Bernd van Doornick had some 22,000 total flying hours and is credited with more than 5,000 people rescued. September 1, 2007 marked his last flight at an air show, Bernd van Doornick showing the crowd gathered at Bex (Switzerland) what an Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama can do. The Lama holds to this day the absolute altitude record for all types of helicopters since 1972: 12,442 m. Quite an impressive helicopter, and with a skilled man at the controls this helo can do impressive stuff.
Archive for Aerobatics
Blue Eagles display at Shoreham a decade ago. The Blue Eagles are one of few professional helicopter aerobatic teams in the world and they fly four Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopters as well as one Westland Lynx helicopter, famous for doing loops and rolls at the various air shows the team performs.
Old video presenting a test flight of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, one of the biggest helicopters in the western world. Watch as this giant performs loops and rolls with relative ease, aerobatic maneuvers that very few helicopters in the world can perform.
Robert A. “Bob” Hoover (born 1922) is a former air show pilot and United States Air Force test pilot. His personal trademark is a wide-brimmed straw hat and wide smile.Bob Hoover is best known for his air show career, which started when he was hired to demonstrate the capabilities of Aero Commander’s Shrike Commander, a twin-engined piston business aircraft which had developed a rather staid reputation due to its bulky shape. Hoover showed the strength of the plane as he put the aircraft through rolls, loops, and other maneuvers which most people wouldn’t associate with executive aircraft. As a grand finale, he shut down both engines and executed a loop and an eight-point hesitation slow roll as he headed back to the runway. He touched down on one tire, then the other, before landing. After pulling off the runway, he would start engines to taxi back to the parking area. On airfields with large enough parking ramps (such as the Reno Stead Airport where the Reno Air Races take place), Hoover would sometimes land directly on the ramp and coast all the way back to his parking spot in front of the grandstand without re-starting the engines.
A few years after starting the show, he began carrying passengers during the show — after all, he reasoned, the Shrike Commander carries six passengers in comfort (though perhaps not as much comfort when upside down.) These passengers became known as “Hoover’s Heavers” due to the number who became airsick during the maneuvers.
With the advent of camcorders, Hoover added a flourish to the act by pouring a cup of tea from a Thermos, while performing a slow barrel roll (a 1G maneuver). Video of this has been widely distributed, to the pleasure of Aero Commander enthusiasts.
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is probably one of the best looking planes in the world. Admire its stunning beauty in this great French Air Force video showcasing the qualities of their jet fighter.
The German built MBB Bo-105 is probably one of the coolest helicopters ever built and quite probably one of the most maneuverable helicopters in the world. Red Bull uses a Bo-105 at airshows as an aerobatic demonstrator performing maneuvers that are generally reserved to aerobatic aircraft. Check out the Bo-105 as it performs a series of loops, rolls, and many more. Enjoy this great video!
Wings of Storm is the name of the aerobatic display team of the Croatian Air Force. Wings of storm were seen for the first time over the city of Zadar in 2004, but were officially formed in the spring of 2005. The team flies the Pilatus PC-9M and all pilots are also flight instructors in service with the Croatian Air Force. This is a video shot during some training sessions over the city of Zadar, where Wings of Storm regularly train to improve their display.
In 1991, at the Kubinka Air Base a new Russian Air Force aerobatics team was born: the Strizi ( Swifts ). Pilots at Kubinka had been flying since 1984 in close 6 aircraft formation, but they were officially recognized on May 6, 1991, when they carried out a demonstration under the name Strizhi. The aerobatic performance demonstrator team flies the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum. The Strizhi aerobatic team has conducted 50 demonstration flights on an annual basis since 1991. Its pilots have visited in excess of 28 foreign states. The team traditionally participates in Tushino air parades and Zhukovsky air shows. The team’s pilots have repeatedly carried out demonstration flights during numerous celebrations, devoted to anniversaries of various cities, including the 850th anniversary of Moscow. This video present the story of these amazing pilots.
Of course the Mi-34 Hermit can’t go mad. But the pilot can 
This little Russian helicopter built by the famous Mil Helicopters is capable of some insane aerobatic maneuvers. Equipped with the same M-14 nine piston radial engine found in high performance aerobatic airplanes such as the Sukhoi Su-26 and Su-31, this little helicopter is capable of pulling 3Gs and can perform loops and rolls and stuff like that. It is in fact an absolute delight to see this one at work… soundtrack is good too!
If someone decides to make a top 10 of the most memorable flying formations then this one should be one of the best. The mighty Concorde, the only successful supersonic passenger airliner leading the members of the Patrouille de France. Must have been quite a sight.
