Noticed in a recent Aviation Week that one of the winning photos in the aviation photo contest was captioned as:
Military 3rd Place: A Chinese aerobatics team demonstrates its skills while its contrails mimic the rainbow.
(The photo can be found under the Winners and Readers Choices section on the AvWeek website; it's the second from left on the bottom row. Hopefully that link is legal)
Now the online photo is quite small, but the magazine photo is a two page spread and I have to say that the underwing white 'flashes' look a heck of a lot like the Red Arrows, which added to the general shape of the aircraft and the fact it's a nine-ship formation trailing red, white and blue smoke.....
The only photos I've seen of Chinese military aero teams seem to be mainly blue/white paint schemes. Can anyone confirm/deny if that pic is an Av Week howler, or am I (as is quite possible) confused?
HEATHROW DIRECTOR
23rd Jan 2008 06:49
Can't say but given the extraordinary ability of Chinese and Korean drill squads to make our own Guards look like Fred Karno's Army, I wouldn't be surprised!
Bushfiva
23rd Jan 2008 06:58
Certainly looks like part of the Red Arrows 2007 flight programme, the "Vulcan Bend". I'm not sure if PRC's Bayi have ever put up more than 6 jets in a display.
BOAC
23rd Jan 2008 08:45
I'm no spotter but I don't think the wing planform is Hawk.
G-ARZG
23rd Jan 2008 21:18
In a later issue of AWST, they 'fess up to their error !
Yes, they're Red Arrow Hawks.........
