Hawk Solo offers classic circular aerobatics

Air Force

14.5.2024 11.13 | Published in English on 7.6.2024 at 9.25

Press release

Introducing the Air Force’s Hawk Solo in 2024.

Captain Eemeli Vähäsöyrinki from the 41st Fighter Squadron of the Finnish Air Force Academy is continuing as Hawk Solo display pilot in 2024. The reserve pilot will be Captain Miika Luukkonen.

Captain Eemeli Vähäsöyrinki, how would you describe the Hawk Solo display of 2024?

We’ve tried to create a series where we are always close to the public and visible. The aim of the solo is to show the Hawk's flight characteristics. The Hawk has good energy conservation, or speed conservation, which means that it will be in public view throughout the series at around 600–800 km/h. So even under heavy G-forces, the Hawk does not lose speed, thanks to its arrow-shaped wing profile.

On the other hand, its movements are also classically circular for the same reason. The purpose of the series is to highlight the characteristics of the aircraft through classical aerobatics, so that those who know more about aerobatics can see the spectacular and challenging nature of flying through classical aerobatics. Examples include the Cuban, semi-spectacles and ¼ St John’s Arms.

In addition, the Hawk is very precise in terms of aileron roll. So at high speeds at low altitude, the Hawk rotates around its longitudinal axis quickly and accurately. The intention is also to highlight this feature by rotating the aircraft around its longitudinal axis in several movements. With Hawk's smoke pods, the fast aileron rolls and circular trajectories are easily visible to the public, especially in calm conditions, giving perspective to the aircraft's movements. Movements that demonstrate fast aileron rotation include the four-part aileron roll, the double aileron roll and Derry turn, and the aileron roll from inverted to inverted.

There have been some minor changes to the series since last year. What are they?

There are a lot of similarities with last year's series, because we didn't really get to display last year's series due to the grounding of the Hawks caused by the Hawk crash. However, a few small tweaks have been made such as the aileron roll from inverted to inverted flight. Small adjustments have also been made to keep the movements as frequent as possible and to minimise "idle time" for the audience.

I’ve planned the series together with Miikka. The advantage of planning and practising a series together and at the same base is that we can also analyse how the movements look from the ground and make adjustments. So we can also see our own series from the public's point of view. Some of the moves seem to work fine in the air but, from the audience's point of view, the spectacle could be enhanced by doing the move a little differently.

Where do you draw inspiration from when planning a solo display?

There are many things to consider when planning a series. Safety, how different movements "fit" into a given space and of course how to make the movements as spectacular as possible. At the planning stage, a series may look great on paper, but the reality may be quite different. But you have to start somewhere, and only after a few flights do you see what needs to change. So putting the series together and getting it into the perfect shape is quite a challenge, but a very interesting task.

You can also get lots of ideas for your own series from things like social media videos and other people's displays. Of course, aircraft are different and you can tell by looking at them what might work and what might not work in your series.

What would you like to say to the public?

I’d like to warmly welcome everyone to the Finnish Air Force’s Careers in Military Aviation events. At the events, you’ll get to see a variety of Air Force aircraft flight displays and of course also get to know the equipment on the ground. We also hope to attract a large crowd to the Finnish Aeronautical Association's main display the Vaasa Airshow on 15 and 16 June.