Captain Oskari Tähtinen
Thank you for your time. Firstly please introduce yourself to us, and tell us about your career in the Finnish Air Force.
I’m deputy flight commander Captain Oskari Tähtinen, 34 years old, an air combat instructor pilot and a member of the Midnight Hawks display team, flying the #4 slot position at the back of the diamond. I’m currently stationed at the Finnish Air Force Academy’s Fighter Squadron 41, based at Tikkakoski in central Finland, flying the British Aerospace Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer. I’ve been with the Finnish Air Force for 16 years now, with 9 years and 600 hours of experience flying on the F/A-18 Hornet and 6 years and 700 hours on the Hawk.
My Air Force career began in 2006, when as part of our national compulsory conscription service I applied and was accepted to be a pilot in the Air Force ROC.
My flight training through phases 1 to 4 was typical, having me learn the ropes of flying on the Finnish built Valmet Vinka prop trainer through the 3 year cadet course, and further mastering the skills of formation flying, aerobatics and basic Fighter maneuvering on the BAe Hawk for 2 more years at the prestigious, but nowadays disbanded Training Air Wing at Kauhava AFB.
In 2012 I transitioned to Rovaniemi for Lapland Air Command’s Fighter Squadron 11, where I spent the next 6 years learning to fly, fight and breathe the F/A-18 Hornet, Finland’s frontline fighter aircraft.
In 2018 I requested to be transferred to be an air combat Instructor pilot on the Hawk at the Air Force Academy. I still flew and maintained proficiency on the Hornet until my finí flight on the jet in 2021, but my main job became teaching the cadets and lieutenants how to fly a fast jet and get them proficient in air combat maneuvering and tactics. On the side, I’m privileged to be a part of the Midnight Hawks display team since 2019. The team is fully comprised of fellow active air combat instructors, who practice and fly the displays on top of their day job.
After the first year on the team as a ”Rookie” #7, handling day to day affairs, PR, social media and display narrations, I moved up the ranks to fly the #4 Slot position as the tail end of our well known 4-ship close diamond formation.
Could you tell us a bit about the Hawk? Is it a good aircraft for close formation flying?
The BAe Hawk is really a brilliant beast of a machine for both formation flying and advanced jet training. It is very sensitive and precise on the controls, highly manoeuvrable and performs well with sustained G’s up to 6 and a maximum of 8, more in fact than the Hornet’s limit of 7,5. Yet it’s highly forgiving for the pilot and one would really have to grossly manhandle the controls to make it depart a controlled flight.
What this all means for close formation flying is that you really can park the aircraft within inches from each other, but it naturally requires a light touch on the controls and a lot of concentration. What I wish the Hawk had more of is power and especially faster response to power increase (don’t all pilots on all aircraft do, though…), and a bit more effective speed brake.
Flying the position through stick and rudder is relatively easy, but how one master the acceleration and deceleration characteristics really defines how well you can fly the formation.
How can someone become the Midnight Hawks pilot? What does the selection process look like and what are the requirements?
All Midnight Hawk pilots are experienced jet pilots with either Hawk or Hawk and Hornet background, selected from the cadre of Fighter Squadron 41 instructors through a peer selection process.
What we look for in new recruits is naturally above average flying skills and also dedication and commitment to the team. One has to have high work ethics and be a standout pilot and a role model for the younger generation.
As the displays require us to be on the road and the days can be long and taxing, the pilot's selected tend to be highly social and outgoing as well. When the team gets along, it helps endure the travel and makes the work enjoyable for everyone.
Could you briefly talk us through your display sequence? What’s your favourite manoeuvre?
Our display can roughly be divided into two sections: first, the close formation flying as a 4-ship, where we demonstrate precise formation flying in mainly our trademark diamond formation mixed with various different formations as well. In our fair-weather display, we get to demonstrate a lot of vertical manoeuvring, for example in oblique diamond loops and line abreast loops. The second part of the display consists of opposing solo passes.
In our shows, we aim to keep the display tight and focused, without long breaks in between manoeuvres. Something is happening all the time! Our display music is also individually tailored to each season's display routine by our #7, in order to create as enjoyable and dynamic a performance as possible.
Personally, my favourite part of the shows is the line abreast loop, in which you really get to show your skills with the stick and rudder, it really requires a lot of concentration and a light touch on the controls. Another favourite is the close opposing pass with #1, where you really aim to fly as close as possible to the other aircraft, with a safety margin of course.
What inspired you to join the Finnish Air Force? Any advice for someone who wants to join the Air Force?
As a kid, I was always in awe when I saw the incredibly loud jets and jet display teams performing at various airshows. Flying was something that was always of great interest to me, and when the time came to do my conscription service, applying for the Air Force was an obvious choice.
The Air Force isn't looking for superheroes, but to be eligible to join one has to have certain innate qualities to pass the aptitude tests. If you are interested in joining, my best advice would be to work hard on your studies in school and come to the tests as you are. Every year some 40 lucky people out of close to 1000 applicants get selected. I was one of the lucky ones, you could be too!
Could you tell us a bit about the team? It’s history? How many people are there in the team?
Formation display flying in it's various forms has been part of the Finnish Airforce legacy since the 1920's. We used to have an annual Midnight Sun air show, held at the Training Air Wing at Kauhava before it was shut down, where due to the long summer days in Finland the displays would go on until Midnight in full sunlight. It was there in 1997 when the name Midnight Hawks was officially coined.
The team consists of 4 pilots, a rookie #7, team supervisor #0, who is typically a former pilot of the team, and the head maintenance officer #10, who runs a team of typically 6 to 8 maintenance NCOs, who keep the aircraft in flying shape. During the team's 25 year history (quarter of a century this year!) the team has seen a total of only 32 pilots, so it really is a priviledge to get to be a part of this legacy!
Any demo team in Europe you like?
There's certainly a degree of camaraderie you feel towards all the other demo teams, as we all share the same love of display and formation flying. It's hard to pick any favourite, but the Red Arrows and Frecce Tricolori definitely are on the top of my list of displays to see whenever they are performing!
If one day you could choose any airshow to display at, which one would it be and why?
It's always amazing to get to perform abroad at large air shows and meet the people on the ground, so every trip is special and memorable. If I had to pick one where'd I'd like to perform, RIAT would be an obvious choice (it's been a couple of years since we've been there), but for the sake of variety I'm going to go with Zeltweg, Austria. I've heard a lot of good things about the airshow from the teams that have performed there, so it would be cool to someday witness it first hand!
Do you have any favourite memories from your time as the Midnight Hawks pilot?
Getting to perform at Kauhava AFB in 2020 was definitely a special moment, as it was there as a young Hawk Cadet, seeing the Midnight Hawks perform at a squadron party, I remember being really awestruck of how close to each other they flew and thought to myself that maybe one day I could be doing the same, too.
Another highlight was the Kaivopuisto Airshow over the harbor of Helsinki last year. The weather was perfect and our display slot was late in the evening, with the setting summer sun painting the world around us in incredible red and orange hues and the harbour area was littered with sailboats and yachts watching the show right next to the display line. The attendance was massive, as the show was free to attend and right in our capital. Definitely one to remember and cherish!
But one of the most special moments for me has to be the joint photo shoot with the Red Arrows. This one had been in the works for a few years now, but last year at the Gdynia Aerobaltic Airshow the stars finally aligned and we got to make it a reality. Both the Reds and us were attending the same show, and we managed to line up our rehearsal schedules to be airborne at the same time. After our display rehearsal we joined inside the 9-ship Red Arrows formation with our 4-ship Midnight diamond, and with the Skyvan photo platform taking the pictures plus an additional Red Arrows chase plane buzzing all around us, the sky was definitely full of airplanes! It was great to work together with our brothers from the RAF, and the photos turned out spectacular as well, so all in all a fantastic experience!
When have you joined the Midnight Hawks? Do you remember your first display?
As said before, I joined the team in 2019 as a rookie, and my first flying display season was 2020. Unfortunately COVID19 struck the first season pretty bad, with most of the shows getting cancelled, but my first official display was for the Flag Day of Finnish Defence forces, where we got to perform right at the doorstep of our president's official recidence on the coast of Helsinki. Our show was broadcast nationwide on television, which was pretty special as well!
If you had a chance to fly any aircraft you like what would it be and why?
The X-15 definitely, because you have the need... the need for speed! ;)
When you not perform as a display pilot, what do you do? How does your week look like?
When I'm not flying Midnight Hawks, my day job is to teach our cadets and lieutenants how to fly the Hawk and how to fight with it. Typically my day consists of two sorties, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with a lunch break in between. The briefing for the sortie usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, which after we don our gear and step to the aircraft. The flights themselves typically are an hour long, after which we change to dry clothes and have a cup of coffee.
As soon as the files from our mission recording system from the flight are downloaded, we start the debriefing, where the bulk of the learning takes place. Did the mission go as planned? Was there any training rule violations or safety incidents? We look in great detail at what exactly happened in the air and why, what were the decisions that were made, and what was the decision making process of the student(s).
Did we meet the training objectives, what went especially well and what areas need improvement. The debriefs lasts anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the complexity of the mission and scenario that was flown. To maximize learning we employ a variety of learning aids in the debrief, ranging from the instructors hand written notes from the flight to a 3D representation of all the aircraft involved with their accurate flight paths, simulated weapons use and their actual HUD videos.
Could you summarize the 2021 year? Where did the team perform?
2021 was a pretty solid season, with a lot more shows than in 2019, but still below the level of the pre-Covid seasons. Typically our season consists of 5 - 10 shows in Finland and maybe 1 to 3 shows abroad. Usually half of the shows in Finland are a part of our "Career's in military aviation", i.e. base open door days of our Air Force Bases, where the public and especially the school kids get to have a glimpse of the Air Force life and hopefully get bitten by the flying bug.
Last year we had the chance to perform at our main Finnish airshow, which was the Kaivopuisto Airshow, at the Nato Aviation Days in Gdynia, Poland, at the Frecce Tricolori 60th anniversary airshow at Rivolto, Italy and also at the Estionian Aviation Days in Tartu, Estonia. Those were the main shows, but we also performed at the WRC Rally Finland and various smaller shows around Finland as well.
Where can we see the Midnight Hawks this year and what airshow this year are you looking forward to the most?
Having done 3 shows abroad last year, this year will be a bit quieter. As it stands, we only have one show abroad planned so far, which is at Uppsala Air Show in Sweden at the end of August. Our main air show in Finland this year is in Pori on the western coast, taking place in 18th to 19th of June.
In addition to these two main events, the best chance to see us is at the different Careers In military aviation days. These shows are scattered through the summer season, beginning in May at Tikkakoski and Tampere, followed by Utti in June and finally in Rovaniemi in the middle of August.
We also plan to perform at the Rally Finland WRC event, so there should be ample opportunities to catch a glimpse of our diamond formation during this display season!
Thank you very much for your time! Any final words to our readers and the fans of Midnight Hawks?
The best part of all the airshows I've been to have definitely been the audience for which we get to perform and having the opportunity to meet the fans face to face before or after the shows. So thank you all for making every display special!
All the best to you all, hope to see you at the shows!
