Premiere of Midnight Hawks at NATO Days in Ostrava

News

Premiere of Midnight Hawks at NATO Days in Ostrava

05.04.2019, 09:00

The Finnish Air Force has prepared a unique premiere for the 19th NATO Days in Ostrava & the 10th Days of the Czech Air Force. This is the first time they send aerobatic group Midnight Hawks flying on four Hawk aircraft to the Czech Republic.

So far, the Finnish Air Force presented a dynamic demonstration of its F-18 Solo Display, one of the highlights of the 2014 and 2018 seasons. And an expectations of 2019 display are high as well.

"The basis of the performance of the Finnish Midnight Hawks group is the precise flying of four Hawk Mk.51 training jets with minimum spacing, including take-off and landing. The quality of the piloting technique is on a similar level as the famous British Red Arrows flying on Hawk machines, as well," says Jan Čadil, editor-in-chief of Letectví+kosmonautika magazine. "The team's pilots are experienced instructors of the Finnish Air Force Air Academy, who are working in the team beyond their normal duties. During the performance, the aircraft speed range is from 200 to 800 km/h."

"Finland is not a traditional participant in our event and we really did not expect it to follow up on the F-18 Hornet last year,” adds Zbyněk Pavlačík, Chairman of Jagello 2000."In addition, we are pleased to be able to offer visitors something new again, because this group is rarely seen abroad."

After the Swiss PC-7 Team with turboprop aircraft, Midnight Hawks will be the second aerobatic group this year, but on jet aircraft. After the already mentioned Red Arrows and Saudi Hawks, Midnight Hawks are also historically the third group to be presented at NATO Days in Ostrava on Hawk machines from the British company BAE Systems. Hawks are designed specifically for training, they are characterized by low operating costs, but above all, they always show their outstanding flight agility in public air shows, which is making them very popular both with viewers and aerobatic groups.