Russia’s famed Strizhi aerobatics team celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday with a performance over Kubinka airfield outside Moscow. The team showed several aerobatic maneuvers for the first time.
Russia’s famed Strizhi aerobatics team celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday with a performance over Kubinka airfield outside Moscow. The team showed several aerobatic maneuvers for the first time.
According to a Russian Air Force official, the Strizhi and Russian Knights teams, flying MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets, showed an 80-minute program of complex stunt flying.
Strizhi performed such breath-taking stunts as the Wedge, the double combat banked turn, the oblique loop, the Ear, the Roll and the Whip Stall (Tail Slide).
The program was developed by Strizhi pilots.
“The most difficult part was changing flight formations. These maneuvers had to be performed in three or four seconds,” the official said.
The flight program had to be adjusted due to heavy cloud cover. The aircraft flew at low altitude to avoid clouds.
The Kubinka military airfield, 60 kilometers outside Moscow, is known around the world for its displays of new aircraft.
Aircraft of the Strizhi aerobatics team performing a takeoff
Kubinka is considered the main flight school for Russian military stunt pilots. It is a home base for both the Strizhi and Russian Knight aerobatics teams.
Kubinka is one of the largest airbases in the Moscow region.
