AUSTRALIANS would have recoiled in horror at the sight of the Sukhoi-27 military aircraft cart wheeling into a crowd in the Ukraine last month, killing more than 80 people.

In this country, however, accidents at air shows are rare owing to strict rules set in place to ensure tragedies like the one in the Ukraine don't occur.

Data supplied by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reveals few fatal air show accidents in Australia since records began in the 1960s, and certainly none of the scope experienced in the Ukraine.

Under Defence Instruction (General) OPS 05-2, Australian military aircraft participating in flying displays must adhere to many regulations designed to ensure the safety of both those in the air and on the ground.

In major air shows such as Avalon - held every two years - where civilian and military aircraft are on display together, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) oversees the civilian aircraft involvement but has no direct responsibility for military participants.

Air Commander Australia (ACAUST) and Commander Training-Air Force (COMTRG-AF) oversee all Air Force involvement in flying displays.

According to the Defence Instructions, the Commanding Officer of the unit providing the aircrew should authorise all practice and display flights by aircrew under the CO's command.

Where a display involves aircraft from different services, commands or units, an Officer in Charge of the display coordinates all displays and flypasts.

Planned manoeuvres must be cleared and any changes to the display approved by the authorising officer.

A briefing on crowd location, noise sensitive areas, height and location of obstacles and the limitation of the aircraft must also be given before taking to the air.

The minimum height to be maintained above the surrounding terrain must be entered into the Flight Authorisation Book.

Throughout a flying or handling display, the safety of spectators is paramount. When in the air, the military aircraft pilots must observe certain limitations, such as distance from the crowd, height limitations, speed limits and areas where manoeuvres can be conducted.

For instance, there must be at least 200m between aircraft displaying in flight and the crowd line, aerobatic manoeuvres (except spinning) may be performed down to a minimum of 500ft from the ground and aircraft must not exceed Mach 0.90 or 550 Knots Indicated Air Speed (KIAS) when conducting manoeuvres.

Aircraft are also not allowed to approach the display area from the rear of the crowd at a speed greater than 300 KIAS.

Aircraft, according to the Defence Instructions, must not be flown directly towards spectators unless at a safe distance or altitude.

No sequence of a display or demonstration flight is allowed to take place over the main crowd without approval.

Safety rules also preclude military aircraft from flying displays over towns, cities and other densely populated areas without approval.

Clearance is also required to allow displays over public events such as race meetings and regattas.

Other strict rules governing the movements of helicopters or the Air Force Balloon are also detailed in the Defence Instructions.

By Ben Caddaye