One of the world’s most prestigious aerobatics display teams, the Russian Knights, have confirmed they will be taking part in this year’s Koksijde Airshow. This will be their only airshow performance in Europe in the year 2006.
The team will arrive at the airshow with an international reputation for airborne perfection to fly an exacting display at the controls of six Su-27 Flanker jets. The Russian Knights aerobatic team was created on 5 April 1991 and manned by the best pilots of the Kubinka Air Force base, who had fully mastered the piloting of the 4th generation Su-27 fighter. The team is organic to the Russian Air Force 237th Aircraft Demonstration Centre named after Air Force Marshal Ivan Kozhedub (Russian acronym - TsPAT).
The Russian Knights made their foreign debut in September 1991 when they displayed their aerobatics programme in the United Kingdom for the first time. Since that time the Russian Knights have become regular participants of the major airshows all over the world. They visited Malaysia, USA, France, Holland, Canada, Slovakia, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, and China. The Russian Knights' aerobatics is a true decoration of the MAKS Moscow international airshows held at the Gromov LII airfield in Zhukovsky.
Little can rival the spectacular sight of supersonic aircraft group aerobatics. Aerobatics emerged almost simultaneously with aircraft themselves. Later, the best pilots in the world turned to formation flying. It is well known that the heavier the aircraft, the harder it is controlling it as part of the team. However, the unique performances of the Su-27 added new momentum to the sophistication of aerobatics. Coupled with the superior flying skills of the Kubinka aces, the performance of the Su-27 turns the Russian Knights' flying into a breathtaking show.
