The Swift Aerobatic Display Team’s purpose is to entertain with a demonstration of glider and powered aerobatics and we have a number of display elements to show our gliders and aircraft at their very best.

• The display aerotow
• The power aerobatic solo (and glider climb)
• The glider display

What makes a glider display different is the simple fact that it has no engine. This is both the display’s strength and weakness. The glider must be towed into the air with a towplane and this provides us with an opportunity to defy convention and add a unique element to the display – the display aerotow.

We developed the aerotow presentation 11 years ago with our signature manoeuvre, the ‘roll on tow’, with the glider rolling and flying upside down during the aerotow. With an aerobatic towplane we can increase our repertoire and fly more advanced manoeuvres together, such as synchronised aileron rolls, barrel rolls, wingovers and zoom climbs.

After our low-level aerotow, the climb takes up to 5 minutes to get the glider to release altitude and we have teamed up with Pete Wells and his diminutive Twister aircraft to provide a powered aerobatic solo display to entertain as we climb.

The glider display then starts from 3-4,000ft or lower if we have cloud, airspace or time constraints. We use orange wingtip smoke to trace the flight path of the glider. The pilot’s skill is in using the gliders energy efficiently, trading height for speed for each aerobatic stunt. With smoke the pilot becomes an artist, drawing graceful patterns - interspersing the flowing lines with contorted aerobatic twists and turns.

Our S1 Swift and MDM Fox gliders are capable of ‘unlimited’ aerobatics, and dramatic manoeuvres to watch out for include rolls, loops, tailslides, flick rolls and dynamic tumbles.

We have flown different displays in the past, most notably using the Extra300L as tow plane and last year a ‘past and present’ formation to showcase the history of glider aerobatics. The 50 years that separate the designs of the Lo100 and the S1 Swift gliders have seen vast developments in design, construction and performance and it is was a challenge to fly these two aerobatic masters together.

We can tailor our display to fit your venue.

• Examples include flying a solo with the 2 seat MDM Fox, and offering glider rides (trial lessons) before the airshow.
• We can offer a quiet show, perfect for displaying close to Race Horses and noise sensitive areas.
• We can land the glider in most cut fields, or for a spectacular finish on a motoracing circuit, taxiway, carpark or stately home grounds.
• We can finish the glider display with a ‘Limbo’, a perfect manoeuvre to watch up-close from staged seating.
• We have also pioneered our “Seaside Profile”, perfect if there is no viable landing strip for the glider. The team completes the low level aerotow, showcasing our stunning “roll-on-tow” manoeuvre and the powered aerobatic solo only.

The Swift Aerobatic Display Team can provide many exciting display options and with our choice of gliders and towplanes we can cater for every possible venue and budget to deliver an amazing show guaranteed to thrill you and your audience!

No crowd line is too long, no display venue too small. We have a display for you!