The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Roulettes aerobatic display team delivered a 12-minute thrilling performance over the Hastings River.

The team of seven spent the afternoon meeting young aviation fans at the Hastings District Flying Club's open day on April 18 with future pilots able to get a hands-on tour of the crew's aircraft.

The RAAF Roulettes were established in 1970 following the success of earlier teams, the Red Sales and Telstars. Their first public display was at RAAF Base Point Cook.

The Roulettes, headed by squadron leader Jamie Braden, are now a six aircraft, seven member team which completes two display seasons each year. The youngest pilot is 29-year-old Aimee Heal.

Roulette displays are flown all around Australia and consist of a number of manoeuvres flown in various formations at low level.

They are an extension of formation, aerobatics, low level flying, and airmanship skills, taught to Air Force pilots and developed throughout their career.

The Roulettes fly as low as 80m at speeds of up to 370 knots to 685km/h and pilots can experience up to 6 'G', or six times, the force of gravity during a display.

The team's expertise was on show over Port Macquarie where they showcased the level of visual judgement and hand-eye coordination that pilots in the Air Force are able to achieve.

The Roulette pilots work at the Central Flying School, based at RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria. Between displays, they teach other Air Force pilots to become instructors.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: