Roulette formation Flypast with a Hercules over Sydney Harbour

[Michael P]

What: Formation flight by Royal Australian Air Force aerobatic team, the Roulettes, with a C-130H Hercules.

Where: Over Sydney Harbour.

When: Thursday, 6 October 2011 at approximately 11.30am.

Air Force’s aerobatic display team, the Roulettes, will make an appearance over Sydney Harbour in the lead up to the Bathurst 1000 motor racing event this weekend.

The team will fly with six Pilatus PC-9/A aircraft in formation with an Air Force C-130H from RAAF Base Richmond. The Roulettes will conduct a series of formation aerobatic manoeuvres over Sydney Harbour, but not a full display routine.

Aircraft will be emitting smoke during the display. This practice is controlled by the pilot and is safe.

The flight over Sydney Harbour will be an image collection exercise for the team, identifying the Roulettes with one of Australia’s most cherished landmarks. The imagery during this flight will be used to promote the Roulettes and Air Force in the future.

This year, Air Force is marking its 90th Birthday with a series of modest activities, focusing on remembering our past, and looking to our future with the theme tradition, innovation, evolution. This formation flypast over Sydney Harbour will involve two Air Force icons – the C-130 Hercules and the Roulettes aerobatic team – and further promote Air Force in its 90th Birthday celebrations.

More about the Roulettes http://ra.af/gEN6h5
More about the C-130 http://ra.af/ef91xQ

[Shayne G]

What altitude will they be flying at?

[A McLaughlin]

C-130 has been cancelled - only Roulettes now.

[KrishnaM]

they have been up in the air for a while now.. nice formations so far and I can hear them buzz past from inside the office

[Ray P.]

Originally Posted by Michael P

... This practice is controlled by the pilot and is safe. ...

I wonder if there are any practices controlled by the pilot that aren't safe.

[Mario Facchini]

I know the Roulettes are an institution and have been around for years, but i wonder if there are any ideas to change to a Jet based performance squadron?

[Greg McDonald]

The air force can't afford it....

[Mick.B]

No

[A McLaughlin]

Not enough Hawks or Hornets to devote to a dedicated team. The Roulettes perform 12+ times a year and are otherwise full time CFS QFIs. All the PC-9s at CFS at east Sale are painted in Roulettes colours and their hours are spread around the display team.

There are dedicated Hornet and Super Hornet singleton display pilots who are B-Cat supervisors/instructors within their squadrons and have the gig for a 2-3 year period, but they only perform 3-4 times a year.

Each of the classic Hornet squadrons get to do a four-ship display at major airshows for a two-year rotation, but they only perform once or twice a year.

[AdamC]

Some pictures here.

http://images.defence.gov.au/fotoweb...Series%201961-))

Adam.