Matilda Mendham, from Orange in NSW, was part of the ground crew for the Freedom Formation

August 15, 2024

Visitors to Kingaroy Airport last weekend were treated to a mini air show, courtesy of the Freedom Formation aerobatics team.

The 13 aircraft which make up the flight were taking part in an intensive training camp ahead of this weekend’s Pacific Airshow on the Gold Coast.

This is the second year the Freedom Formation aviators have flown in the Gold Coast event.

The move to practice at Kingaroy was a last-minute decision for the aviators after their regular training area at Temora was unavailable.

They practised formation flying and various aerobatic manoeuvres, led by Trent Stewart in a Soviet-era Yak-55.

The rest of the planes were all Van’s Aircraft RV models.

External links:

This is how the pilots practice their formations … yes, really … on the ground before taking to the sky! It’s known as a “dirt dance”
Seven of the 13 planes from the Freedom Formation … a dozen of the planes are Van’s Aircraft, either RV-6s, RV-7s or RV-8s, with the lead plane a Yak-55 (far right in the line-up)
The lead plane in the Freedom Formation, the Yak-55, is flown by Trent Stewart who also performs solo aerobatics as part of the show

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