World's Greatest Airshows by Bruce Vigar

Author:Bruce Vigar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: G2 Rights Ltd

Trademark Diamond 9 formation of the RAF Red Arrows

High Level formation display by the RAF Red Arrows

RAF Red Arrows landing during their 50th Anniversary display season

RAF Red Arrows at eye level

RAF Red Arrows perform ‘Corkscrew’ manoeuvre

RAF Red Arrows Opposition Passes

Team training had also changed with pilots allowed to apply from other branches of the RAF so long as they had the right skills and over 1500 hours of flying in their log books and at least one operational tour. A tour was, and still is, 3 years. Selection begins during the previous autumn/ winter followed by intense training in which they can expect to fly up to three times a day, five days a week. Of course, British weather can be unreliable at best and so the Team refines its routines over a five-week period at the RAF’s base at Akrotiri in Cypress during the Spring. At the end of the five weeks the Team has to have its display ‘signed off’ by a senior RAF officer – a tense moment for any RAF pilot.

Throughout the next four to five months, the Team can expect to fly at least 60 displays. Many of these will be at the big air shows like the Royal International Air Tattoo but others will be much smaller events for which they will have to operate from a base further away. They may also fly more than one display in a single day. The big international trade shows like Farnborough every two years means that the Red Arrows may well fly in formation with a new aircraft for the benefit of the visiting dignitaries and press. At Farnborough 2006, they flew in formation with the world’s largest passenger airliner the Airbus A380 – 800 – a truly spectacular sight given the difference in size between the aircraft.

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