He said the F-16Cs and Apaches are “very unique and different platforms”, so one challenge lies in trying to match them together in stunts that require much communication and precision.
Along with the three new manoeuvres, the display will also feature traditional crowd favourites such as the final salute, in which the fighter jet climbs vertically while unleashing a column of flares.
Colonel Ng shared that “a lot of people” in the force indicated they were keen to be part of the airshow display.
Those with prior experience were not instantly bumped to the front of the queue either, he noted.
Applications were examined across the board, although some pilots who had flown in the airshow before were picked for their experience, said Colonel Ng.
“Apart from the training, it is also about handling the pressure and handling the performance anxiety, and a bit of experience actually makes a difference,” he said.
The time needed to train and be ready depends on experience too, with newer members requiring “a little bit more training”.
“The key thing is, I will just put it simply to three areas: one, don’t hit the ground, two, don’t hit each other, and then three, after that, we think through how to perform some of these manoeuvres,” said Colonel Ng.