Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1493095
I have met the national Jordanian display team back in 2015 for the first time, during the Radom Air Show. The Royal Jordanian Falcons have been a highlight of the show's program. Four red aerobatic aircraft, coming from an exotic location caught a lot of my attention back then. Apart from the excellent display program, the Falcons are a team to remember due to the positive and open attitude expressed on the ground, among the pilots, and the ground crews. Nothing changed within that scope during my visit to Jordan when I was witnessing the team getting ready for the upcoming display season - support and openness were present there from the very start! Aqaba is a city located in Southern Jordan, at the Red Sea Coast in the Arab Gulf, bordering Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, on land, and in the air. The city also hosts the Royal Jordanian Falcons' home base - the Royal Jordanian Falcons are the Jordanian national aerobatic team, flying four Extra 330LXs, and using the neighborhood for training preceding local, and European air shows. Differences Between Jordan and Europe? The omnipresent sand and desert, and also mountains, reaching 5,000 meters above sea level, and high temperatures (more than 40°C in the summer). Nonetheless, conditions as such also have their own, specific nature, especially when they go alongside the Arabic cultural heritage. After I arrive, I am welcomed at the airfield by Riyad Ayyoub, the head, and the main manager of the team. I arrive in sync with the pilots and the ground crews. Some of them I have already met, while some other faces are new - without a doubt, they are also experienced. The national aerobatic team supported by the Air Force has 2 pilots on rotation, and they go back to their original units every 3 to 4 years. Each of the team members has some air force military experience, thus bringing everything in sync is easier to do, and the training is shorter, with the pilots having received a proper level of training. Furthermore, some of the pilots that fly as a part of the team, are former fast jet pilots - and they are a fixed part of the team, as they do not rotate every 3-4 years. Noteworthy, one can differentiate the pilots, and the ground crew based on the color of their flight suits. The pilots wear red, while the ground crew uses dark blue suits. This year's pilots include Jamil, Sharif, Ahmad, Doraid, and Feras. Rezik, Khaled, Bassam, Thaer, Mohammad, and Amyad work as technicians. www.fragoutmag.com