Well what a fantastic few days we had at Sywell Airfield where AeroExpo 2012 took  place last week 25^th to 27^th May. The weather was absolutely fantastic, blue skies almost no clouds, high temperatures and big crowds… all good for everyone apart from the strongish  crosswinds for the 600 visiting aircraft.

Team Yakovlevs were there in force, working hard with all our partners that were at the Expo. One of our Yak 50’s “Katia” was there as a gate guardian at the entrance to Hall 1 and she drew a great deal of attention sat right next to partners AFE and AIRBOX, who both had very productive shows. Our own Natasha was running around meeting and greeting visitors and helping answer a continuous stream of questions.

Team Lead Jez spent time with AFE’s Kate and Jeremy helping out and giving interviews. This year they had their own branded marquee which seemed to be mobbed most of the time. New to the aerospace industry is  BIGATMO aviation sunglasses.  AFE have become one of their leading distributors and hopefully Team Yakovlevs will be sporting and promoting this latest in aerospace eyewear protection  that provides style,  with excellent optical properties and also delives true colour perception with perfect clarity of vision. See http://www.bigatmo.com  for more details

AIRBOX  launched the latest gucci apple iPad  &  iPhone app,  Runway HD which will change the way that people  plan and execute VFR flying.   It gives a fluid flight-planning and execution app for pilots direct from the App-Store. Full-screen anti-aliased official aviation moving maps; complete airport data for 28,000 airfields and airports around the world; and much more making RunwayHD the natural choice for aviators who use their iPad or iPhone. See  http://www.airboxaero.com/support/ipad-instructional-videos/  for more details.

One of the stars at the show was the  HAYWARD AVIATION INSURANCE Red London bus that the guys brought along.

Matthew Day from HAL stated “..we wanted to do something different this year and having a London bus seem like a good idea, although I really didn’t expect there to be so many visitors out there that would be so interested in it and it certainly attracted a great deal of attention”.

The HAL site was very  well attended by Team Lead Jez  as it  had the best coffee at the event.

Not forgetting FLYER  magazine that was out and about picking up loads of new information and arranging reviews on some of the latest  stuff to hit the aviation market. If you are looking for the best avaition mag, then Flyer is the one where you will find it all! 

All in all, a fantastic time was had by all. Official figures have not as yet been released but unofficially,  figures of over 10,000 visitors including just over 600 aircraft are being quoted.  After the appalling weather in 2011, this year’s blue skies were a very… very welcome change.

Team Yakovlevs are on the move again heading out to the Far East on another epic adventure!

In August 2012, the team has been specially selected by The People’s Government of  Shenyang to be  the main attraction at the Shenyang City Air display 2012, as well as working closely with  AOPA China to help promote the budding new General Aviation industry that is in its infancy in China.

The team was last in China during 2010, based out of Dazu province near the 34 million person city of Chongqing where they were the main attraction during the  2010 China Dazu International Aviation Sports Tourism Festival.

The owner and director of the event management company running these events, Well Keep International Ltd (Hong Kong)  WKI, Mr Jiang Qionghui  commented,

“It is with great pleasure that the Yakovlevs are returning to China during 2012, they were very well  received in 2010 and their professionalism and hard work has left a long lasting impression on the people here in China”.

This year the event is being held in Faku County, near the city of Shenyang close to the North Korean border.

Yakovlevs  Team Lead Jez stated, 

“ It’s fantastic that we have been invited back, the Team pulled out all the stops in 2010, working around the clock to make sure that the  aircraft were ready and that the show was something really special. We are looking forward to the new venue up in the North East of the country, but I need to make sure my navigation is up to speed having the North Korean border so close.”

The Team will be carrying out a number of different display during the period 22^nd to 27^th August, including the traditional 4 ship display, as well as 2 ship and special spectacular  solo displays created especially for this Chinese venue.

For those concerned that the Yakovlevs will not be around in the UK during 2012, don’t worry, we have 2 aircraft that will remaining behind and will  be continuing to fly the flag here in the UK carrying out many displays and continuing to thrill the crowds while the other 4 aircraft are away in the Far east.

 
Running a professional aerobatic display team isn’t just about flying aircraft around putting on spectacular displays for the spectators — it is also about meticulous planning and, first and foremost, about safety.

The Yakovlevs display team is very closely associated with GASCo, the  General Aviation Safety council, and was even featured on the cover of their latest Flight Safety  Magazine.

GASCo was founded in 1964 to provide a forum in which all of the general aviation organisations could meet to share safety information.

The team is taking this relationship even further with an GA Safety Awareness Lecture,  held on April 26 2012 at the Jersey aero club.

Hosted by the Yakovlevs, the event will cover general aviation safety as well as aerobatic formation and flights over water, featuring Mike O’Donaghue, chief Exec of GASCo,  Yakovlevs Team Leader, Jez Hopkinson and Hayward Aviation’s Matthew Day.

“General Aviation is not hazardous if all those who participate in any kind of GA flying – including ballooning, gliding and all other forms of flying, or who have any role in GA as a designer, builder, maintainer or an Air Traffic Controller, understand that they have a part to play in safety,” Mike said.

“This event will be an opportunity for those attending to talk about safety in general aviation, whether they only fly occasionally, or regularly perform aerobatic maneuvers.

For more information, contact Jez at jez@yakovlevs.com or 07801 021 029. It should be a fantastic evening so if you are on the island, don’t miss it.

Jim’s flight is the latest in a series of milestones for the UK’s Joint Combat Aircraft program, which included the first F-35C launch on the test electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on Nov. 18, 2011, and the rollout of the first UK F-35 from the production line four days later. EMALS is the current launching system of record for the future HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, currently under construction.

“The F-35 has the best handling of any jet I’ve flown, which means it’s going to be easier to land on a ship than current aircraft, and pilots can devote all of their attention to the mission,”  Jim  said. “Combined with the world’s best sensors which allow the pilot to find and target anything that’s out there, and a stealthy signature, which means the enemy can’t do the same to you, this is exactly the aircraft the UK needs to provide the best protection for our soldiers, sailors and airmen for the next 35 years.”

Jim is now test-flying both the [short takeoff and vertical landing] and carrier variants of the F-35, which affords the UK unprecedented early learning regarding this 5th-generation air system. This is a very exciting period for JCA, as not only are we now testing both the B and the C variants, but we are shortly to be taking delivery of our first production F-35 aircraft later this year.”

As an international program, the F-35 has eight cooperative partners working with the United States; the United Kingdom was the first country to join the program in January 2001.

The F-35 will offer many advantages over legacy platforms: low observability, supersonic flight, improved survivability, internal and external weapons carriage, increased range and easier supply and maintenance.

The F-35C carrier variant of JSF is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants, with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear to withstand catapult launches and deck landing impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at Naval Air Station Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet and international partners.

Congratulations Jim…!

Yakovlevs Team pilot Jim Schofield, who is in the middle of his F-35 tour  in America, at USAF base Patuxent River, is one of a handful of test pilots flying F-35B and F-35C, and he advises the UK on the programme’s progress, he also flies F-18 chase aircraft. Here Jim is just about to get airborne in the beast for the very first time…..

As part of one of the charities that Team Yakovlevs support, the Bolton Lads and Girls club, Jez spent 10 days away from the comforts of the Team base in Somerset and climbed one of the highest mountains in Africa. The winter climb took him from the lowlands of Morocco to the very top of the High Atlas mountains at 14,000 ft covering a total distance of around 68km.

“The climb from Camp 2 up to the summit was a savage climb with ice axe and crampons, lasting well over 13 hours, but well worth it for the views from the top” stated Jez after returning from the summit.

Newsletter Winter 2011