Hawks of Romania
Șoimii României · Five Extra 330SC formation
Romania's civilian national aerobatic team presents a five-aircraft formation display in the national colours, combining close formation, synchronised aerobatics, individual breaks and smoke.
- Revived
- 2007
- Operator
- Aeroclubul României
- Home
- Aerodrom Clinceni
- Formation
- Five aircraft
- Display type
- Formation aerobatics
- Status
- Active
The team
The public face of Romanian sport aviation
A civilian national team, not a Romanian Air Force formation.
National identity, civilian operator
Hawks of Romania, or Șoimii României, is the national aerobatic formation of Aeroclubul României. The operator is Romania's public sport-aviation organisation, so the Hawks represent the country without belonging to the Romanian Air Force.
The modern team was revived in 2007 around a four-aircraft Extra 300L formation. It later expanded to five aircraft and developed a display that combines formation aerobatics with separate solo or opposing elements. The aircraft wear red, yellow and blue schemes based on the Romanian flag.
Clinceni
The team is associated with Aerodrom Clinceni, home of Aeroclubul Teritorial “Aurel Vlaicu” București. The aerodrome supports training across powered flying, gliding and parachuting as well as the repetition required for close formation work.
Display reference
Five aircraft, one changing formation
- Formation entrance The five aircraft establish the tricolour formation and smoke presentation.
- Synchronised aerobatics Loops, rolls and changing shapes demonstrate spacing and timing.
- Breaks and crossings The formation separates for individual, opposing or converging figures.
- Solo emphasis One or more aircraft may remain forward while the main formation repositions.
- Rejoin and finish The team reforms for a coordinated closing pass or break.
Core identity
Formation first
The Hawks routine is built around a five-aircraft formation rather than five independent solo sequences. Smoke defines the formation geometry, while breaks and rejoins change the pace without losing the team identity.
The complete routine is five aircraft, but reduced formations can appear when serviceability, transit requirements or an event programme demand it. Coloured ground pyrotechnics and night-show effects belong to the event production and are not standard onboard features of every Hawks display.
The aircraft
Extra 330SC at the centre
The full five-aircraft display is centred on the Extra 330SC, a single-seat unlimited-category competition aircraft designed and built in Germany. Its carbon-fibre wing and empennage, steel-tube fuselage and high-control-authority ailerons suit both precision competition flying and formation aerobatics.
Extra 300L aircraft remain part of Aeroclubul României's wider aerobatic fleet and were the foundation of the revived Hawks team. The two-seat 300L supported the original four-ship and later mixed formations, training and competition flying before the five-330SC presentation became the complete-team format.
Extra 330SC
- Role
- Single-seat unlimited aerobatics
- Length
- 6.7 m
- Wingspan
- 7.5 m
- Height
- 2.6 m
- Aerobatic MTOW
- 780 kg
Power and limits
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A
- Power
- 315 hp
- Propeller
- Three-blade constant-speed
- Certified load factor
- +10 / -10 g
- VNE
- 220 kt · about 407 km/h
Extra 300L context
- Role
- Two-seat aerobatic aircraft
- Length
- About 7.0 m
- Wingspan
- About 8.0 m
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B5
- Power
- 300 hp
Figures are manufacturer or certified type references, not operating instructions. VNE is a never-exceed limit rather than maximum level speed. Permitted load factor, weight and manoeuvre limits depend on the exact variant, occupancy, configuration and approved flight manual.
History
A revived name and an evolving Extra fleet
-
1999
Extra 300L enters Aeroclub service
The arrival of German-built Extra 300L aircraft gives Romanian sport aviation a modern platform for advanced competition and formation flying.
-
2007
Hawks of Romania is revived
The name, aircraft identity and logo are developed into a four-aircraft formation by Cătălin Prunariu with Mihai Dobre Țone, George Rotaru and Attila Goger.
-
2009
Loss of Mihai Dobre Țone
The team pilot and Clinceni aerodrome commander dies during an Extra 300L training flight. A precision-landing competition at Clinceni later carries his name.
-
2010s
The formation expands
Hawks develops from the original four-ship into a five-aircraft display, mixing Extra 300L and Extra 330SC aircraft as the operator's aerobatic fleet grows.
-
2017
Formation Aerobatic Challenge
A four-aircraft Extra 300L team represents Romania in Zhengzhou, China, and receives the event's Best Visual Creativity award.
-
Continuing
Five Extra 330SC presentation
The full team format centres on five Extra 330SC aircraft, while the Extra 300L remains part of the Aeroclub fleet and Hawks history.
Context
What defines the Hawks
01 / Operator
Civilian national team
Aeroclubul României runs the formation as part of Romania's sport-aviation structure. National colours do not make it a military unit.
02 / Formation
Five-aircraft core
The complete act is a five-ship routine whose loops, rolls, breaks and rejoins are designed to be read as one evolving formation.
03 / Smoke
More than a trail
The Aeroclub's Extra fleet carries smoke systems capable of drawing formation lines and, where programmed, producing written patterns in the sky.
