On the subject of replacement pilots (the inflatable version above not withstanding!), the Reds do not have them due to the intricacies of learning each of the 9 positions.
I'm not really sure what the implications of this are to the team. I don't expect the team will fly without a Synchro Pair, yet there is no Synchro without a Synchro Leader. I think PDA is still quite a few weeks away but I'm sure Mike Ling's injuries are going to keep him grounded for quite a while.
In the past, a former team member has rejoined the team (Anthony Parkinson) to replace a pilot with a long term illness so I guess this might be an option. Saying that, last year's Synchro Leader was Ben Murphy, but he's now the Team Leader which kinda rules him out!
Anyway, best wishes and a speedy recovery to Flt Lt Ling.