First nine-ship for 2017 Red Arrows team
THE 2017 Red Arrows
team have flown their first “nine-ship” ahead of this year’s display season.
Carrying out their
winter training at RAF Scampton, the Lincolnshire home of the Royal Air Force
Aerobatic Team,the Squadron is renowned for displaying with nine, British-built
fast-jets and bringing the whole formation together is a key moment in the
six-month winter training programme.
The Red Arrows begin
training for the forthcoming season almost as soon as the previous year has
ended.
For the latest season,
full preparations got underway after the team returned from a nine-week,
20,000-mile, tour of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions supporting UK
interests at the end of 2016.
Typically, this winter
training starts with small groups of three or four aircraft formations.
Each pilot flies three
sorties a day, five days a week, and the formations grow in aircraft number as
training progresses.
The occasion saw the
team’s trademark Diamond Nine formation flown, among other manoeuvres that will
feature in this year’s show.
Squadron Leader David
Montenegro, Red 1 and Team Leader, said: “We have flown 13 weeks of intensive
training and the result is being able to get 9 aircraft airborne today which is
testament to the perseverance and dedication of the team pilots; tireless and
enduring effort of our engineering team; brilliant work from our PR and
administrative teams on the squadron and indeed, support from the Station
services at RAF Scampton.
“On a personal
note, this is the third and final year that I will achieve this milestone and I
can say in all honestly that the adrenaline build-up and sense of achievement
is as strong as it was in 2015.
“In the pursuit of
professional excellence, we now transition to the next phase of training during
which we will perfect the display and ensure we maintain the RAF Red Arrows’
benchmark of being a world-leading team, able to represent our Service and our
Nations’ interests in all corners of the globe”.
Three of the Red
Arrows’ nine pilots are new to the team for 2017.
Flight Lieutenant Dan
Lowes, who is Red 3 and a former Typhoon pilot, said: “That was a truly
memorable experience. It was an honour and a privilege to have flown in my
first Red Arrows 9 ship.
“The training has been
tough, and there’s still a long way to go, but it’s great to have achieved our
first 9.
“I’m now looking
forward to deploying on our spring training camp and working towards PDA.”
These flights involve a
thorough brief, debrief and discussion to ensure safety is paramount and the
formations are precise.
Winter training in the
UK lasts until mid-spring, when the team usually moves overseas to a location
with more predictable, settled weather to maximise flying hours and perfect the
display. This is known as Exercise Springhawk.
Flight Lieutenant Si
Taylor, Red 7, who also previously flew operationally in the Tornado and
Typhoon and joins Red 6 to form the 2017 Synchro pair, said: “This feels like
it’s happened so fast since we got back from the tour in December.
“It’s a great
feeling to have achieved a significant milestone through some hard graft and
dedication throughout the winter months. Hopefully now we can kick on and make
the show look incredible for all the crowds in the 2017 Season. I’m really
looking forward to it”.
The first nine-ship is
an important occasion for the whole Squadron – including the ground team, who
number more than 100 and comprise technicians, suppliers, drivers,
photographers, administrators, operations staff and a public relations
department.
Each has a crucial part
to play in ensuring the Red Arrows can fly and perform precision displays
around the world.
Among those people with
a role in today’s nine-ship were the technicians on the flightline –
responsible for checking the aircraft are safe for flight, assisting the
crewing-in of the pilots into the cockpits and marshalling the jets from their
parking stands.
Flight Lieutenant
Alicia Mason, the team’s Junior Engineering Officer responsible for day-to-day
engineering issues on the Squadron, and who is also new to the Red Arrows this
season, said: “Today has been a superb achievement for all concerned. It’s
another milestone in our calendar that the groundcrew have been preparing for
behind the scenes for the past few weeks.
“Luck was not on our side
this week though and we’ve had a tricky few days with the jets not behaving
themselves but I’m proud to say that the team have put in a tremendous
performance over the past 2 days working together day and night to ensure that
we had 9 serviceable aircraft for the programme this morning. It was great to
see the fruits of our labour when all 9 took off and landed safely and the
aircrew were able to practice some of their 9-ship manoeuvres. Even some of the
groundcrew were able to take a break for a few minutes this morning to come
outside and watch part of the first 9-ship practice to show their support and
enjoy this moment as a team.
“We can’t rest on our
laurels though, there is still much to be done ahead of our deployment to
Greece for Exercise SPRINGHAWK. The groundcrew will be busy over the next 4
weeks ensuring that we have 11 serviceable aircraft and equipment prepared and
ready to take with us for the duration of the Exercise”.
During Springhawk the
team is assessed by senior Royal Air Force officers, with the aim of gaining
Public Display Authority.
If this is awarded, the
Squadron’s pilots change from green coveralls into their famous red flying
suits and the ground crew are allowed to wear their royal blue display
coveralls.
The season then officially
begins and public performances by the Red Arrows are permitted.
It is hoped the first
display to the public in the UK will be on 3 June this year, for the Torbay
Airshow, Torbay.
More information about
the 2017 season will be release on the Red Arrows website shortly.
For
more information about the team, follow @rafredarrows on Twitter, like RAF Red
Arrows on Facebook or visit www.raf.mod.uk/reds
Editor – RAFAT PR Manager
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