August 1st (aerobatic team)

August 1st Aerobatic Team
August 1st aerobatic team logo
Active1962 – present
CountryChina China
BranchPeople's Liberation Army Air Force
RoleAerobatic Display
Garrison/HQYangcun Air Base
Nickname(s)Bayi
ColorsWhite and Red; formerly White and Blue (with red star on the tail fin)
Aircraft flown
Fighter8 Chengdu J-10

The August 1st or Ba Yi Aerobatics Team (Chinese: 八一飞行表演队) is the aerobatic demonstration team of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was founded in 1962 and named after the date of founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), August 1, 1927.

History

It is named after the date of the founding of the PLA (August 1, 1927), and is a part of the PLAAF Beijing Military Region. The unit was founded in 1962 and has over the years performed more than 500 times for delegations from 166 countries and regions. Its first show abroad happened in August 2013 during the Russian airshow MAKS.[1]

Aircraft

The August 1st aerobatic team (Ba Yi aerobatic team) initially equipped the fleet with JJ-5 fighter-trainer jets,[citation needed] a Chinese version of Russian made MiG-17. In later years[when?] the JJ-5s were replaced by Chengdu J-7EB,[citation needed] then again was replaced by the newer J-7GB (2001).[citation needed] There are about 8 aircraft in the fleet, but only 6 are set for any airshow.[citation needed]

In May 2009, the team upgraded their jets to the much more advanced Chengdu J-10A multirole fighter.[2] In 2023 it reequipped with the C-Version of the Chengdu J-10, first appearing at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) event in Malaysia.[3]

Base

Appearances

August 1st Chengdu J-10's in formation

Accidents

  • June 1997 – 3 aircraft crashed in Tianjin during a practice session.
  • 15 September 1998 – single aircraft crashed near Chongming Island Airport near Shanghai.
  • July 14, 2009 – Number 3 wing, which was a J-7GB, crashed at Yang Cun airbase during practicing session, while preparing for the coming National Day demonstration on October 1.
  • 12 November 2016 – Captain Yu Xu, first female J-10 pilot, was killed in an accident during training in Hebei province.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b PLA aerobatic team to perform in Russia
  2. ^ Chinese J-10 Fighters Debut as New Acrobatic Aircraft
  3. ^ PLAAF August 1st Display Team Makes LIMA Debut with New J-10C
  4. ^ Hussain, Haris (21 March 2015). "The mystique of China's J-10 fighter". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Chinese fighter jets arrive to participate in Pakistan Day parade". 18 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Smoke used aerial display of China's Ba Yi aerobatics team not harmful, say organisers of Singapore Airshow". The Online Citizen. 2020-02-17. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  7. ^ "中国空军八一飞行表演队在马来西亚秀绝技". 新华网. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. ^ "空军八一飞行表演队换装歼-10C飞赴马来西亚参加兰卡威国际海事和航空展". 中国网. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Woman fighter pilot inspired nation". China Daily. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.


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