There will be a time where every audience in the National Day Parade 2008 will look up to the skies. Nothing poetic here, they are merely indulging themselves in the magnificent performances by our very own aerobatics team, the RSAF Black Knights.

Performing for the very first time at Marina Bay, the Black Knights will be making their triumphant return to the National Day Parade celebrations since their performance in NDP 2000's Carnival at Marina South. The Black Knights will feature the full team of six F-16C Fighting Falcons.

These new planes would most definitely be capable of a multitude of manoeuvres. But the Black Knights have specially selected manoeuvres that are congruent to this year's NDP theme - Celebrating the Singapore Spirit. The Black Knights are set to perform breathtaking aerobatics to portray the spirit of; Unity, Confidence, Compassion, Determination and Dynamism. What could these manoeuvres be? There is only one way to find out, so be sure to catch them at this year's National Day Parade!

Article provided courtesy of Pioneer

Standing at the vast beach frontage at Changi, you hear the roar of afterburners, followed by six red and white
F-16C Fighting Falcons whizzing past in symmetrical formations, flying within mere feet of each other.

With their billows of white smoke painting patterns in the sky, the 12th Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aerobatics team, the Black Knights, made a much-anticipated return at the Singapore Airshow 2008 from 19 to 24 Feb. In just a short run of 19 minutes, the Black Knights put up a total of 16 distinct manoeuvres throughout the entire sequence. They comprised both group and solo manoeuvres, including crowd-pleasers such as the ‘swan roll’ and ‘mirror pass’, as well as new manoeuvres such as the ‘vertical twist’ and ‘flaming heart’.

To come up with a sequence that would thrill the crowds, the team reviewed the previous sequence done in 2000, looked at what was good and kept the evergreen favourites and crowd-pleasers. They then brainstormed to come up with the other six manoeuvres.

Greater power and thrust
Compared to the A-4SU Super Skyhawks and the F-16 Fighting Falcons used in the last Black Knights performance, the F-16C has greater thrust, more speed and can pull higher G-forces. This translates into greater power and flexibility for the aerobatic stunts.
“We played more with the vertical dimension and strung up more ‘wild’ stuff, such as the visual illusion of almost colliding with each other, although we were at a safe enough distance,” said Flight Lead LTC Leng Wai Mun.
The vertical twist, for example, was a new manoeuvre concocted by MAJ Jeffrey Nah and LTC Philip Chionh.
“The F-16C is capable of rapid acceleration and high speeds, which translate into very good climb capabilities,” said MAJ Nah.
“Normally, most display pilots would execute a vertical pull-up, where they climb straight up into the sky. However, not only have we added another aircraft, we actually have the lead solo roll in a vertical and spiral up, while I come from behind him and try to pierce through the smoke spiral that he forms.”

Appointing the Knights
Unlike the United States Air Force’s Thunderbirds or the Red Arrows from the Royal Air Force, the Black Knights is not a full-time aerobatics team.
The team was formed only after the pilots and ground crew went through a stringent selection process following recommendation from their peers. To be considered for selection, each fighter pilot must have clocked at least 1,000 flying hours.
“We represent the RSAF and Singapore, so those who are chosen must be mature and professional enough to be able to go through the rigours of training, while balancing operational requirements and family commitments,” said LTC Leng.
“They must also be keen to do it. If someone is not interested and you force him to do it, he’s not going to give his all, or you’re probably not going to get that ‘oomph’ in the sequence,” he added.
The six pilots who made the final cut were LTC Leng, LTC Chionh, MAJ Nah, MAJ Tay Kok Ann, CPT Augustine Wan and CPT Lester John Fair.
“The fighter pilots are a close-knit team and we pretty much know each other, our strengths and weaknesses, so the pool was narrowed down from the start,” explained CPT Wan.
“I flew with the flight lead, with his aircraft behind me, seeing whether I could make the cut. Besides strong flying abilities, I think the other important attribute is to be a good team player.”

Aerobatics vs operations
The team began flying together since last May, embarking on modular training with two-ship flying, then four-ship, before progressing to flying all six aircraft together.
“It was my first time participating and it was an enriching experience, as not many pilots get to be involved in an aerobatics display team,” said CPT Wan.
“Aerobatics is something very unique. You don’t usually get six aircraft flying in very close proximity of each other,” added MAJ Tay.
“Operational flying is very different. It’s usually very fast, like trying to chase down fighters, for example. We are usually in a tactical formation and do more like the flying in the movie Top Gun.”
According to MAJ Tay, it was initially quite difficult to juggle the additional role as a Black Knight, but with progressive training and thorough debriefing, the team settled into a comfortable routine.
They also made it a point to maintain their operational flying skills by practising in simulators and mission trainers.

A second wind
LTC Chionh and MAJ Tay, who were on their second run as Black Knights, helped to prepare the team on what to expect in an air show and how best to execute certain manoeuvres.
“Everyone needs time to adapt when they first start out because they are not used to flying so close and with so many aircraft,” said LTC Chionh.
“MAJ Tay and I already know what to expect. But when we get into new routines and work with new people, we must make sure that we work well together and that part never goes away; it never gets easier.”

Ground talents
Behind every world-class aerobatics team is a professional ground crew responsible for maintaining all the mechanical, technical and electronic aspects of the aircraft.
Supporting the Black Knights is a group of 25 technicians comprising both Full-time National Servicemen and regulars.
“Our crew is akin to the pit crew in a Formula 1 racing team. To ensure a good race, the drivers need the pit to have their tyres changed, to refuel and to maintain their vehicles,” said CPT Markin Lai, leader of the Black Knights ground crew.
“In the same vein, our pilots need the ground crew’s technical support in order to confidently put up the best possible performance.”
Typically, before a launch, the crew has to prepare about three-and-a-half hours ahead, primarily to ensure that the jets are in serviceable condition. Besides air worthiness and safety of the aircraft, another challenge is to maintain the paint work of black, white and red – colours that are especially hard to maintain. After every launch, the servicemen have to polish the planes every day to maintain the aircraft’s shimmering showroom-shine.
For Air Dedicated Crew Chief 3SG Kelvin Pang, who extended his NS to be part of the Black Knights team, there’s nothing that beats the sense of pride when the jets take to the skies.
“When I see them in the sky, I can see that the pilots are putting in a lot of effort in maintaining the formation and performing the manoeuvres in the sky,” he said.
“For the logistics side, we are very supportive of each other, and we help each other in maintaining the plane whenever possible.”
He added: “My squadron (140 SQN) had been supportive and taught me a lot of things during my NS, and because of that, I felt that it was time for me to give something back to the squadron.”

All systems go
With such dedicated support, the Black Knights had added confidence to put on a good show for the audience.
“Those 19 minutes of thrill that the six of us were trying to put together, and the artistry in the air, were really due to the sweat and tears of the team,” said LTC Leng.
“We really wanted the public, especially our families, to have a good day out, since we’ve spent time away from our loved ones to train.”
For CPT Fair, the youngest member of the team, the biggest challenge was matching his performance with his expectations of himself.
“If I am happy with my performance, the people on the ground will be happy with it as well!” he said. 

 

Pilot Bios

Black Knight #01 – Flight Lead LTC Leng Wai Mun, 42 Specialist Pilot, HQ Tengah Air Base With RSAF for 23 years 2,800 flying hours on both F5 and F16 aircraft Was Detachment Commander of the RSAF’s F-16 Peace Carvin III Detachment in USA Married with two sons. Enjoys outdoor activities with family. What does it mean to be a Black Knight? This was a very special posting because I didn’t just represent myself. I, along with five other selected pilots, actually represented all the fighter pilots in the RSAF as well as our country in this inaugural air show. Favourite manoeuvre: The one I designed, the flaming heart. It’s for our better halves! Sometimes, we take it for granted that they are there to support us, and they really deserve the credit.
Black Knight #02 – Right Wingman CPT Augustine Wan, 31 Pilot, 145 SQN, Changi Air Base 10 years in service 1,100 flying hours Flew F-16 both locally and overseas at the RSAF’s  Peace Carvin II Detachment Married with two sons. Enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling and hiking What does it mean to be a Black Knight? When I was going through the selection and training process, I told myself every day to try hard, to stay in the team. I didn’t take things for granted, because when we fly, it is not just my life at stake. I think, to still be in the team now is an honour. Favourite manoeuvre: Swan roll (swan formation doing a barrel roll) because it is the most graceful manoeuvre.
Black Knight #03 – Left Wingman CPT Lester John Fair, 29 Pilot, 143 SQN, Tengah Air Base 10 years in service 1,400 flying hours Flew F-16 both locally in 140 SQN and 143 SQN, and overseas in the Peace Carvin III Detachment Enjoys outdoor activities like football What does it mean to be a Black Knight? I think it was a different kind of achievement from those in the operational world. It was a new dimension to flying. Putting up a good show with the rest of my team was another achievement. Favourite manoeuvre: Twinkle roll (four aircraft flying in diamond formation and rolling simultaneously on the spot) because it’s fun to do. It happens quickly and I don’t get to fly it very often during operational missions.
Black Knight #04 – Slotman MAJ Tay Kok Ann, 35 Staff Officer, HQ Tengah Air Base 15 years in service 2,000 flying hours Was Officer Commanding of the overseas F-16 detachment, Peace Carvin III. Second stint as Black Knight, having participated in Asian Aerospace 2000 Married with a son. Enjoys playing golf. What does it mean to be a Black Knight? I feel very honoured and especially happy to be given another chance, to fly another aircraft in a different position, to be a Black Knight again. Favourite manoeuvre: Swan roll because that was the most challenging manoeuvre. I was closest, formation-wise, to another aircraft (three feet, or about 91cm).
Black Knight #05 – Lead Solo LTC Philip Chionh, 39 Senior project officer, HQ Tengah Air Base 21 years in service 2,100 flying hours Was Officer Commanding of the Peace Carvin III Detachment and Branch Head in Air Training Department Married with two sons. Enjoys water sports and golf What does it mean to be a Black Knight? I feel very privileged and proud to be selected to do it a second time, and to be the lead solo this time. I personally feel that the solos have the best fun when we split up. That’s when we get to manoeuvre the aircraft really aggressively, sometimes more aggressively than we do in operations – we really took it to its limits. Favourite manoeuvre: I like the slow speed, afterburner climb. It is a new manoeuvre and it just looks nice: two aircraft come in together slowly in very close formation, then slowly accelerate and do a steep climb up.
Black Knight #06 – Opposing Solo MAJ Jeffrey Nah, 31 Fighter Weapons Instructor, 140 SQN, Tengah Air Base 12 years in service 1,900 flying hours Piloted both the A-4SU Super Skyhawks and the F-16 fighter aircraft Married with one daughter Enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling What does it mean to be a Black Knight? It’s something much sought after by a lot of fighter pilots. It has always been my target, as formation aerobatics is not something that we do in our day-to-day flying. I am very thankful to be part of the 2008 team, to experience what some fighter pilots will never get to experience in their Air Force career. Favourite manoeuvre: Slow speed, afterburner climb. Most of the time, we don’t fly F-16s at such a slow speed (about 130 knots, or 200 km/h). That sounds really fast, but it’s really slow for an aircraft. It’s not easy to fly at this speed because the aircraft does not behave as well as it does at higher speeds. The manoeuvre finishes off very well with an afterburner climb, you hear the two of us selecting full afterburners.

Black Knights Trivia

• 1973, the fifth year of existence for the RSAF, marked the debut of The Black Knights, who flew a four-ship formation of Hawker Hunters.
• The name Black Knights comes from the game of chess. The Knight is widely regarded as the most aggressive, flexible and manoeuvrable of chess pieces. It exemplifies flexibility, precision manoeuvrability as well as the mental and physical agility of our pilots.
• In tandem with the technological advancement and development of the RSAF, the Black Knights flew a five-ship F-5E Tigers team in the 80s, and the re-engined A-4SU Super Skyhawks in a six-aircraft formation in the 1990s.
• In 2000, the Black Knights performed with both the A-4SUs and the F-16 Fighting Falcons, and made history by being the world’s first formation aerobatics team to fly two different aircraft types.
• This year, in conjunction with RSAF’s 40th anniversary, the Black Knights returned with six F-16C Fighting Falcons to thrill and inspire at the inaugural Singapore Airshow.