Turkish Stars, the seventh and final national aerobatics team of the Turkish Air Force, have graced the skies in a breathtaking performance for Türkiye's premier technology and aerospace festival Teknofest.
Expressing that the aerobatics team was honoured to perform for the enthusiastic crowd at Cigli Airport in Türkiye's Izmir province on Saturday, their Fleet Commander Lieutenant Colonel Kemal Koyunluoglu said the Turkish Stars were "the national team in the sky".
Major Kursat Komur explained that the team’s “rare” manoeuvres that are considered their signature.
“We have a landing gear intersection manoeuvre where our solo leader passes through the four planes in front of the audience's eyes, a manoeuvre that requires courage and is rarely seen in other teams,” Komur said.
“Another manoeuvre is where the Team Leader reverses and meets the main package of the other three planes, a special manoeuvre unique to the Turkish Stars, and the other three planes perform a ‘tonneau’ manoeuvre,” he added.
Proud to fly the Turkish flag
Major Mehmet Balta stated that the Turkish Stars, which were established within the Turkish Air Force in 1992, began their performances with the NF-5 aircraft, which are the most suitable and beautiful aircraft for aerobatic team flights.
"With modernisation, they continue their shows with the NF-5 2000 aircraft," Balta said, adding, "We hope to perform these flights with the HurJet in the near future, and we are eagerly looking forward to adding the HurJet to our inventory."
Major Gokhan Esen, for his part, said those who participated in the Turkish Stars after a long period of training are proud to fly the Turkish flag all over the world.
The five-day Teknofest, Türkiye's premier technology and aerospace event, kicked off on Wednesday, and features competitions, air shows, exhibitions, and workshops where visitors can also experience vertical wind tunnels, simulations, and planetarium shows.
“The suitability of the display location, audience safety, and flight safety were evaluated, and an assessment was made based on the suitability of the display area and display flight,” Koyunluoglu explained.
“After completing the approval process following a meeting held in the Air Force, the Turkish Stars were added to the display schedule,” he added.
The event was previously held in various Turkish cities in even years and in the metropolis of Istanbul in odd years. To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, the event was planned in three different provinces this year.
