80-886: SoloTürk or Solo Türk , often stylized as SOLOTÜRK , is a single-aircraft aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force based at the Konya Air Base . Plans for the team began in November 2009 and the pilot training process was finalized in August 2010 with three pilots initially. The first demonstration flight was performed within the military in September 2010, and the team made its first public appearance 15 April 2011. Since then, SoloTürk has participated in several national and international airshows, with most maneuvers in demonstration flights being special to
160-477: A General Dynamics F-16C Block 40 aircraft in its demonstration flights. The type was chosen because it is a highly maneuverable aircraft and because the F-16 uses a side-stick , which aids pilots in keeping the aircraft under control during high g-force maneuvers. Despite being painted in a special livery, the aircraft still has combat capabilities and is sometimes used in training and minor operations carried out by
240-446: A barrel roll at the peak of the initial nose climb which ends the maneuver with a barrel roll. The cobra hover is an extension of the original maneuver in which an aircraft initiates the cobra but remains in the "cobra state" for a longer period of time by the use of thrust control, thus achieving the "hover" part of the maneuver. After which the aircraft can complete the maneuver in various ways depending on its energy. The cobra turn
320-463: A flying circus to entertain. Maneuvers were flown for artistic reasons or to draw gasps from onlookers. In due course some of these maneuvers were found to allow aircraft to gain tactical advantage during aerial combat or dogfights between fighter aircraft. Aerobatic aircraft fall into two categories—specialist aerobatic, and aerobatic capable. Specialist designs such as the Pitts Special ,
400-438: A climb, followed by a forward-pitch back to level flight. If properly performed, the plane maintains nearly straight flight throughout the maneuver. The plane does not roll or yaw in either direction. This greatly lowers the speed of the aircraft due to the un-aerodynamic under-surface of the aircraft going against the airflow. To perform the cobra, the maneuver must be entered from fairly high subsonic speeds. Proper entry speed
480-463: A cobra maneuver presents the attacker with a larger target to shoot due to the increased presented surface area when the defender is oriented vertically. The cobra maneuver has been used in mock dogfights but there is little to no known documentation of it being used in actual combat. One primary described mock dogfight was fought between two planes in Swedish service. In this case, a Saab 35 Draken
560-432: A cobra, maintaining weapons on target may require the use of thrust vectoring or canard control surfaces. Otherwise, the maneuver may also allow the pursued plane to flee as the overshooting attacker may lose track of the target. The maneuver is also potentially a defense against radar , as the sudden change in velocity can often cause Doppler radar to lose its target lock. Doppler radars often ignore any objects with
640-608: A crash. Intrigued, he decided to try to replicate the maneuver in a controlled manner, this time by engaging the afterburner beforehand, as the Tumansky R-11 engine of the MiG-21 had to spool for full effect. After successful replication of the maneuver, it became clear that this was the close combat defensive maneuver that he sought. The Syrians named the cobra the "zero-speed maneuver" ( Arabic : مناورة السرعة صفر "munawarat alsureat sifr" ). Mohammad soon saw combat again with
720-439: A demonstration flight at the 7th edition of Teknofest at Adana Şakirpaşa Airport on 3 October, the F-16 aircraft suddenly turned upside down at a very low altitude with the nose pointing down and came as close as "a small number of wingspans" to the crowd. The aircraft landed safely at Incirlik Air Base , and an expert team was sent to investigate the incident. A typical SoloTürk demonstration flight takes about 20 minutes, where
800-424: A near-zero velocity to reduce ground clutter. The cobra maneuver's sudden change to near-zero velocity often results in the target being momentarily filtered off as ground clutter, making it difficult for the radar to lock onto the target, or breaking the target lock if already established. There is no available documentation of this being tested beyond theory. While the cobra maneuver may appear to be useful to force
880-587: A part of the Gülen movement . The base of the team was moved to the Konya Air Base in October 2016 under the 132nd Squadron Command, where the aerobatic demonstration team Turkish Stars are also based at. On 25 January 2017, pilots Erhan Günar and Serdar Doğan flew the SoloTürk F-16, which has a takeoff speed of 300 kilometres per hour (160 kn), at a speed of 180 kilometres per hour (97 kn) during
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#1732797382566960-492: A pilot, and said that the minimum required flight hours was one thousand. As of March 2023, the team consists of two pilots, two support personnel and nine maintenance personnel. The person talking during the demonstration flights is SoloTürk's press and public relations officer, Mustafa Bircan Biçer. The three initially selected pilots are no longer a part of SoloTürk. Murat Keleş left in 2012, Fatih Batmaz in 2013, while Sedat Yalın Ahbab left in 2014. As of February 2024,
1040-406: A pursuer to overshoot, the tactic would almost never be employed in any active threat scenario for a variety of reasons. The most obvious of these is the extreme loss of speed . Assuming the defending aircraft successfully forces the aggressor to overshoot the attack, the defender often does not have enough energy to counter-attack. The second more prevalent reason for avoiding the use of the maneuver
1120-419: A pursuing aircraft to overshoot, putting it in a perfect position for a riposte , and it was not long until it was proven viable during mock dogfights. In real combat, depending on the situation and the execution of the maneuver, it could be used to confuse the enemy by making it lose the target or to overshoot, which would allow the pursued pilot the opportunity to either flee from combat or re-engage. However,
1200-440: A sudden activation of the afterburner and a climb. However, during a test flight in early 1967, Mohammad inadvertently pitched the nose of his MiG-21 too hard, so that the forward movement of his aircraft nearly stopped. In reaction, he engaged the afterburner of his MiG, and ended with the plane standing vertically on the verge of stalling out of control. Mohammad managed to recover the plane from that state, just in time to prevent
1280-554: A training flight in preparation of the coming year and broke the "slowest flight" record. At the inaugural Teknofest on 20 September 2018, a drag race was held between SoloTürk, Red Bull RB8 , Kawasaki Ninja H2 , Tesla Model S P100D , Aston Martin Vantage , Lotus Evora GT410 and Bombardier Challenger 600 . The 9-second race was won by Kenan Sofuoğlu who was driving the Kawasaki Ninja H2. SoloTürk came third behind
1360-523: A training. SoloTürk has received multiple awards for its demonstration flights. The development of a one-aircraft aerobatic team started on 25 November 2009. The pilots were selected in January 2010 and training started in May the same year, which lasted three months. The first private display flight was performed on 1 September 2010 to then Turkish Air Force commander Hasan Aksay [ tr ; de ] at
1440-535: Is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment, and sport. Additionally, some helicopters , such as the MBB Bo 105 , are capable of limited aerobatic manoeuvres . An example of a fully aerobatic helicopter, capable of performing loops and rolls, is the Westland Lynx . Most aerobatic manoeuvres involve rotation of
1520-476: Is an air combat maneuver . It is a variation on the cobra maneuver where the aircraft performs the pull-up, but instead of returning to level flight applies rudder or thrust vectoring and turns downward. The aircraft achieves a negative angle of attack, ending the maneuver in a dive, therefore regaining airspeed sooner than the common cobra. John Turner of BAE considers the cobra maneuver to have little use in air combat maneuvering . It could also be argued that
1600-473: Is due to the ability to limit blood pooling for positive g maneuvers, but it is generally accepted that +9 g for more than a few seconds will lead to loss of consciousness (also known as GLOC ). Aerobatics are most likely to be seen at public airshows in the form of stunt flying. Aerobatic competitions usually do not attract large crowds of spectators since the manoeuvers are flown at safe altitudes to avoid accidents. Cobra maneuver In aerobatics ,
1680-553: Is much harder to recover from than a standard stall . Super stall plagued the early years of Saab 35 service, causing several deaths, which led the Swedish air staff to implement extra training on how to counteract and recover from them. The result was the cobra maneuver. The Swedes named the maneuver "kort parad" (short parry) after a fencing maneuver of the same name, known as " beat parry " in English. When pulling high alpha,
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#17327973825661760-513: Is necessary because, if the maneuver is entered too slowly, the plane might be unable to complete the maneuver or return to level flight with sufficient speed, while entering at too high a speed would create g-forces so high that the pilot loses consciousness or the airframe is damaged. High thrust is also needed throughout the maneuver to not stall out. To execute the maneuver the aircraft only needs to use its standard aerodynamic controls , however executing it can be achieved more easily with
1840-419: Is nicknamed SoloTürk roll because it is only performed by SoloTürk. In 2022, the cobra maneuver was also added to the demonstration package of the team. The aircraft stays in between a speed of 100–1,200 knots (190–2,220 km/h) and above an altitude of 100 feet (30 m). Per demonstration flight, 3.5 tonnes of fuel is used. Pilots experience a maximum g-force of 9 during flights. SoloTürk uses
1920-409: Is not recovered for more than ten seconds. While entering the cobra is effective as a "speed brake" maneuver, usefulness in combat is limited at best, and then only if exited while sufficient energy remains to bring the weapons to bear before the opponent can break into an evasive maneuver—or, worse, loop back and attack. One simple defense-into-attack maneuver is for the opponent to split-S , pass under
2000-400: Is taught in most fighter pilot training. When attacking an aircraft, the pilot must be mindful of the closure-rate between both aircraft. If the closure rate is too high, the defender can change direction rapidly, which denies the attacker a shot opportunity, and thereby decreases the probability of kill . If the attacker manages their speed and rate of closure properly, the defender executing
2080-493: Is typically performed at air shows , but could be used as a last-ditch maneuver to force a chaser to overshoot in close-range air combat . The maneuver has never been verified in real combat, although it has been used during mock dogfights and border protection. The maneuver has many names, but it is most commonly known as the cobra or the cobra maneuver in the respective language; for example: Russian : Ко́бра (Kobra), German : Kobramanöver . The etymology for
2160-568: The Akıncı Air Base in Ankara , where the team would be initially stationed at. The team made its first public appearance on 15 April 2011 at the Akıncı Air Base during the 100th anniversary event of the Turkish Air Force . At the final Waddington International Airshow in 2014, SoloTürk ducked under the glide slope on final approach and made an extremely low-pass above the audience watching
2240-708: The Austrian Air Force . In an interview, former Finnish Air Force pilot Ari Saarinen recalled performing the maneuver in a Draken while intercepting a Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Nimrod over the Baltic Sea ; the Nimrod pilot reduced power in order to get the Finns to overshoot, but the Finnish Drakens performed the maneuver to slow down, which according to Saarinen drew praise over the radio from
2320-857: The Extra 200 and 300 , and the Sukhoi Su-26 M and Sukhoi Su-29 aim for ultimate aerobatic performance. This comes at the expense of general purpose use such as touring, or ease of non aerobatic handling such as landing. At a more basic level, aerobatic capable aircraft, such as the Cessna 152 Aerobat or the R2160 Acrobin , can be dual purpose—equipped to carrying passengers and luggage, as well as being capable of basic aerobatic figures. Flight formation aerobatics are flown by teams of up to sixteen aircraft, although most teams fly between four and ten aircraft. Some are state funded to reflect pride in
2400-602: The Farnborough Airshow in September 1957. Aerobatics are taught to military fighter pilots as a means of developing flying skills and for tactical use in combat. Many aerobatic manoeuvres were indeed developed in military conflicts, e.g. the Immelmann turn or Split S . Aerobatics and formation flying is not limited solely to fixed-wing aircraft; the British Army , Royal Navy , Spanish Air Force and
2480-546: The Indian Air Force , among others, have helicopter display teams. All aerobatic manoeuvres demand training and practice to avoid accidents . Accidents due to aerobatic manoeuvres are very rare in competition aerobatics; most of them happen when performing formation flying or stunt flying at very low levels at airshows or air racing . Low-level aerobatics are extremely demanding and airshow pilots must demonstrate their ability before being allowed to gradually reduce
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2560-673: The United Arab Republic , they were left with a very weak air force . The Syrians had to order new combat aircraft, and procured the Mig-21 F-13 in June 1962. Once the aircraft had arrived and been integrated into the fleet, a problem became apparent. All of the unit commanders had been selected based on their political associations and loyalty to superiors, instead of knowledge of air combat. The new commanders were over-reliant on advice from about 30 Soviet advisors assigned to
2640-594: The Yom Kippur War , but the theory is based on a quote from an Israeli pilot that only mentions an Egyptian MiG-21 apparently standing on its tail while trying to evade an attack. Research and developments on supermaneuverability started in USSR in the early 1980s by Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute , Gromov Flight Research Institute , Sukhoi and Mikoyan . In flight testing the Su-27 test pilot Igor Volk
2720-412: The armed forces while others are commercially sponsored. Coloured smoke trails may be emitted to emphasise the patterns flown and/or the colours of a national flag. Aerobatic maneuvers flown in a jet-powered aircraft are limited in scope as they cannot take advantage of the gyroscopic forces that a propeller driven aircraft can exploit. Jet-powered aircraft also tend to fly much faster, which increases
2800-406: The cobra maneuver (or just the cobra ), also called dynamic deceleration , among other names (see Etymology ), is a dramatic and demanding maneuver in which an airplane flying at a moderate speed abruptly raises its nose momentarily to a vertical and slightly past vertical attitude, causing an extremely high angle of attack and making the plane into a full-body air brake , momentarily stalling
2880-428: The torque from the elevators added drag to pitch forward and make an aerodynamic recovery to horizontal flying again. Only specific aircraft feature this "instability" and thus the maneuver can only be performed by a small number of aircraft models. This is because conventional aircraft are designed to lack this instability for safety reasons, and can thus not execute the maneuver by conventional means. Simply put,
2960-765: The British Nimrod crew. According to a video uploaded by the Scania Wing comrade association (Swedish: F10 Kamratförening), the Swedish cobra was taught to Austrian pilots training on the Saab 35 in Sweden . It is unknown whether the Austrians used this as a combat maneuver or just as training against super stall. Beyond Sweden, Syria also discovered the maneuver prior to the Soviets. In 1961 when Syria left
3040-601: The Israeli Air Force but never got to use the maneuver. The cobra quickly became a standard part of defensive tactics for Syrian Mig-21s. With time, as their air forces were stationed in Syria, the maneuver spread to both the Pakistan and Egyptian air force , who also began using it as a standard defensive maneuver for their MiG-21s. The cobra maneuver may have been performed in combat by an Egyptian pilot during
3120-729: The Olympic games, and are governed by the FAI Aerobatics Commission (CIVA) Competitions start at Primary, or Graduate level (in UK "Beginners") and proceed in complexity through Sportsman (in UK "Standard"), Intermediate and Advanced, with Unlimited being the top competition level. Experienced aerobatic pilots have been measured to pull ±5 g for short periods while unlimited pilots can perform more extreme maneuvers and experience higher g levels -possibly up to +8/−6 g. The limits for positive g are higher than for negative g and this
3200-542: The Red Bull RB8 driven by Jake Dennis . Before the start of the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix at the Istanbul Park circuit, SoloTürk made a fly-by on the main straight. Footage captured by a track-side cameraman showed that the unexpected and sudden sound of the aircraft scared several drivers who were walking down the straight without headphones. On 21 May 2022, pilot Emre Mert performed the cobra maneuver with
3280-582: The Slovak International Air Fest, where the demonstration flight was watched by 300,000 people. At the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2018, the team received an award for having the "Best Solo Jet Demonstration Flight" of the airshow. Aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term
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3360-556: The Syrian Air Force to help with training on the Migs, but were generally ineffective. In this era of power over knowledge, however, a handful of pilots with powerful connections were able to disregard their Soviet advisors and orders from their commanders. One of these pilots, Mohammad Mansour, then a novice MiG-21-pilot fresh from a conversion course in the USSR, had an older brother, Fayez Mansour, with deep connections high in
3440-598: The Turkish Air Force under the 132nd Squadron Command. There is a reserve F-16 that is also transported to events should the main aircraft malfunction. The livery was designed by Murat Dorkip. The star and crescent on the aircraft represents the value of the Turkish Air Force to the Republic of Turkey . The silver star on the plane symbolizes the goal of the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish Air Force to be
3520-440: The addition of modern thrust vectoring . The cobra maneuver requires more than just pilot input and aircraft maneuverability to be performed. Since the maneuver requires the aircraft to not lose or gain substantial altitude during the maneuver, the change of alpha during the vertical pitchup has to be fast enough to break the airflow of the wings, as to not make the aircraft climb. To be able to perform this rapid vertical pitchup
3600-420: The aircraft about its longitudinal (roll) axis or lateral (pitch) axis. Other maneuvers, such as a spin , displace the aircraft about its vertical (yaw) axis. Manoeuvres are often combined to form a complete aerobatic sequence for entertainment or competition. Aerobatic flying requires a broader set of piloting skills and exposes the aircraft to greater structural stress than for normal flight. In some countries,
3680-447: The aircraft initiates the cobra, but instead of remaining in altitude and continuing forward, it starts to stall climb (climbing vertically). The maneuver is similar to a regular stall climb except that the change from level flight to stall climb happens much faster. However, unlike a regular climb, this still achieves the effect of the cobra and the aircraft will still stall momentarily which lowers speed and momentum. The maneuver ends with
3760-422: The aircraft land. The Akıncı Air Base, which was the base of SoloTürk since its forming, was closed following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt as it was alleged that the base was used as the command center of pro-coup military. Demonstrations of SoloTürk were temporarily halted following the attempt as a safety measure. An internal investigation within the air force concluded that none of the members of SoloTürk were
3840-406: The aircraft needs an "aerodynamic instability" in its core aerodynamics which will make the aircraft rapidly pitch up by itself once the elevator of the aircraft is pitched to the point where it breaks the airflow during a pitch up; but also post-stall control and stability to not enter an uncontrollable stall at the peak of the pitch; which then allows the aircraft to center the elevator and using
3920-434: The aircraft. Due to safety concerns, the smoke is not a result of combustion but is produced by the vaporization of fog oil into a fine aerosol , achieved either by injecting the oil into the hot engine exhaust or by the use of a dedicated device that can be fitted in any position on the aircraft. The first military aerobatic team to use smoke at will during displays was Fleet Air Arm 702 Squadron " The Black Cats " at
4000-485: The appeal of the tactic, some Saab 37 pilots attempted it, but to their dismay were unable to effectively perform it above speeds of 350 km/h (220 mph) as the Saab 37 couldn't safely handle the necessary gs , rendering it effectively useless in combat. When the Saab 35 was retired, so was the maneuver, as the next generations of Swedish warplanes, the Saab 37 and the Saab 39 , couldn't effectively perform it. Due to
4080-581: The chain of command in Damascus . Those connections enabled him to challenge Soviet advisors and demand greater operational flexibility for himself and other pilots of his unit. During Mohammed's first clashes with the Israeli Air Force , he realized that there was a need for an effective defensive maneuver in close combat that forced a pursuer to overshoot. His initial solution based on Soviet manuals consisted of rapid descending turns followed by
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#17327973825664160-439: The climb and the aircraft can return to common flight in various ways. In the cobra stall, the aircraft initiates the cobra, but instead of returning to level flight, the aircraft instead fully stalls out after which it applies thrust and rudder to change the direction of the aircraft. In the cobra roll, the aircraft initiates the cobra but instead of returning to level flight, the aircraft uses its ailerons and rudder to initiate
4240-482: The cobra maneuver was used during some of these engagements, surprising the Soviets. Late in the Saab 35's service life, the maneuver was used as a 'secret weapon' by Saab-35 pilots in mock dogfights facing the more advanced Saab 37 fighter. The Saab 37 was unable to safely enter super stalls, and therefore its pilots did not receive any major training against its use. The cobra maneuver was therefore unknown to many Saab 37 pilots prior to facing it in competition. Due to
4320-407: The cobra relies more on the core aerodynamics of the aircraft than its control surfaces and avionics and can thus only be performed by specific aircraft featuring aerodynamics allowing for the maneuver. In the case of the Su-27 , to execute the maneuver the pilot initially disengages the angle of attack limiter of the plane, normally set at 26°. This action also disengages the g limiter. After that,
4400-419: The cobra, a sufficiently closely pursued aircraft may suddenly slow itself down to the point that the pursuer overshoots it, allowing the previously pursued aircraft to complete the cobra behind the other. This may allow the now-pursuing aircraft an opportunity for firing its weapons, particularly if a proper pointing aspect (facing toward the former pursuer) can be maintained. Due to the speed loss when performing
4480-528: The cockpit as observers. Keleş finished his training on 20 August 2010. In an early 2021 interview with TRT Haber , pilot Emre Mert said that to become a SoloTürk pilot, "you must have flown an F-16 for over 500 hours, have no record of incidents and know a good level of English ." Pilots can only start their training of three months which they will have to pass, after they meet these criteria and get selected. Later that year, pilot Murat Bakıcı told that there were specific "books and guidelines" on who could become
4560-458: The combat effect is likely to be similar to the “ Vectoring In Forward Flight " or VIFFing maneuver. In theory, VIFFing allows the aircraft to effectively slow down or stop while the enemy overshoots, leaving the aircraft in a favorable position to attack the enemy. Unlike VIFFing, however, the fully developed cobra maneuver leaves the aircraft in a precarious and non-offensive attitude, with no energy, with weapons pointing toward empty sky and with
4640-401: The country which presumably was the first to discover the maneuver, the maneuver is traditionally known under the name kort parad ("short parry"), the Swedish term for the fencing maneuver " beat parry ", in which an incoming attack is deflected using a beat (a sharp strike to the opponents blade, knocking it out of line), leaving the enemy open for a riposte . As a more scientific name,
4720-598: The demonstration aircraft. With this, SoloTürk became the first team to perform this maneuver with a General Dynamics F-16 . At the end of 2024, several domestic demonstrations of both SoloTürk and the Turkish Stars were cancelled as part of austerity measures put in place by the Ministry of National Defense , including an appearance at the 9 September celebrations commemorating the Liberation of İzmir . During
4800-463: The height at which they may fly their show. In the EU, flying aerobatics requires special training and a rating. In Canada, no licence is required to perform aerobatics, but to carry passengers during aerobatics a pilot must have at least 10 hours dual flight instruction of aerobatic manoeuvres, or 20 hours of total aerobatic experience. Aerobatic flying competitions are a worldwide phenomenon, rather like
4880-514: The maneuver "Wacka", which has no real meaning in Swedish. Sweden effectively shared borders with the Soviet Union over the Baltic Sea , so both sides regularly flew into the international space between the two. In the event, the Saab 35s regularly intercepted and escorted Soviet planes away from Swedish airspace. Sometimes these encounters would result in non-combat dogfights , which were either playful or threatening in nature. Apparently,
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#17327973825664960-539: The maneuver has been given the name dynamic deceleration , referring to the way the plane loses speed during the maneuver. In a similar manner, the Syrians apparently called the maneuver the Zero speed maneuver ( Arabic : مناورة السرعة صفر , "Munawarat alsureat sifr") during their usage of MiG-21F-13s and the like. The maneuver can simply be described as; a rapid vertical pitchup from level flight without initiating
5040-476: The maneuver was very difficult and dangerous to use as anything more than a last-ditch effort, as without precise execution the aircraft's slow speed after the maneuver would make it an easy target. The maneuver originated with the Bråvalla Wing , the first one to receive the Saab 35 fighter plane. As the fighter was adopted by other wings over time, so was the maneuver. The Scania Wing apparently called
5120-515: The name cobra is unknown but it could refer to the plane displaying its top and bottom profile, much like a cobra spreading its shield, or rearing its body up vertically to attack. A notable variant of the "cobra" name is Pugachev's cobra (alternatively the Pugachev cobra ), referencing the Soviet pilot Viktor Pugachev , who was the first to bring the maneuver to the public eye. In Sweden ,
5200-553: The pilot having lost sight of the enemy. If the pilot exits the cobra by using rudder, this is a very slow version of the hammerhead. At the same time, the aircraft is defenseless, unable to maneuver, nearly stationary, offers the largest lateral visual and radar target and is creating a massive plume of hot exhaust, making it an easy target for any type of weapon and attack which an enemy might choose. The transition from cobra maneuver to effective and controlled flight takes several seconds, and airspeed sufficient for defensive maneuvering
5280-426: The pilot makes 20 maneuvers. According to Erhan Günar, one of the former pilots of the team, most of these are only performed by SoloTürk. After retracting the landing gear following takeoff , the aircraft starts flying in inverse at an altitude of 10 metres (33 ft) and proceeds to climb in that position. The aircraft performs a aileron roll while climbing and turning. The move is performed across three axes and
5360-416: The pilot must wear a parachute when performing aerobatics. Aerobatic training enhances a pilot's ability to recover from unusual flight conditions, and thus is an element of many flight safety training programs for pilots. While many pilots fly aerobatics for recreation, some choose to fly in aerobatic competitions , a judged sport. In the early days of flying, some pilots used their aircraft as part of
5440-419: The pilot pulls back hard on the stick . The aircraft reaches an angle of attack of 90–120° with a slight gain of altitude and a significant loss of speed. When the elevator is centered, the drag at the rear of the plane causes a torque that makes the aircraft pitch forward. At the same time, the pilot adds power to compensate for the reduced lift. If pursued by an enemy fighter in a dogfight , by executing
5520-495: The pilot would have noticed that he was entering super stall, and would then have pulled negative alpha to recover. The dramatic effect of this maneuver on aircraft speed was noticed and pilots started to purposely use it to drop speed. The Swedish test pilots who discovered the cobra were Bengt Olow [ sv ] and Ceylon Utterborn [ sv ] , who developed the technique around 1961–1963. The Swedish pilots soon considered how to use this move in combat to get
5600-408: The plane, before dropping back to normal position, during which the aircraft does not change effective altitude. The maneuver relies on the ability of the plane to be able to quickly change angle of attack (alpha) without overloading the airframe , and sufficient engine thrust to maintain nearly constant altitude through the entire move, but also post-stall stability and aerodynamics that allows for
5680-518: The recovery to level flight. The maneuver demands accurate pitch control, alpha stability and engine-versus-inlet compatibility for the aircraft, as well as a high skill level on the part of the pilot. The cobra maneuver is an example of supermaneuverability , specifically poststall maneuvering . The Herbst maneuver and the helicopter maneuver are similar post-stall maneuvers that are often executed by 4.5th generation and 5th generation fighter aircraft employing thrust vectoring . The maneuver
5760-532: The secrecy of the Cold War era and other factors, the Swedish cobra was largely unknown to the world until some former Saab 35 and 37 pilots wrote about it years later in books and articles, long after the Soviets had been credited with its discovery. As Sweden exported the Saab 35 Draken , so was the cobra maneuver. Fighter variants of the Saab 35 were exported to both the Finnish Air Force and
5840-416: The size of the figures and the length of time the pilot has to withstand increased g-forces. Jet aerobatic teams often fly in formations, which further restricts the maneuvers that can be safely flown. Aerobatics done at low levels and for an audience is called "stunt flying". To enhance the show effect of aerobatic manoeuvres, smoke is sometimes generated; the smoke allows viewers to see the path travelled by
5920-425: The star of the 21st century, while the golden eagle on the tail symbolizes the freedom and determination in the spirit of the aviators. According to former SoloTürk pilot Erhan Günar, the black stripes found on the aircraft symbolize "how accurate and fast the Turkish Air Force and Turkish Armed Forces make their decisions". Initially, the team used a CASA CN-235M-100 as its transport aircraft. In 2016, this aircraft
6000-430: The team. The team uses a specially-painted General Dynamics F-16C Block 40 aircraft which is combat ready . SoloTürk formerly operated out of the Akıncı Air Base , but moved to Konya Air Base in 2016 after the coup attempt . The team has a total of 13 personnel, including two pilots, and uses a CASA CN-235M-100 for transportation. Pilots wanting to fly for the team must meet certain criteria before they qualify for
6080-457: The two incumbent pilots flying the aircraft are Murat Bakıcı and Yasin Dikkule. Apart from demonstration flights, the pilots also participate in regular military missions of the Turkish Air Force . SoloTürk received its first award on 18 July 2011 at the Royal International Air Tattoo for having the "Best Demonstration Flight" of the airshow. In August 2017, the team received the same award at
6160-427: Was only effective as a last ditch maneuver due to the loss of speed when performed. During the early 1960s, the maneuver was developed and performed by Swedish pilots flying the Saab 35 fighter jet . It was invented during training for recovery from super stalls (also known as deep stalls) to which the double delta tailless design of the Saab 35 is susceptible. A super stall is an uncontrollable stall which
6240-463: Was pursued by a Saab 37 Viggen . The Draken suddenly performed a cobra maneuver and the Viggen overshot it. Existing material of this mock dogfight does not cover the elements of the engagement before and after the maneuver in detail, which would be useful in assessing its usefulness in modern combat. The pilots say that the maneuver was a useful combat move if performed correctly, with the caveat that it
6320-623: Was replaced by a Lockheed C-130 Hercules with serial number 63-13187. In October 2020, the team returned to using a CASA CN-235. On 25 November 2009, the Turkish Air Force Command started the Flight with a Single F-16 Aircraft program to find pilots. Three pilots were selected on 14 January 2010: Murat Keleş, Fatih Batmaz and Sedat Yalın Ahbab. On 18 May 2010, Keleş became the first of the three to start his training. During training sessions, two additional pilots were present in
6400-525: Was the first to perform the maneuver in that aircraft in practice. Viktor Pugachev was the first to publicly demonstrate the maneuver in the Su-27 aerobatics display at the Le Bourget airshow of 1989. The tactic was previously unknown to the public and it was quickly named after Pugachev. There are several derivatives of the cobra which all initiate similarly, but end differently. In the cobra climb,
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