Changes to pure flying syllabus at valley?
The new syllabus at Valley on IV Sqn does not formally teach aerobatics any more. The Hawk T2 syllabus is a combination of the old 208 and 19 Sqn syllabi.
The structure now is intended to show a seamless transition between the two. Hence, pilots are taught combat manouevres that will have a direct read across to BFM. For example max rate turns (rate fighting) into a pitch up (down range travel stop) and slow speed reversals (flat scissors technique).
As a student on 208 (back in 2002) I always hated aeros and couldn't really see the point in demonstrating the perfect slow roll. I think the new syllabus is a big improvement and aims to teach directly transferable and useful skills. Does that sound like a sales pitch? Maybe that's because I was teaching it for a while and can see the benefits!
BV