Black Eagles wow again

After dazzling crowds two years ago at the Singapore Airshow with their aerial ballet, South Korea's aerobatics team, the Black Eagles, were back to wow people with their heart-stopping stunts. One of the flyboys, Major Lee Sank Wook, 34, chats with The Straits Times.

Q. Why did you decide to come back and perform for a second time at Singapore Airshow 2016?

A. We were very impressed by how the 2014 show was organised and how enthusiastic people were. Add to this, the formal invitation by Singapore in memory of our friendship and performance.

Q. How have visitors of Singapore Airshow 2016 responded to your aerial display?

A. Apparently, lots of people showed up at our booth starry-eyed after the display, seemingly mind-boggled by the eight-aircraft group manoeuvres. They particularly liked the ones in the first half of the performance, such as the diamond and eagle formations, plus the Black Eagles' only Tae-geuk manoeuvre, the symbol of the Republic of Korea.

Q. How do you rate the Black Eagles in comparison to the other teams in the aerial display?

A. We can definitely say it's not easy for eight supersonic jets to perform group manoeuvres in narrowly-spaced formation.

Q. Besides your own performance, which other team is your favourite? Why?

A. Every aerobatics team has its unique edge. The performance of Singapore's Black Knights in 2014 was impressive. We think it was unfortunate they are not with us this time.

We hope for another friendship flight next time. (Friendship flight means flying together.)

Jermyn Chow

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 22, 2016, with the headline Black Eagles wow again. Subscribe