SILENT KNIGHTS

For every aerial ballet that the Black Knights perform, there is a corresponding dance on the ground.

The ground crew pore over the jets, making sure all the panels are securely fastened. Some check on the landing gear tyres, others fuss over the control flaps on the wings' trailing edge and some inspect the air brakes on the rudder.

All so that these lethal F-16C fighters in state livery can steal hearts when they take off into the skies.

Mini squadron

The Black Knights team functions like a squadron of their own, bringing their own supplies, spares and tools to air shows.

The closest civilian equal would be a Formula 1 race team - a travelling garage with its own dedicated and highly skilled mechanics, drivers and engineers.

But make no mistake, the Black Knights team of about 40 Air Force Engineers (AFEs) and six pilots are not full-time performers. They still have their own operational roles to play in their home units.

"Maintaining both sides is a stretch but this is the Black Knights. It's about national pride. That kind of motivation makes morale soar," said Military Expert (ME) 2 Patrick Goh, a member of the Black Knights AFE team.

ME2 He in the cockpit checking on the health of the aircraft.

Dedication

For some like ME2 Claire He, the experience has increased her confidence. "This was totally new to me because I usually work on munitions... I would have to learn from scratch and I knew it was going to be tough," she said.

Then there are those like 3rd Sergeant T Thanaraj, a Full-time National Serviceman who joined the Black Knights knowing that he would have to extend his National Service by a few months to perform overseas with the team.

"It's about honour and pride. We're showing people that we're Singaporeans and that a tiny nation can do this."

Taking the cue from take-off timings, the ground crew calculates backwards to decide when to start work. "If the take-off is at 10am, we'll get in at about 7am to start the prep," said ME2 Goh.

Black Knights AFEs signalling to each other during a synchronised launch performance.

Silent precision

This year, the Black Knights ground crew has a show up their sleeves too. Working without radio communications, they move in synchrony to direct the pilots to activate controls on the aircraft as they conduct the final checks before take-off.

Performing this tightly choreographed "synchronised launch" means that each member of the team has to move to the same beat. As one AFE performs a check on his aircraft, the other AFE on the tarmac performs the exact same movement on another aircraft.

From the audience's perspective, it looks like a mime performed with fighter jets. "We use exaggerated movements to show spectators what is going on, and some of the actions mirror the controls of the aircraft," explained ME2 Goh.

For example, when the AFEs want the pilot to deploy the air brakes on the rudder, they get down on one knee and mimic the action of the air brakes by opening and closing their arms like an alligator's mouth.

"This (the synchronised launch) needs a lot of training and drilling. It's something above what the AFEs usually do in their day-to-day jobs," said ME4 Chong Leong Hin, Black Knights AFE team leader.

Added dimension

With this new component, the Black Knights' performance is more complete as the audience sees the preparations for take-off and the subsequent aerial display.

The idea came about last December when the team wanted to add something unique to their repertoire. "We did the first public show-launch in February, so the period of training we had was really quite tight," said ME2 Goh, who came up with the concept for the synchronised launch.

The team first performed their synchronised launch drills at the Avalon Airshow in Australia and received rave reviews.

Training to perfect the full six-aircraft show started in April, and the plan is to get the entire team to pull off a six-aircraft synchronised launch when Singapore's Jubilee celebrations come around in August.

Colonel Nalpon Patrick Selvan, Commander Fighter Group and Chairman of the Black Knights Flying Display Committee, attested to the team's hard work. "My job as team director is easier because I have motivated people who come together and know what the mission is - to put up a good show."