The "Black Knights" aerobatic display team are part of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The team flies six F-16C fighters and consists of 6 pilots and 25 ground-crew technicians. All six F-16 fighters are equipped with white smoke generators. The team's home base is Tengah Air Base.
Instead of the team's name being mistaken for a "warrior knight", the name of the team was actually inspired from the chess piece known as the "Knight" which typically features a horse's head. As can be seen in our "Black Knights" photos, a painted "Black Knight" chess piece is displayed on the vertical stabilizer.
Every pilot candidate for the team must have 1,000 flying hours on jet fighters. The "Black Knights" consequently don't usually have to practice a lot to change its crew every few years, because they don't perform in a lot events like other teams during a typical season.
Unfortunately, the team appearances are rare, just once or twice a year. In 2009, the "Black Knights" were temporary disbanded, until 2013, when they formed again for the upcoming Singapore Airshow in February 2014. Then the team’s aircraft received a new paint scheme.
