Modern Aerobatic Teams

Air forces all over the world showcase the talents of their aviators and regularly thrill audiences with aerobatic and formation flying performances. Aerobatic display teams, with their trails of coloured smoke, strikingly decorated aircraft and the incredibly skilful flying of their elite pilots are hugely popular with air show crowds and act as international ambassadors.

Modern Aerobatic Teams features 150 profile artworks of display team aircraft, past and present, by renowned aviation artist JP Vieira – including, from Britain’s RAF, the Red Arrows’ Hawk, the Firebirds’ Lightning, the Red Pelicans’ Jet Provost and the Black Arrows’ Hunter, as well as, from the USAF, the Thunderbirds’ F-84G, the F-100C, the short-lived F-105B, F-4, T-38 and F-16.

Aircraft from the US Navy’s Blue Angels are also featured, alongside less well-known teams such as the Air National Guard’s Minute Men, the Marines’ Marine Phantoms, the Acrojets, the Arctic Gladiators and the C-130 Hercules-flying Four Horsemen.

From Canada, there are Snowbirds CT-114 Tutors, Golden Hawks Sabres and even Harvards from the Goldilocks team.

Many more famous teams and aircraft from around the world are included too, such as the MB-339s of Italy’s Frecce Tricolori, F-5Es from the Patrouille Suisse, MiG-29s from the long-disbanded Ukrainian Falcons, an EMB-314 from Brazil’s Smoke Squadron, a Saab 105O from Austria, the K-8E Karakorum from Egypt’s Silver Stars, an Ouragan, Mystere IV, Magister and Alpha-Jet from the Patrouille de France.

Modern Aerobatic Teams tells the story of 115 flight display teams from 57 countries, ranging from the 1950s up to the present day, illustrated with more than 150 aircraft profile artworks created by renowned aviation artist JP Vieira.