South Korea’s Black Eagles in Australian debut as airshow flies back to town

After a four-year hiatus, the Australian International Airshow roars back to life headlined by an act never seen down under.

South Korea's Black Eagles airshow team. Picture: Roslan Rahman / AFP

After a four-year hiatus, the Australian International Airshow roars back to life today headlined by an act never seen down under.

The Black Eagles from South Korea will signal the return of ­Avalon as the airshow is better known, after Covid-19 rudely sidelined the 2021 event which was intended to mark the Royal Australian Air Force centenary.

Organiser Justin Giddings, the chief executive of AMDA Foundation, says he knew he had to get the Black Eagles after seeing them perform at the Royal International Air Tattoo in London last year.

“They’re almost like mini F-16s flying in an awesome display,” Giddings says.

“I said to one of my colleagues, if they could come here that would be amazing.”

AMDA Foundation chief executive and airshow organiser Justin Giddings. Picture: Mike Dugdale

With some help from RAAF chief Robert Chipman and Defence Minister Richard Marles, the Black Eagles agreed to bring their eight supersonic KAI T-50B Golden Eagle jets to Avalon.

“To see the Black Eagles, you’d normally have to go to Europe or Korea,” Giddings says.

“It would be worth coming because we don’t know if they’ll be back and I’m hopeful they will but certainly to have them is a real privilege.”

Daily performances of about 20-minutes duration are scheduled by the aerobatics team which performs a jaw-dropping array of manoeuvres including the “dizzying break”, “twist roll” and “tornado landing”.

Their signature move, known as “the Taegeuk” actually recreates the Republic of Korea flag with the help of coloured smoke generators fitted to each of the Golden Eagles.

Another new addition to the popular airshow is the “Avalon Eye”, also inspired by Giddings’ trip to RIAT. Stretching 28m into the sky, the mammoth ferris wheel will provide a bird’s eye view of the entire site.

It’s among a raft of “ground” attractions designed to appeal to children aged 15 and under who for the first time are being admitted for free, with a paying adult.

There’s also a tech zone featuring interactive simulator flying activations, an open-air museum of more than 370 aircraft and superscreens providing a cockpit perspective of the aerial displays.

An extra grandstand has been erected on site and a second entrance added to help eliminate queuing.

Daily numbers will be capped at 80,000 people to ensure everyone’s comfort, with organisers hopeful of seeing 200,000 visitors over the three days.

“It’s the first time in our history we’ve filled the expo at Avalon, and we’ve got a waitlist of more than 100 organisations,” Giddings says.

“Ticket sales are more than double what they were at this time out from the 2019 show and the weather forecast is looking very positive.”

Joining the Black Eagles are the United States Air Force F-22 Raptors and the thrilling Scandinavian Wing Walkers in their second appearance at Avalon.

The Friday night fireworks promise to outshine Sydney’s New Year’s Eve display and there’s also a drone racing demonstration on the schedule.

“The amount of delegations we’ve got coming from overseas is about 50 per cent higher than in the past, probably because of pent-up demand as a result of missing the 2021 show,” Giddings says.

“There are so many US participants, but also from Germany, from the UK, from India, from Korea of course, and also … space seems to be a growing segment.

“There are space seminars here and a lot of space displays, and that’s a field I think you’ll see grow in coming years.”

The Black Eagles at ground level.

In an effort to fit in as much flying as possible, an extra 30 minutes has been added to the daily program which now extends from 10am to 6pm.

Giddings says the event is at the stage where applicants have had to be turned away, so “chock-a-block” is the schedule.

“We’ve got a great mix of Australian and international acts, big and small so it’s not all military,” he says.

“We’re hoping to have Qantas on the ground for at least one of the days and we’re busily trying to find more parking areas outside because the show is so big.”

Trade days kick off on February 28 with the Black Eagles staging a fitting start to the spectacle. General admission is available from Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 5.