TEAM YAKOVLEVS CEASE ALL FLYING OPERATIONS
The British Team Yakovlevs announced that after 25 years and over 2000 displays across 13 countries, the team has taken the tough decision to cease all flying operations with immediate effect.
The Team Yakovlevs were the UK's premier formation aerobatic team, flying a mixture of powerful Russian aerobatic aircraft the single-seat Yak-50 and two-seat supercharged and specially lightened Yak-52 'Super'. These reliable and robust aircraft were designed for advanced aerobatics training and competition aerobatics.
The team owned 10 Yaks in total with 8 flying at any one time and could perform solo displays or formation aerobatics with 2 to 6 aircraft.
Team Yakovlevs at the Meeting aérien Cambrai 2022
The team was formed in December 1999 and since then the Team Yakovlevs demonstrated their skills at airshows all over the world going as far as India and China.
Their display programme involved close formation aerobatics in different formations as well as breaks and opposition passes. The team could also perform the impressive sky typing where five aircraft in line-abreast formation at 10,000ft emit a pulse of smoke creating a unique Sky Billboard message.
Earlier in the year the team announced that 2023 will be their last display season saying;
“So as Douglas Adams once wrote… “…..so long, and Thanks for all the Fish”… The 2023 season will be the last year that TeamYakovlevs will be display flying… After over 2000 displays across 13 countries and what will be 25 years of the team display flying…… its Hasta la vista baby. We want to say a massive thank you to all those that supported us,… and a big fat raspberry to those that didn’t. It's been an amazing 25year journey from those baby steps in 1998 to the full-on 6 ship of today.
We have lots of displays already booked for 2023 so keep your eyes out for us around he display circuit here in the Uk and of course France.
Finally, an enormous thank you to the wives and partners of the pilots….. including my own amazing wife Sarah Hopkinson… without all your support over the years… non of this would be possible”
Team Yakovlevs at the Bournemouth Air Festival 2022
The team was booked to fly at a number of events across Europe this year with the first one being the Midlands Air Festival on the first weekend of June, However, on March 15th 2023 the team sadly announced that they will cease all flying operations with immediate effect.
The news comes after 2 other British aerobatic teams the little and large duo and the Blades aerobatic team announced that they have also ceased display flying.
Statement from the team;
“After long deliberation, the team has taken the tough decision to cease all flying operations with immediate effect.
We were hoping to have a full season displaying in 2023, but sadly that will not be the case. Thank you to those venues that did want us to display at their venue.
There are many reason..... but it is what it is. Thank you again to all that have supported us over the last 25 years.”
