OC Ops
3. AOA/
Disp Dir
4. Disp Dir
1.
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1. SATCO
2. Disp Dir
3. Disp Dir/
OC Ops
4. Disp Dir
1.
Ensure arrestor barrier
serviceable
2. Re-route display line
3. Ask police to patrol
boundary fence
4. Provide disaster
response plan
1.
Approved
by
1.
SATCO
Disp Dir
Disp Dir/OC Ops
Disp Dir/OC Ops
****
****
****
****
****
****
81
****
****
****
2.
3.
4.
5.
2.
3.
4.
2.
3.
4.
DASC/
Cmnd FS/
OC Ops/
Sqn
SATCO/IT
OC Ops
MT
St Cdr/
Civ 1st
response
Civ Pol
MT
Contractor
Contractor
St Cdr/
Civ 1st
response
DASC/
Cmnd FS/
OC Ops/
Sqn
SATCO/IT
OC Ops
St Cdr/
Civ 1st
response
Salvage
Officer
N/A
Sec Officer
St Cdr/
Civ 1st
response
****
****
****
SUPERVISION AND REVIEW
It may be useful to subdivide this table into Action Officer groupings to give clarity to the feedback process
and to allow for insertion of unidentified risks and proposed future control measures. This process allows for
enhanced RM at the next event and should be fed back into the Hazard ID process.
The Display Director is responsible for the pro-active control of risk during the event and may nominate
suitable personnel, including members of the FCC, to assist.
Risk control supervision and feedback – table 8
1
Prioritised
Hazard (fm Haz
ID)
Ac wreckage
impacts crowd
2
Explosion in
crowd
3
Ac impacts
runway
4
Ac impacts populated area (local
caravan site)
Risk control(s)
1. Compliance with
procedures
2. Briefing
3. Rehearsal
4. Crowd control
5. Provide disaster
response plan
Supervising (Action)
Officer (as implementation
table)
1. Disp Dir/aircrews/SATCO/
FCC
2. OC Ops
3. Disp Dir
4. Sec Off
5. Disp Dir/OC Ops
1. Enhance security
2. Provide patrols
3. Increase size of
crowd enclosure
4. Provide signed
escape routes
5. Provide disaster
response plan
1. Compliance with
procedures
2. Briefing
3. Rehearsal
4. Provide disaster
response plan
1. Sec Off
2. Sec Off
3. Sec Off
4. Sec Off
5. Disp Dir/OC Ops
1. Ensure arrestor
barrier serviceable
2. re-route display
line
3. ask police to
patrol boundary
fence
4. Provide disaster
response plan
1. SATCO
2. Disp Dir
3. Disp Dir/OC Ops
4. Disp Dir/OC Ops
1. Disp Dir/aircrews/SATCO/
FCC
2. OC Ops
3. Disp Dir
4. Disp Dir/OC Ops
82
Feedback
1. Ac xxx over flew crowd
line
2. Briefing room too small
3. Ac yyy unable to
rehearse – displayed elsewhere
4. Comms difficulty
between civ/mil units
1. Successful
2. Insufficient manpower
3. Underestimated size of
crowd
4. Successful
5. Comms difficulty
between civ/mil units
1. Ac zzz flew below display minima
2. Foreign aircrew confused feet/metres
3. Ac yyy unable to
rehearse – displayed elsewhere
4. Pre-positioning locations put 1st response
units at risk. Comms difficulty between civ/mil
units
1. Barrier serviced 1 week
before show
2. Re-route caused difficulties for FJ display
– amend to 30 degree
easterly turn in future
3. Police patrol successful
–caravan site members
remained clear of overrun
4. Comms difficulty
between civ/mil units
5
****
****
****
****
6
****
****
****
****
7
****
****
****
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Post-event new
Haz ID
Jet blast on crowd
from ac in static
display area preparing for departure
after air show.
Station tannoy
unusable due to
commentary
Proposed risk
control measure
Delay ac departures from static
park ‘til crowd
clears.
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1
2
3
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Implement telephone- only emergency response
initiation.
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83