Finnish Air Force Patch Midnight Hawks Aerobatic Display Team a

Finnish Air Force Patch FiAF Midnight Hawks Aerobatic Display Team Patch Badge 2005 Hawk Mk 51 Jet Trainers Fully embroidered merrowed edge 89mm three and one half inches diameter.

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Demonstrations of formation flying in the Finnish Air Force had its beginning prior to World War II when a formation of ten Finnish Air Force Academy Gloster Gamecocks biplanes performed at the Midnight Sun Air Show at Kauhava air base. Following the war the Finnish Air Force Air Force Academy continued displaying at the Midnight Sun Air Show progressing through Saab Safir Fouga Magister Valmet Vinka to the current Hawk Mk 51 aircraft.

To celebrate its 90th anniversary In 1997 the Air Force Academy began displays with four Hawk Mk.51 jet training aircraft from the Academy at other aviation celebrations throughout Finland as well as the traditional Midnight Sun Air Show and at the Oulu International Airshow the Air Force Academy team were given the name Midnight Hawks as the displays at Midnight Sun Air Show are undertaken around midnight although it is daylight.

The Midnight Hawks use five aircraft from 41 Fighter Training Squadron based at Kauhava Air Base with a four aircraft formation used during displays. The Hawk Mk 51 aircraft used for displays retain standard camouflaged as they are drawn from 41 Fighter Training Squadrons operational compliment. No special display markings were used apart from 40cm tall yellow numbers 1 to 4 added to the tail of each display aircraft with the spare aircraft marked as number 7.

Team pilots are flight instructors in active service at the Finnish Air Force Academy holding the rank of Captain or Major. Ground crew support is also provided by 41 Fighter Training Squadron.

The Midnight Hawks have undertaken a number of international displays including Royal International Air Tattoo RIAT at RAF Fairford in 2004 and have displayed at air shows in Sweden Denmark Norway Italy Austria Netherlands Poland Latvia Lithuania Czech Republic amongst others. The Team began using smoke pods on wing pylons in the 2008 season. The Midnight Hawks returned to RIAT at RAF Fairford in 2017 during the Teams 20th anniversary year where the aircraft had Finnish flag markings in the intake fairings and blue and white tail stripes with the numbers in white edged blue. The Team displayed again at RIAT RAF Fairford in 2019. All Midnight Hawks pilots are regular winter ice swimmers entering the water in a hole cut in the ice.

This patch dates from 2005