"Top 5 Aerobatic Demonstration Teams" Topic

I can't really choose more than one here….

Where are the Red Baron Pizza Stearmans?

BLUE ANGELS you landlubbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excuse me but we can only pick one and not five.

Really? The United States Army Golden Knights, bar none. 2nd place would go to the Coors Lite Skydiving Team (which only exists 2-4 times a year), the noms de guerre for the multi service, interagency cross training exercises in Advanced Free Fall (AFF).

VR
James Mattes

The United States Army Golden Knights

I'm not sure formation falling should count.

I saw the RAAF Roulettes at an airshow two months ago. They were good but their planes sucked. Preferred the Super Hornet demos.

Excuse me but we can only pick one and not five.

Fixed, but had to clear all your votes to do so – so vote again, twice the thrill in one poll!

PLAAF August 1st team. Haven't seen their routine, but the J-10 is such a need looking bird.

Two other votes – the Italian Air Force Frecce Tricolori, and the Patrouille Suisse.

I've never seen the Blue Angels, and the one time I saw the Thunderbirds they seemed to fly past in formation, then fly past the other way in a different formation. I prefer teams that do some manoeuvring in front of the crowd.

@Richard Humm.

Spot on on both accounts.

Frecce Tricolori put on one of the best shows I've ever seen when I saw them at the EAA Airshow in Oshkosh in the mid-80s.

The Blue Angels (and several other teams) put on a much better show than the Thunderbirds. I'm not knocking their skills as they put on a great demonstration of precision very close formation flying. But the result is a quite dull show to watch.

At least one vote here for the Turks. Eight planes and paint jobs like Romulan spacecraft!

YouTube link

Frecce Tricolori definitely in the top 5.

I haven't seen the Red Arrows (RAF) live in a few years, and I have only seen the others via video (TV etc). The Roulettes (RAAF) used to be based out of Sale in Victoria (Australia) where I lived for a while, and I was impressed by their skill, but as pointed out, the planes are rubbish.

Overall, I would give it the Red Arrows on points (based on live watching their performance several times). But seriously, when you get fliers that good, in any team, the real defining factors are the risks they are prepared (allowed)to take, how spectacular the aircraft are, and how much time they spend together as a team.

And a lot of that that can often be a function of team management decisions, not the individual skill of the fliers.

I also have to say that I saw pilots in the 70's and 80's take risks and fly in ways I have never seen since. Things like two planes one upside down flying so close vertically the tailplanes almost touched.

Have seen the Blue Angels and Snowbirds a bunch of times – great showmanship

McKinstry on 26 Jun 2012 6:52 a.m. PST wrote:

The United States Army Golden Knights

I'm not sure formation falling should count.

Ever flown your own body at over 220 miles per hour? I have not as easy as it looks on TV. I was an AFF instructor. Canopy flight is also not easy especially flying formations and building stacks.

VR
James Matttes

I've seen the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels and the Red Arrows, as well as some of the European teams at air shows over the years. All were very classy acts, but the Thunderbirds display was pretty much as described above. The Blue Angels display was pretty good, but the Red Arrows regularly have me thrilled in a way that even the BAs couldn't match.

Another vote for the Frecce Tricolori! I saw them at the EAA airshow and they were spectacular!

I have seen the Snowbirds at the 25ht and 50th USAF Birthday celebrations. The 9 ship diamond simultaneous takeoff and landing are aerial ballet to say the least.

Judging from the poll votes this one is a Nationalistic decision.