Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1493095
I have already mentioned how positive the relations among the team members are. It took just a couple of minutes since I arrived, and I began to feel like one of them. The Arab culture, openness, smile, and attitude are a factor that inspires aviation-driven conversations. Notably, when I asked Riyad about what remains unique about RJF, he, himself admits that it is the atmosphere and the team spirit. Riyad said that the team tries hard to take care of that and work to make things better - good relations among the group members translate into even better results in the air. He added that each of the pilots and ground crew members has to go through a 2 weeks probation to see if he is a good cultural fit and whether he would be able to establish a positive relationship with the pilots and the ground crews. We now move from the office to the hangar, accommodating five brand new Extra 330LX aircraft procured back in 2017 by King Abdullah II, replacing the legacy Extra 300Ls. They feature brand new, complete avionics suites, including Garmin GTN-750 navigation systems in each airplane. This is useful when covering long distances, or flying ferry flights to air shows. It is clear that the aircraft are maintained in perfect condition, and they look „brand new". This stems from two facts. First, each aircraft has a technician of its own assigned to it. Secondly, the aircraft are usually used by experienced aviators for display or precision flying. The Royal Jordanian Falcons have been flying the Extra aircraft since 1992. Before that - starting from 1976, when the team was founded, the group was using Prims S-2A and S-2S airplanes. As the years went passing by, the pilots requested a larger, proven airplane that would also be able to perform all of the Unlimited class aerobatics. The RJF pilot training program includes around 70 hours of type familiarization, aerobatics, and formation flying training. That translates into 150-180 individual sorties. Within the framework of each of the training, the pilots learn how to perform Unlimited aerobatics. Furthermore, the team also engages in one or two training weeks annually, involving the aerobatic world champions, just to maintain their airmanship and precision - in formation flying, and solo aerobatics as well. The RJF team tries to fly frequently - and conduct 2-3 sorties a day. Sometimes these are training sorties for the new joiners, sometimes we are dealing with displays, training of the low program, or even flying above the sea. The training AVIATION