The ‘Reds’ are coming…
The ‘Reds’ will appear over the skies of Windermere on Sunday afternoon 25th July. Make sure that you are there!
Red Arrows - Behind the scenes
When the 2009 display season ended the Red Arrows pilots changed back into their everyday green flying suits and overalls and started the arduous training for 2010. This meant flying 3 sorties a day, 5 days a week. Up until recently these training sessions were with small formations of 3-4 aircraft, aimed at introducing new pilots to the team and developing new aerobatic manoeuvres. During February the team as a whole ( 9 aircraft ) got together for their first practice sessions.
Team History.......
The 1950's and 1960's were the heyday of Royal Air Force jet aerobatic display teams. By the mid-60's almost every Flying Training School, and several operational squadrons, had their own teams. So much time, effort and money were being expended on these non-established tasks that the Royal Air Force eventually decided to disband them all and form a single, full-time, professional team. Firstly in 1964 the Red Pelicans flying six Jet Provost T Mk 4's. In that same year a team of five, yellow, Folland Gnat jet trainers, known as the Yellowjacks, was formed at No 4 Flying Training School at Royal Air Force Valley. Out of this combination came the Red Arrows, initially based at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The name ‘Red Arrows’ was chosen to combine the appeal and expertise of two earlier teams, the famous Black Arrows and the Red Pelicans.
The Hawk Aircraft....
The dual control BAE Systems Hawk T1 is the RAF’s advanced trainer, and has been used by the Red Arrows since 1979, replacing the Folland Gnat. The Hawk’s Rolls Royce Adour engine produces 5,200lbs of thrust and can power the aircraft to a top speed of Mach 1.2. The aircraft has a maximum altitude of 48,000 ft and fuel capacity gives a range of 1,000 nm, making most of the world accessible, apart from New Zealand. The aircraft are essentially the same as those flown by Advanced Flying Training students at RAF Valley, with the exception of smoke generation modifications and a slightly uprated engine, giving a faster response time. The smoke generation system pumps diesel, mixed with appropriately coloured dye, into the jet exhaust to produce the colourful vapour trails that enhance both visual effect and flight safety. This allows 5 minutes of white smoke, 1 minute of red and 1 of blue.
(Information & photographs provided by the RAF - UK Crown Copyright 2009 restrictions apply to material on this page)
