I have been a huge fan of military formation aerobatics since the 1950’s, from Treble One Hunters through Gnats to the current excellent Red Arrows Hawks. The sight, sound and demonstrated skill never failed to impress and were an excellent advertisement for the capabilities and excellence of our aircraft, pilots and technical support.
However, I recently witnessed a Reds display at a well known venue and was severely disappointed to see that the display appeared to be focussed on a point a mile or two away from the venue. The participating aircraft were reduced to distant dots and at times could only be seen by reference to the smoke trails. The display seemed disjointed with many formation manoeuvres actually out of sight of the main audience. I have no doubt at all that the Shoreham accident has impinged badly on what is now permissible in a display of fast jet aircraft, so I have two questions: What are the new parameters for a Reds display? Is it worth all the time, expense and effort if the display is so remote from the audience that all impact is lost?