In praise of the NZ Yak display team

[philip]

I'd just like to say having been at 3 airshows this year that the efforts of the NZ Yak display team are fantastic and deserving of recognition.

I'm not sure what their structure is but they have been the highlight wherever I've seen them. At the Whitianga festival of speed the Yaks put on a show every bit as good as the Red Chequers did the previous year. IMHO.

A big thankyou.

[baz62]

Hear hear. I enjoyed their display at Classic Fighters 2009, most impressive.

[aeromedia]

Wholeheartedly agree. I too enjoyed their display, as tight as the proverbial ducks bottom !!!!!!! Twenty years ago we had the splendid Roaring 40's Harvard team and you knew all their names. Today, the country is blessed with several fantastic teams and the standard seems to get better and better and new talent is continually emerging to fill team slots.
Names I've never heard before but, wow . . keep em coming through!
Mrs Mac watched over the fence when the Yak team rehearsed at Ashburton on the way down to Wanaka this year. Smoke, . . the full works. Magic.

[Dave Homewood]

I too think they're an amazing team. I have seen them in many places now flying as a seven-ship, eight-ship and at Wanaka in 2006 as a nine-ship team. Every variant has been superb, they're very tight and very good, and they hit their marks perfectly every time. To think they're not all ex-RNZAF (I think maybe only two are?) and some are farmers, one runs a hardware store, etc, and they practice just when they ca because they're spread round the country a bit is remarkable. I have found them a great team to film too, so colourful.

[FlyingKiwi]

Agreed - given that they aren't a full time professional display team, I'm always amazed at just how tidy their displays are. Always a real pleasure to watch.

[Deleted]

I have some faces but I haven't a hope of putting names to them apart from leader Brett Emeny, and his daughter Fay who will no doubt feature in the team soon. Photos taken Easter Sunday at Wanaka.


Brett Emeny

Fay Emeny (who I've heard has been getting aeros tutelage from Dad, she flew YAK in the mock attack sequence at Wanaka)






Great photo, that last one

[Dave Homewood]

"Talk to the hand, as the bonedome ain't listening."

[hardyakka]

The Yak Team photos in order are:

Brett Emeny (an absolutely top piloty bloke... in this photo using Peter Meadows' Tauranga based plane)
Fay Emeny (ferry pilot and now doing a few displays)
Doug Batten (Air NZ 777 pilot)
John "JP" Parker (solo aerobatics display)
Bryan "BJ" Coppersmith (ex-RNZAF A4 pilot)
Mike Harvey (Air NZ pilot)
Peter Vause (Also flies the Aero L39 Albatros)
Rik Grant (the face behind the hand - Alaskan bush pilot by trade)

They naturally split into three display groups due to who lives in vicinity of who and who can practice together. They bring the groups together for the opening and then split into elements (normally Pauanui x 3 , New Plymouth x 4 and the solo from Hamilton)

I'll pass on your good wishes and kind comments. They'll be chuffed to hear this from the airshow-goer's point of view.

[yak2]

They are excellent. Look and sound great. IMO best formation aerobatic team in NZ.

[corsair67]

I saw them for the first time at Classic Fighter 2007, and was very much impressed by their aerial display. So crisp and always plenty of activity happening right in front of, or above, the crowd.

Up until that point, I had always stupidly thought the Yak-52 was a kind of boring, unattractive aeroplane; but they won me over to the Yak cause with their fine display of aerobatics.

Plus, who couldn't love the sound of all those beautiful radials together.

[Gavin Conroy]

Yip, the Yak team is brilliant, always stop me in my tracks and boy the crowds just love them.
Keep it up guys we really appreciate it.

Would love to do some formation aeros with them one day.

[Damon]

Is Huggy still part of the team?

[hardyakka]

No, Huggy hasn't been available to the team for a couple of seasons now.

...and Gavin, although the airshow season is "over" and the full team aren't practising regularly, I'm sure something could be arranged in terms of getting you and your camera into a back cockpit for a formation session. I'll talk to JP and see if he is keen to get the rest rounded up.