Russian Roolettes

The makeup of the team haschanged somewhat since it was founded by the late Lindsay Sinclair 20 years ago. In fact, the team evolved from like-minded owners of retired Eastern Bloc warbirds into a formation team more through coincidence than intent. While attending an airshow at Mareeba in northern Queensland, it became apparent that the RAAF Roulettes were not able to attend. The airshow organiser then approached the group of owners and asked them if they could fly a few passes in formation. They kindly obliged and when asked what the ‘team’ was called, hurriedly devised the name of the ‘Russian Roolettes’.

The displays flown today are far more complex than the straight and level passes at Mareeba so many years ago. The formation is a mix of both Yak-52 and Nanchang aircraft and comprises team, pair and solo displays. Consequently, the skill-set, organisation and training commitment has also grown significantly with time.

Making it happen

Airshow formation flying displays do not come easily. For all of the enjoyment they bring, the opportunity to see aircraft flying in close proximity in front of gathered crowds is a serious matter. It calls for additional levels of regulatory and administrative management and of course a good many hours honing the craft.

Logically enough, each member is formation and aerobatics endorsed. Those pilots flying specific aerobatic displays away from the formation also possess low-level aerobatics approvals. To date, there hasn’t been a formation aerobatics qualification, although CASA’s new Part 61 (flight crew licensing) will introduce such a concept. Even so, there are still a good many requirements to be met before the Roolettes can showcase their display. CASA must approve each and every display, there aren’t any ‘blanket’ approvals. Consequently a submission must be made prior to each event detailing the pilots’ experience, the content of the display and a variety of other components. Only after all of these aspects have been assessed and considered can the approval to fly the display be granted.

Meanwhile, as the administration is being attended to, the team is hard at work designing and practising their display. With a good number of the team current airline pilots, unpredictable work schedules can be one of the more difficult aspects of organisation, particularly for rehearsing the six-ship display.

Nevertheless, most weekends see the team practising some component of their display. It is a gradual process that builds with intensity and frequency as the date of an airshow approaches. Similarly, any changes or expansion to their routine or the introduction of a new pilot is managed over many months through a measured process.

Individual training sessions are characterised by frequent, thorough briefings both before and after any sortie, regardless of how many times the particular sequence has been flown. Open discussion is encouraged and all participants exchange their thoughts on every aspect of the performance. Frequencies, proximate terrain, forced landing fields, wind direction, crowd lines and fuel-on-board are just some of the many considerations that are bounced about between the team. They will then reinforce what is going to take place by walking the pattern through as a combined group, complete with the anticipated calls over the radio. This not only cements their sequence in their minds and actions, but it greatly enhances their

It’s about awareness, timing and coordination.

situational awareness.

Throughout the display there will be times when a solo or pairs display is taking place, or rejoining and the walk-through gives each member a tremendous appreciation of the situation through visualisation. Pacing out the pattern offers a realism and anticipation that no whiteboard can offer.

Assessing risk

Any aviation activity is associated with a level of risk. This is accepted by those who participate and it is recognised that formation aerobatics can introduce further considerations. The Roolettes recognise this and every aspect of their operation is stringently assessed before it is ever taken into the air.

“Safety is critical to the team,” Egon emphasises. He relates that much of the RAAF philosophy and approach has been brought into the team with a constant focus on contingencies and emergenciesbeyond the normal operation. It is an approach that endeavours to keep their team and the crowds as safe as possible.

Operationally, it has permitted them to fly their displays to date without incident or a ‘breach’ of their approval. This has resulted in the team maintaining and valuing a good relationship with CASA.

Showtime

After hour upon hour of training and with CASA approval in hand, the Russian Roolettes are in a position to do what they do best – perform. Their display is typically 10-12 minutes in length and designed to bring the best show to the audience. They all agree that they could easily fly for longer, but this timing is ideal to maintain a level intensity and a tight display right in front of the crowd. There is an emphasis on ‘smooth’ rather than ‘aggressive’.

They aim for one element to not only conclude, but draw the crowd’s eyes towards the nextelement of the display that is set to commence. The ability for the aircraft to generate smoke is an added layer of entertainment for the crowd and a visual aid for the other pilots. The Roolettes never want the crowd to be sitting and waiting, so each aspect of the display is set to roll into the next with a level of coordination that only comes with hours of training. As Egon states, “It’s about awareness, timing and coordination. ” And to get it ‘just right’ the display has to be subtly adjusted on the day as wind can significantly affect the geometry and various crossing points. Normally the Roolettes will fly the sequence at the actual venue the day before to reinforce the variables of geography, environmental conditions and forced landing fields.

The variables also exist both within and beyond the team. Flying five to six shows per annum, the Roolettes have flown as far afield as Mareeba in the far north toJamestown in South Australia with a good many displays in between. The team’s display at Temora’s Warbirds Downunder late last year was a particular highlight for the team although Egon admits that for them every show is very special.

Within the team, the mix of Nanchangs and Yak-52s also calls for a degree of management as well as good-natured competitiveness between the various pilots and owners.

“In reality, the two aircraft types can be used to complement each other when the display is planned correctly,” Egon explains. The Yak has a faster rate of roll, is generally more agile and has an inverted oil system, whereas the Nanchang has advantage in maintaining its energy through a display. Together theycan perform in genuine harmony in the right hands.

Enjoyment plus

For all of the training, administration and approvals, there is a great deal of enjoyment in what the Russian Roolettes do. There is excitement for the crowds they entertain, but also a high level of fun and satisfaction for the pilots themselves. Consequently, the hours they invest are hours well spent in so many ways.

As with all endeavours, satisfaction and performance is found in achieving the correct balance. For the Russian Roolettes it is about finding the correct balance within the elements of the display and even the individuals finding balance between family, work and the demands of the team. From the teamwork that can be witnessed on the ground and in the air, one would suspect that they have the balance just right.

There is a great spirit among the pilots as they go about their business, both in training and on airshow days. This is undoubtedly an essential requirement as the camaraderie contributes to the trust needed to fly in close proximity to one another. It is something that the Russian Roolettes do as well on the ground as they do in the sky. They are a team founded on a common admiration for old Russian warbirds that grew into something more. Yet after all these years and countless hours of training the Russian Roolettes at their heart are still great mates, or ‘comrades’ who love to fly.