Two exceptional PLAAF aerobatics team that you’ve never heard of

Officially, the August 1st is the aerobatic demonstration team of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Tasked with performing at local and international airshows, the August 1st is considered the flying ambassadors of the PLAAF. However, there are two more aerobatic teams that seldom get coverage from the media outside China as they only perform at Changchu, Jilin province.

Red Falcon
The Red Falcon was established by the No.3 Aviation College in March, 2011. The team flies the Hongdu K-8 advanced jet trainer. Of the two jet-powered aerobatics team in the PLAAF. The Red Falcon is widely considered the better team. Manned by 18 instructors from the Aviation College, they put up a more exciting show compared to August 1st in their J-10s.

Sky Wing
Another team that stood up at the same time as Red Falcon was Sky Wing. The 16 team members are all instructors from Aviation University of the PLA. They are equipped with the piston-powered Nanchang CJ-6 basic trainer.