Hi DamienB, in answer to your question about the number on board the Nimrod during displays, the breakdown is:
two pilots
one engineer
one navigator
one Radar operator (which must be switched on during flight, unless the scanner is wired up, which clearly is impractical when away from base with the minimum of groundcrew)
One other person (for reasons of safety, believe it or not - should a fire break out or the back end fill with smoke, one person (radar op) would immediately investigate the underfloor areas, backed up by the spare aircrew member on the portable O2 bottle.
During the Toronto flight there were seven on board, I think. This was normal, and is because the pilots feel safer if the beam windows are manned too, as there are extra pairs of eyes when flying in a crowded piece of sky.
The normal compliment is (was) 13, comprising the three on the flight deck, two navigators, an AEO, three Acoustic operators and four "Dry" (above surface) sensor operators. Recently because of manning problems this has had to be reduced to 12.
Although the RAF is not bound by the CAA regulations regarding supernumary crew during displays, it does in fact comply with it, at least here in the "kipper fleet".
As for near misses, I saw the Frecci Tricolori the season before they had their horrendous crash, in a little airfield in Belgium called Kleine Brogel. They did their "reverse starburst" (a bit like the Reds' one-on-one, but involving the entire formation), starting high for the crossovers, and getting lower as each pair near-missed each other with what looked like only vertical separation. The last pair were so low, one of them had to bunt over the wing of the parked Nimrod to make it, almost knocking the Chief off his perch. They then formated, engaged smoke, and came down the runway at a VERY low height, the plan being to peel off one by one and land in turn...except the had not noticed there was no wind and they had just blacked the runway for 10 minutes until the red, white and green smoke eventually cleared!
At the same display, and as God is my witness, I saw this with my own eyes, an F16 pilot taxied out to do his display, stopped abeam the beer tent, climbed out (with engine still thrusting), ran over to the tent, downed a full half liter of beer, climbed back into the jet and did his display!
That's what I mean about peer competitiveness in the aircrew enclosure - it is fierce. Who on earth could top that? I'm glad we didn't have to fly a display on that day.