Jastrebs and Super Galebs

Yugoslav display flying went back to 1938, and after the war the air force fielded teams on Jungmeisters, Yak-3s, F-84G Thunderjets, Sabres, G-2 Galebs and J-21 Jastrebs. By 1985 the team was flying six IJ-21 Jastrebs, and in 1986 it was officially named the Leteće zvezde, or Flying Stars, nicknamed the “canaries” for its yellow aircraft trimmed in the blue, white and red of the national flag. In 1990 it re-equipped with seven Soko G-4 Super Galeb advanced trainers, which first appeared at the Batajnica air show that year. A year later, just before a planned international debut in Italy, the outbreak of fighting in Slovenia grounded the team, and its aircraft were used for training through the years of sanctions.

Revival and destruction

On 9 October 1996 the air force decided to re-form the team under the 172nd Air Brigade at Podgorica. Six pilots, including Major Predrag Vukašinović and Captain Saša Ristić from the 1990 team, worked up a 20-minute programme of a four-ship and a synchro pair, first shown publicly at Batajnica on 15 June 1997. In September 1997 the team flew at Plovdiv in Bulgaria, the first overseas appearance by a Yugoslav display team in nearly two decades, and in 1998 at CIAF in the Czech Republic. All seven team Super Galebs were destroyed at Golubovci during the NATO air campaign of 1999. The team flew once more, in camouflaged aircraft, on 2 August 2000, and was then disbanded for lack of fuel, aircraft and money.