An Su-30MK2 fighter jet entered the area with its engines roaring, drawing instant attention. The jet flew at high speed over Tay Ho and Ngoc Khanh wards.
Within 15 minutes, the Su-30MK2 completed five loops, performing an acrobatic maneuver on the final pass. This marks the first time a fighter jet has appeared over Ba Dinh Square.
At 9 a.m. 10 Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-171 helicopters were stationed at Hoa Lac Airport in preparation for a 10-aircraft formation flight. After several days of training in smaller groups, this was the first time they performed drills with a full 10-helicopter formation.
Pilots perform technical checks before takeoff. In the morning, helicopter units carried out five training sorties, flying over Hoa Lac Airport and its surrounding areas.
The air show team will comprise four formations: three groups of three helicopters each and one solo, flying in an "arrowhead" formation, carrying the national and Party flags over Ba Dinh Square.
The flyers face some challenges due to the many tall buildings in central Hanoi, and the units have to carefully plan flight paths and calculate data with precision. The weather during the celebrations also poses potential risks, and so contingency plans are in place.
During formation flights, lead pilots use hand signals to maintain safe and precise spacing between aircraft.
Colonel Ta Mong Vu, commander of Regiment 916, directly oversaw the 10-aircraft formation from the observation tower.
"We have been training in formations of three, then four, combining into seven, and today we assembled a full 10-aircraft formation for the celebration," he said.
Flying 10 helicopters with 100-meter spacing requires precise coordination and positioning, and preparedness to respond to unexpected situations during flight, he said.
Colonel Nguyen Truong Toan, political commissar of Regiment 917, waves after the successful 10-aircraft flight at Hoa Lac Airport.
Regiment 917 has deployed six helicopters and four flight crews from Can Tho Airport in the deep south to Hoa Lac to train for the celebrations.
