Captain Han-Wool Jeong
First of all thank you very much for your time, please introduce yourself to us, and tell us about your pilot career in the Republic of Korea Air Force.
First of all, thank you for giving me this opportunity to do this interview. I am Hanwool JEONG, #5 SYNCHRO of the team Black Eagles, the ROKAF aerobatic team. I am 32 years old and have been serving in the ROKAF for 9 years.
I grew up watching Black Eagles’ displays, dreaming of becoming a fighter pilot. I am absolutely happy that I achieved what I have always dreamed of.
I was commissioned as a ROKAF officer in 2014 and served as an F-15K pilot at the 11th Fighter Wing since 2016 after completing pilot training. I joined the Black Eagles in 2021 and I'm always doing my best for the perfect airshow.
Honestly, in Europe, we don’t know much about Airshows in the Republic of Korea. Is there an airshow season? Where do most of the exhibitions take place?
Black Eagles display season is usually from March to October, so it usually takes place between spring and fall. Besides displaying at airshows the Black Eagles also perform at local festival venues. We conduct our displays in venues of diverse terrains such as airports, mountains, seas, valleys, plains, and even at the heart of a metropolis. Republic of Korea's airshows take place biannually namely the Adex, the Annual Sacheon Air Show, and Osan Air Power Day. Adex is usually held at Seoul Airport, Sacheon Air Show at Sacheon Airport, and Osan Air Power Day at Osan Base.
We guess that, as for the European aerobatic teams, there is a period of the year which is mainly dedicated to the training, in particular the training of the new pilots. Let's talk about it: how often does a new pilot join the team? How training is carried out, when and where?
Just like any other aerobatic team, Black Eagles have a training season. It is usually from November to February which is off-season for airshows. We have different plans for accepting new pilots each year, but all in all, 2 new pilots join the team on average every year. At our mother base, Wonju airbase, the pilot at the position that accepted the new pilot will train the new pilot, one-to-one, in accordance with the specific syllabus of the position’s training. The training will become harder and harder with every new phase until the new pilot flies in 8-ship formation with the rest of the team.
Are all pilots of Black Eagles coming from the fighter squadrons of the Air Force?
In accordance with our pilot requirements, we need flight information including which aircraft and hours of flight, not to mention licenses. Hence, only experienced pilots from fighter squadrons can apply for, and be accepted to our team. Anyone with the right requirements can apply.
Could you tell us a little bit about the Black Eagles? The history of the team? How many people is there in the team?
We are the only aerobatic team of ROKAF. This team exists for purpose of giving the people of the Republic of Korea dreams, hopes, and entertainment while demonstrating the unparalleled aerospace power of ROKAF to the world by successfully flying unbelievable aerobatic manoeuvres with 8 supersonic fighter jets of our own, T-50B. ROKAF demonstrated its first aerobatics with 4 mustang aircraft on the 1st of October, 1953 to commemorate the Korean War. In 1966, the aerobatic team was established with F-5A and was reestablished in 1994 with A-37B. In 2009, we employed an advanced training jet T-50 and are still operating with it now. We have a flight squadron with 14 members including 8 pilots, a maintenance squadron with 54 members, support team with 21 members including the advertisement team. In total, 89 people are working day and night as ‘the Black Eagles’.
We will have the chance to see the Black Eagles performance at the most important European air shows this summer, like the RIAT in England the biggest military airshow in the world. How do you cope with that? Are you excited about that?
Thank you for looking forward to it. It’s an honour to participate in RIAT, it’s been 10 years since the last time Black Eagles displayed at this event. This time, we are also going to participate in the Southport airshow, and the Farnborough airshow as well with all of our 8 aircraft which is very exciting for us. We will put in our best effort to entertain our fans in Europe.
Besides displaying over land the team will also participate at the Southport Airshow, a seaside event. How harder is it to display over water than over land?
We also perform displays at a beach in ROK once in a while. The fact that we do not have any terrains to refer to while flying is the hard part when we are flying over water. But since we fly on a beach and not in the middle of the ocean, we expect some terrain to refer to, not to mention that navigation instruments in our cockpit solve the problem easily. Flying on a beach could be even easier than flying over land as they rarely have any high obstacles. We are being very cautious with birds living at the beach, though.
How long did it take to plan this European tour? Why did you decide to do it?
We began planning our tour at the end of last year and started evaluating our plans for the tour in the UK and Europe this spring. Unlike 10 years ago when we disassembled and reassembled the aircraft to and from the UK, this year we have decided to return to fly back to ROK and perform in various countries on the way back. This is to show our fans in Europe who have been waiting for us the best show possible and to display it in other nations on our way back home, promoting our national identity.
Let’s talk about the aircraft you fly. The T-50 is often called “the little brother” of the F-16. Could you briefly describe the aircraft? What makes this jet particularly suitable for your display?
T-50B is a derivative of the supersonic advanced training two-seat jet T-50, developed in KAI. The jet is powered by a single General Electric F404 after-burning turbofan engine with a maximum thrust of 53.07 kN (11,930 lbf) thrust dry, 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf) with an afterburner. The jet can reach speeds of Mach 1.5 and fly as high as 48,000 ft (14,630 m). The harmonious colour of black, white and yellow, selected by the people of ROK, smoke generators, wingtip visible lights, and pin camera is what makes the aircraft different from the T-50. It is supersonic, which allows for good thrust, hence making Barrel Roll manoeuvre with 8 ship possible. Its good speed keeps the intensity and thrill of the audience from the start to the end of the display. Moreover, fantastic manoeuvrability makes double-loop, high-speed inverted flight, and low-speed flight possible.
What’s your history with the Black Eagles? When have you joined the team? What’s your current position and what are your responsibilities within the team?
I joined the team in February of 2021, and took the position as #5 SYNCHRO-1 in December, after completing training for a special license. I fly at the centre column to maintain formation when all 8 ship flies in one formation, and demonstrate dynamic display with #6 SYNCHRO via various formation changes and crossovers. During the second half of our display, I thrill the crowds with more dynamic flying such as leading the different break and crossover manoeuvres. On top of this, I demonstrate the competence of ROKAF pilots and ROKAF T-50 by flying the aircraft to its limit by performing manoeuvres such as slow flight and inverted flight.
Could you tell us a bit about your display routine? Any new manoeuvres for 2022? Any manoeuvre you like? Which manoeuvre is the most demanding to fly?
Black Eagles have a 24-minute full display with 23 subjects, a 15-minute, and a 7-minute limited display. We developed new manoeuvres as of 2021 and are employing them this year. Namely, Rock and Rool, Clover Leap and Cross, and Tornado Landing are the newly developed manoeuvres. My favourite is the Wedge Roll manoeuvre, in which the 8-ship formation performs Barrel Roll, maintaining a close 4-column formation. I believe this manoeuvre best shows the Black Eagles pilots and the aircraft capabilities and teamwork. There is no subject that is the most difficult because of the strong teamwork among the team members :)
Besides the full display at RIAT the team will also perform shortened displays in Southport and Farnborough. Could you tell us more about those shortened displays and the reason behind it?
The distance between Southport and the MOD Boscombe Down, the base we operate from is quite large. Hence, we only display the first half due to fuel constraints. As for the Farnborough, we only display the first half as we cannot do our separation manoeuvres under its strict restrictions.
Besides the 3 airshows in the UK where else can we see the team this year?
We have plans for displays in Poland, Egypt and the Philippines on our way back home. We will be back in ROK this September. The best way to see us longer and more is to come to Sacheon Airshow that takes place in October.
Thank you very much for your time! Any final words to the fans of the Black Eagles here in Europe?
I really appreciate your warm welcome in Europe where we are quite far away from our home. Black Eagles will continue to do our displays in different parts of the world via various tours, giving our fans dreams, hopes and entertainment. I would like to invite everyone to visit ROK during the airshow season and enjoy both your tour and the airshows there.
Learn more about the team here
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