18 April 2015: RAAF Roulettes aerobatic team over the Swan River

RAAF Aerobatic Team “The Roulettes” performing a display over the Swan River in Perth.
18 April 2015. Photo © Keith Anderson.

18 April 2015 article © David Eyre

The RAAF Aerobatic Team, the ‘Roulettes’ performed air displays and flypasts in Western Australia during April 2015, as part of a two-week, tri-State tour, which also included South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Sadly, the RAAF and the local media did not properly promote the visit. Local people were therefore either unaware of the Saturday display or found out on the day, so very few people attended. This was a shame, as the Roulettes put on a fantastic display.

It would have been better to time the visit to coincide with a local event, such as the Australia Day Air Show.

The Roulettes are based at the Central Flying School at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria. The team includes seven members, with seven Pilatus PC-9/A trainer aircraft – six aircraft flying the display and one aircraft as an operational spare. The pilot of Roulette Seven stays on the ground to provide commentary during the display.

During the aerobatic display, the aircraft are only 3 metres from each other, reaching speeds of up to 550 kilometres per hour and and flying down to 200 feet (60 metres) above the ground.

The team arrived at Pearce from Kalgoorlie on the morning of 15 April 2015.

At 11am on Saturday 18 April, the team conducted a display over the Swan River, Perth, near Langley Park. Aircraft in the display were A23-046, A23-050, A23-051, A23-058, A23-060 and A23-061.

ANZAC Day – 25 April 2015 Flypasts in South West WA

The Roulettes will perform eight separate flypasts to commemorate ANZAC Day Centenary.

Flypasts will be flown over Yarloop, Bunbury, Busselton, Nannup, Bridgetown, Walpole, Mount Barker and Albany.

Following the flypasts, the team will return to the Eastern States.

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RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team Pilatus PC-9/A aircraft display over the Swan River, Perth - Sat 18 April 2015. Aircraft in the display were A23-046, A23-050, A23-051, A23-058, A23-060 and A23-061. Photo © Geoff Selby — RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team Pilatus PC-9/A aircraft display over the Swan River, Perth – Sat 18 April 2015.
Aircraft in the display were A23-046, A23-050, A23-051, A23-058, A23-060 and A23-061.
Photo © Geoff Selby

Roulette Seven - Flight Lieutenant Thomas Sawade, of the RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team providing commentary at the team's aerobatic display over the Swan River, at Langley Park, Perth - Sat 18 April 2015. Aged 26, Flt Lt Sawade was born in Canberra and joined the RAAF in 2007. In 2009, he commenced flying training on the CT4B at the Basic Flying Training School (BFTS) at Tamworth, followed by the PC9/A aircraft at No. 2 Flying Training School (2FTS) RAAF Pearce, graduating from 221 Pilots Course. Upon graduation, Tom was posted to No 38 Squadron at RAAF Base Townsville to fly the KA350 King Air aircraft. In 2014, he was posted to Central Flying School (CFS) as Roulette 7. He has over 1500 Military flying hours and this is his first season with the Roulettes. Photo © Jonathan Williams — Roulette Seven – Flight Lieutenant Thomas Sawade, of the RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team providing commentary at the team’s aerobatic display over the Swan River, at Langley Park, Perth – Sat 18 April 2015.
Aged 26, Flt Lt Sawade was born in Canberra and joined the RAAF in 2007. In 2009, he commenced flying training on the CT4B at the Basic Flying Training School (BFTS) at Tamworth, followed by the PC9/A aircraft at No. 2 Flying Training School (2FTS) RAAF Pearce, graduating from 221 Pilots Course. Upon graduation, Tom was posted to No 38 Squadron at RAAF Base Townsville to fly the KA350 King Air aircraft. In 2014, he was posted to Central Flying School (CFS) as Roulette 7. He has over 1500 Military flying hours and this is his first season with the Roulettes.
Photo © Jonathan Williams

A23-050 Pilatus PC-9A (MSN 550) of RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team over the Swan River, Perth - Sat 18 April 2015. Aircraft in the display were A23-046, A23-050, A23-051, A23-058, A23-060 and A23-061. Photo © Jonathan Williams — A23-050 Pilatus PC-9A (MSN 550) of RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team over the Swan River, Perth – Sat 18 April 2015.
Aircraft in the display were A23-046, A23-050, A23-051, A23-058, A23-060 and A23-061.
Photo © Jonathan Williams

A23-060, A23-051, A23-046, A23-050 Pilatus PC-9/A of the RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team display over the Swan River, Perth - Sat 18 April 2015. Other aircraft in the display were A23-058 and A23-061. Photo © Jonathan Williams — A23-060, A23-051, A23-046, A23-050 Pilatus PC-9/A of the RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team display over the Swan River, Perth – Sat 18 April 2015.
Other aircraft in the display were A23-058 and A23-061.
Photo © Jonathan Williams

4 thoughts on “18 April 2015: RAAF Roulettes aerobatic team over the Swan River”

graeme shiels says:

7 March 2017 at 11:06 pm

Good on ya Noddy. I was also with 9 Squadron from July 68 to July 69 and enjoyed a few jars with you in the Officers Mess. My office was upstairs in our hangar with all the “queer trades.”
At the farewell to the F-111s at Amberley a couple of years ago, someone said you were still in Pearce, as a civilian flight instructor.
I really enjoyed your Rad School speech on Vietnam Veterans Day in 2010.
A Qantas captain I met on a cruise in Europe said that after we left Vietnam in July, Mick Tardent was awarded a DFC for his derring-do.
He was the bass guitarist in my band.
I resigned from the RAAF in 1972.
Cheers, Flg Off Graeme “Snoopy” Shiels (resigned) – Assistant EngO 9 Squadron

P J Lehman says:

26 February 2017 at 10:44 am

Good on ya Nods. Some great old names and memories

Pete Lehman Wg Cdr (retd)
Ex Accto BSESL. CO BSPEA92-94

Wayne Parsons says:

11 June 2015 at 10:35 pm

Unfortunatley, we live in the ‘Punjab’, as detailed to me by my team leader in 1972 as we were transitting from RAAF Edinburgh to RAAF Pearce and crossed the SA/WA border enroute to Pearce for the 1972 display. We over here really suck on the commonwealth’s ‘hind tit’. I was a member of the ‘Roulettes’ flying as ‘Roulette 3’ for the 1972 season in the Macchi MB326 jet trainer. Team members were SQNLDR Mark Perrett, (deceased), FLTLT Ron Kennedy (RAF), me. FLTLT Wayne (Noddy) Parsons, and FLTLT Max MacGregor. We were the team that kept the ‘Roulettes’ alive; the team was to be disbanded after the RAAF 50th anniversary celebrations in 1971. We must have done good. 45 years on and the team still excites and delights. I am proud to have been part of it. Wayne (Noddy) Parsons. Roulette 3.

Mike S says:

2 May 2015 at 2:14 pm

It really was a pity that the display wasn’t better promoted! I felt a little bad for them putting in such a big effort with a fantastic display for so few spectators. On the other hand, it was quite a unique experience getting mic-free commentary from Roulette 7, standing five metres away!