< Previousthem in a helicopter, then teaching them to land in front of a hangar, on a trolley, in a tailwind. Control inputs must be very refined. Brett simplifies the analogy to “In formation flying, if you see the stick move, you’ve moved it too much. If you can see the control input you’ve made, you will have gone out of position.” Onlookers might say ‘they must really trust each other’, but anything that might be called ‘trust’ simply comes by default from training, and from limiting the flying manoeuvres involved to the experience of the people that are flying together. Of course there’s a lot of team satisfaction on the occasions when they perform to the high standard they set themselves. Brett explains; “There’s a huge amount of effort in preparation and it’s hard work in the air but when it all goes well and we’ve landed again the guys are just about hovering off the ground with the satisfaction of how good and worthwhile it all felt. It’s never a case of ‘that was a piece of cake, we’re really great’ though. There’s always somebody saying they didn’t do as well as they wanted to. The real challenge in formation flying and particularly formation aerobatic flying is that you can always do it better. We don’t always ‘nail it’ at all, but from the ground most people can’t really see that.” Perhaps one of the greatest satisfactions though is from the simple camaraderie of teamwork and shared interests. “I just like that it’s a group activity,” says Brett, “and you don’t find yourself home alone in the hangar. There’s always a bunch of like-minded people around which is quite cool.” The NZ Yak-52 Formation Aerobatic Team The team traces its origin back to the 1980s when Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Hayr came to New Zealand with a brand new Yak. He trained up fellow Yak owners Bill Rolfe and Garth Hogan, both private pilots, to be able to do formation flying and then formation aerobatics. In the year 2000, they were out at dawn for the first formation loop of the century. Already an accomplished aerobatic pilot, Brett had watched Sir Kenneth in displays and seen newer Yak-52 team members Bryan (BJ) Coppersmith and Paul (Huggy) Hughan put on faultless pairs displays together. Subsequently Garth introduced Brett to BJ and Huggy with a view to potentially flying with them. That process commenced over a weekend get-together where the two trained Brett in formation loops and barrel rolls. Brett subsequently provided the same training to another Taranaki Yak- 52 owner, Kevin Jane who had also been impressed by BJ and Huggy’s displays. With the addition of John Parker who was Count the wheels. There are four aircraft here. based at Te Kowhai, a 5-ship team was born. At the time, John was a very skilled display pilot (so could easily manage positioning and speeds) but he hadn’t done much formation flying – a problem solved by placing John in the lead for the 5-ship loop, John then breaking off for a solo routine. The team grew as their infectious enthusiasm attracted other friends towards Yaks, those friends initially piloting ferry flights to air shows around the country as Brett (and the others) would usually be displaying multiple aircraft each – and needed help to get them all there. Onlookers at air shows might look at the precision of the team and assume everyone is ex Air Force, but that’s far from the case. Peter Vause and John Street are two Taranaki-based team members whose experience at time of becoming Herding Yaks 11 2021 #5 Contact David: 027 222 0872 avionicscanterbury@gmail.com www.avionicscanterbury.co.nz Ask us about Discounts for AOPA Members. ADSB Grants Available up to NZ$3000+GST. Fully mobile avionics service catering for customers throughout Canterbury and the South Island. Biennial Avionics Inspections. Installation certification and service of installed avionics equipment. Full aircraft wiring installations for all light GA, homebuilt, experimental and microlight aircraft. Fault diagnosis and rectification. ELT Battery changes. Finance Available on all avionics installations. Call for details. Next Level Avionics Lock down a Great Deal with Avionics Canterbury WideKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 76 12 involved was essentially limited to PPL Cessna 172 flying. Brett explains; “First we’d teach them to fly a Yak, then teach them to fly aerobatics – which for some had previously involved a bad experience so they weren’t actually that keen – but we’d get into it gently and then get them through the training and aerobatic rated, then teach them to fly basic formation manoeuvres. Achieving their first formation loop was at least 200 hours of training. We were doing about 100 hours a year. We developed a very structured training programme and it has served us well. I’ve really enjoyed showing people that you can do this with a PPL.” Brett’s daughter Fay is also a team member, having acquired the taste (probably genetically) initially from riding along with Dad during all of those training hours. Fay soon found herself in the front seat (with Brett in the back) where Brett says, “she got really good at leading the other Yaks out on training flights and positioning them for manoeuvres, then I would take over and fly the tricky stuff until she could do it all herself.” At about the same time Kevin Jane had shifted to Pauanui and ended up training locals on that side of the island, Doug Batten and Rick Grant. Rick’s background was as an Alaskan bush pilot and he also had never flown aerobatics. Huggy and BJ weren’t as closely involved at this time and Brett says “we really had the new boys teaching the next team so it was a challenge, perhaps as much a challenge Herding Yaks There's a new level of customer focused maintenance at Hastings Aerodrome Fixed Cost Services Repairs & Restorations Scheduled Maintenance Modifications Bring your aircraft to Plane Torque Ltd and benefit from our co-operative approach to all your aircraft maintenance requirements. 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The current team (of ten) consists of ex RNZAF pilots Bryan Coppersmith, Paul Hughan and Mark Halliwell - all of whom subsequently joined Air NZ, Commercial pilots Doug Batten, Mike Harvey and Brett Emeny, and Private Pilots Kevin Jane, Peter Vause, John Street, and Fay Rice. Why Yaks There are a number of advantages in the team operating Yaks but the choice of aircraft really goes back to it being a Yak-52 that Sir Kenneth Hayr was flying in the late 1990s. They are a rugged airplane with a lot of character and a good amount of warbird ‘feel’ to them. They are also fully aerobatic with a good power to weight ratio plus they are fitted as standard with an inverted oil and fuel system. They also only cost about half that of a Harvard to buy and run so you can fly twice as many hours for the money. Lastly they have a nosewheel which means that any Cessna pilot can learn to fly a Yak without having to first gain a lot of tailwheel experience. The other advantage of a nosewheel of course is that you can see where you’re going on the ground, making formation taxiing and take-offs a much easier process. Training Procedures A lot of the team’s success comes down to the Standard Operating Procedure Training Manual put together by Huggy and derived from his involvement with the RNZAF Red Checkers Display Team. “It’s a very high quality document which is well illustrated and has set the standard for what the Yak Team is today,” says Brett. Training begins as a wingman, then progresses to a 2-ship lead and then onto a 4-ship lead. From there progression comes in the form of undertaking manoeuvres in the 2 or 4-ship configurations. Leading isn’t a compulsory progression however and not all of the team member need nor want this role. The leader arguably has the hardest job of all. They must position the team at the right location, speed and height, then carry out a manoeuvre in such a manner that all team members can complete it in formation easily without running out of power (the outside aircraft often having a lot more air to fly through than the inside for example). A lot of effort goes into getting the lead ‘right’, and the leader can expect “a bit of a roasting” from the team if someone can’t keep position even with full throttle. “A lot of people aren’t rushing to be leader, that’s for sure,” says Brett. And also, if you’re leading, you’re at the ‘lonely’ front end of the group and you don’t get to enjoy any of the formation part of the flying yourself. Spectators might imagine there to be continuous radio chatter among the formation in order for control to be maintained. That’s not the case at all; in fact radio work is kept to a minimum. Part of the reason is the risk of an interruption on the radio at a critical moment of the display. Instead, hand signals are used for communication. This is a whole new language to learn and another aspect of the process that needs to become second nature in order not to draw concentration away from the task of flying the aircraft. The whole formation is directed and changed around with hand signals – another function the leader must master. Safety is of course a big part of display design and training. There must be a suitable exit strategy in place for every pilot for every manoeuvre. As an example, during a practice for a display at Taupo, Brett says that BJ was leading the formation and had an engine failure at 500 feet just as he was pitching up into a loop; “He disappeared straight back through the formation and then we were sitting there with no leader.” Scenarios have to be in place for every eventuality so that nothing is ever a surprise in the air. “If something goes wrong or you lose sight of the lead, you need a spring-loaded 13 2021 #5 Careful timing ensures no gaps between solo and formation displays which are both on cue here as a 7-ship loop is completed.Herding Yaks KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 76 14 5-ship usually splits into a 4-ship plus solo display. Wingtip in-line separation is only about one metre. 4-ship team is based in New Plymouth.A starburst is often the final manoeuvre of a routine, 5-ship team is based in Pauanui.. 5-ship plus 4-ship behind makes 9. Find out more at www.soundsaero.com PRICES EXCLUDE GST, FREIGHT & SHIPPING COSTS Phone: +64 3 578 1899 Email: avionics@soundsaero.co.nz CALL US TODAY, OR VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE FOR MORE PRICING AND A CUSTOMISED ESTIMATE FOR YOUR NEXT INSTALLATION SPARXFLY AVIONICS New MGL Colour Instruments stuart@sparxfly.co.nz 021 076 3483 www.sparxfly.co.nz Bright, daylight readable backlit colour display 8-30 VDC operation, with reverse and over-voltage protection. Standard 2.1/4” or e.1/8”cut-out, front or rear mounting. User configurable - display, range, scale, units, alarms. Optional remote RDAC simplifies sensor wiring 24 different instruments in range AI/HDG, ASI, ALT, combo ASI/ALT/VSI, FUEL, MAP/RPM, dual RPM, 4 & 12ch CHT/EGT, 4ch T&P, G-FORCE, VOLTS, AMPS.reaction ready to go in an instant.” Questions like who will take the lead, how the manoeuvre is continued or aborted, who will escort an aircraft with a problem, etc., are all fully planned and rehearsed in advance. Whilst most positions in the team could be flown by anyone if required, there are preferences. Some members much prefer to be on the left and some the right – so much so that crossing over is referred to ‘going to the dark side’ with an associated reluctance to move there. Briefings are very detailed and plans are not changed in flight unless very necessary such as if the wind has changed and the airfield approach and landing breaks must all be adjusted. One aspect that has helped the team to reach the level of performance they operate at has been the ‘video ref’. Most practices and all displays are videoed from the ground and then reviewed in detail by the team later. “The video ref is quite cruel when we debrief,” says Brett, “but it works for a critical review of how we’ve done.” The slightly military nature of briefings and debriefings can be initially confronting for new members, especially if as business owners they are used to giving the instructions, but “we all manage our way through that and enjoy a beer together afterwards.” There’s no room for having an attitude. The team is aligned with NZ Warbirds who are the governing body for display approvals, and Brett, Paul, Doug and Mike are all NZ Warbirds Instructors for formation aerobatics training. People think there must be rivalry between the Yaks and the Harvards but Brett says, “Not really – we all go out there to do the best job we can possibly do. It’s not a competition.” Procedures between the two teams are very closely aligned. Choreography and the 9-ship formation For several years now Doug has led the Pauanui team to work up new manoeuvres. Doug and Brett keep in close contact such that Brett then works the Taranaki team towards whatever Doug’s group aren’t doing. There can be a temptation to develop more complicated display routines but it must be remembered that most of the people watching won’t notice or appreciate this, and it only makes the display harder to execute smoothly and safely. Evidence of that comes from the photos people take – inevitably more likely of a low Vic flypast, the easiest manoeuvre, than of a something 15 2021 #5 Aviation Safety Supplies Ltd. P: 07 5430075 or 027 280 6549 E: Integra@aviationsafety.co.nz Stay Safe in the Skies with the world’s most innovative, resilient and reliable ELT Kannad Integra l The only ELT with back-up antenna that optimises signal transmission l Embedded GPS receiver ensures location accuracy l Industry’s longest warranty - 10 years www.aviationsafety.co.nz Internal 406MHz Antenna GPS ModuleKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 76 16 Display time A typical display will involve twelve manoeuvres over a twelve minute display. Each section (Red, Blue and Black) will fly around six manoeuvres each - either together or as separate elements. Generally all aircraft will join again in a 9-ship formation for the final part of a display. Twelve minutes ‘on-stage’ is enough for a good display that keeps the public’s interest and is also about right for managing fatigue levels given sometimes lengthy holding times. The Pauanui and Taranaki teams will each practice their own manoeuvres for a show, then meet together and assemble a combined routine in the final few days ahead of a show. That mightn’t sound like much time, but when the same friends are involved on every occasion, the process runs smoothly and safely. An important part of final show preparation involves getting the timing right so that everything happens in sync with no gaps. The ‘video ref’ helps to discover where gaps of a few seconds might be. Once these are filled, the team is declared ‘match ready’. One aspect of display flying that mightn’t be perceived from the outside is that if the air show is going ahead, then so must the display. Conditions might be far from ideal and the flying on the day might be hard work and not all that enjoyable, but when back on the ground the team can feel good when they did the job and it went well. In Brett’s words, “You wouldn’t have normally chosen to go flying on a day like that, but you did, and as a team we pulled it off and everyone can feel happy about the result. It’s a strength of the team that everyone looks forward to getting together socially and air shows are often the catalyst for this to happen. Everyone enjoys what they are doing and the camaraderie is very strong.” What’s involved in becoming involved Whilst getting involved doesn’t require commercial or military experience, it does require enthusiasm and the resources to do a lot of flying. Most training is undertaken in a 2-ship formation so a newcomer needs both an instructor plus somebody with another aircraft to join them. On the plus side, because existing team members also meet the enthusiasm and resource requirements, an instructor and support aircraft are generally available gratis. Other team members have flown many hours of straight and level and medium turns, just so a new team member can learn to do it alongside. And Brett for example, has accumulated thousands of hours of instructing in the back seat. Time is never charged for because “it’s a passion and everyone enjoys being in the air.” It’s fair to say that those sentiments come through clearly in the team’s very precise and tightly choreographed display routines which are surely amongst the best to be seen. Michael Norton Herding Yaks F K Job done. Heading home. complicated like a tumble within a solo display. Brett also makes the point that the aircraft are the stars of the show. The crowd are generally there to see the aircraft and not the pilots, and given the public don’t really care who is flying, the pilots may as well leave their egos at home. In recent years, the team has been highly acclaimed for their 9-ship formation which is believed to be the only such Yak-52 display in the world. In practice, it’s a 5-ship team at the front, with a 4-ship team plugged into the back. This is the same approach adopted by the Red Arrows. In the case of the Yaks, the Pauanui team are known as ‘Red’ (with a ‘Black’ solo element) and the Taranaki team as ‘Blue’. A display will usually start with a 9-ship loop, the Red team at the front being led by Doug Batten, with Brett leading the Blue team at the back – himself formating on the Red ‘Vic’ formation and the other Blue members formating on Brett. After the loop the team will separate into two 4-ship formations (Red and Blue) and the solo (Black), or perhaps the 5-ship will split into a 3-ship plus a pair. With the experience in the team there’s a good amount of flexibility to design different routines. P: 06 879 8593 M: 022 636 6573 E: sammy@primaryavionics.co.nz Cresco Lane, Main North Road, Hawkes Bay Airport www.primaryavionics.co.nz Call Sammy today to discuss which option would be the best for you and your aircraft. 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AOPA NZ Member discount $86 (includes GST and postage) at www.aopa.co.nz Available to non-members at www.aipshop.co.nzKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 76 18 Herding Yaks Doug Batten (Red 1) Doug first flew commercially in East Africa delivering food and aid to remote towns and villages. He is currently an Air NZ Boeing 787 Captain flying long haul routes. Doug has been Red Team Leader for the past 5 seasons. He is also a B-Cat instructor and NZ Warbirds supervising instructor for formation and low-level aerobatic display approvals. Mark Helliwell (Red 2) Mark’s flying career began with the Napier Aero Club where he gained his PPL at 17. He then joined the RNZAF flying the Devon, Strikemaster and Skyhawk. He later joined Air NZ and is currently a Boeing 787 Captain. Mark has been with the Yak display team since 2007. He is also Operations Manager for the NZ Warbirds Association. Kevin Jane (Red 3) Kevin is a business owner who lives in Masterton. He is a Private Pilot who became interested in Yak flying and formation aerobatics after seeing a pairs display in the 1980s. Then acquiring his own Yak, he was one of the founding members of the initial 4-ship Yak team. Bryan Coppersmith (Red 4) Bryan (BJ) started his flying in the RNZAF and was a Strikemaster and Skyhawk pilot before leaving in the early 1980s for Air NZ where he flew mostly international routes and has recently retired. Along with Paul Hughan, Bryan was a founding team member of the initial 4-ship team and has helped train most of the current members at some stage. Paul Hughan (Black 1) Paul who is more widely known as ‘Huggy’ joined the RNZAF in 1982 as a University Officer Cadet graduating with a Bachelor of Physics prior to beginning his pilot’s course. He flew Strikemaster and Skyhawk jets and was also an Airtrainer instructor. In 1998 he joined Air NZ, and is currently flying the B787. He is actively involved in NZ Warbirds instructing and also enjoys piloting WWI aircraft. Brett Emeny (Blue 1) Brett started flying gliders at the age of 15. He had a PPL at 19, a CPL(A) and 21 and CPL(H) at 22. He later started a spraying operation with a H300 and then developed the concept of Fine Particle Application, his company becoming a leader in the application of aerial and groundspread fertiliser and operating ten helicopters (up to Iroquois size) nationwide. A dedicated aviation enthusiast he also owns a T-28 Trojan and Vampire jet. He is also Chief Pilot for the NZ Catalina Preservation Society and has provided thousands of hours of formation aerobatics instruction to others in a variety of aircraft types. All of those hours have been completely free of charge, “I just enjoy giving it back really,” says Brett. Fay Rice (Blue 2) Fay is Brett’s daughter and has been flying Yak-52s as Private Pilot for over 15 years, recently working her way up to qualifying as a display pilot. She also co-drives in jet sprint boat racing with her husband Sean. Fay is one of only two civil female formation pilots currently flying displays in NZ. Fay debuted with the team at the Masterton Airshow in February 2021. Peter Vause (Blue 3) Peter is a retired Petroleum Engineer who gained his PPL in 1971. He holds multi- engine and single pilot IFR ratings. As well as the Yak-52, he owns and displays a T-28 Trojan and an Aero Vodochody L39 Albatross. Peter is also a pilot for the Catalina syndicate. Mike Harvey (Blue 4) Mike started flying at the New Plymouth Aero Club in 1986 and in 1994 joined Air Nelson before transferred to Air NZ where he now flies the B787. Mike is a current B-Cat instructor, a NZ Warbirds supervising instructor, and has also recently opened Flight Tech, a New Plymouth based flying school. The 2021 NZ Yak-52 Formation Aerobatic Team Left to Right: Back Row; Fay Rice, Brett Emeny, Paul ‘Huggy’ Hughan, Peter Vause, Mike Harvey. Front Row; Bryan ‘BJ’ Coppersmith, Mark Helliwell, Doug Batten, Kevin Jane. Walking through manoeuvres on the ground is a part of display routine rehearsals. Thanks to Brett Emeny for helping with this article.Next >