Following the first display practice, there have been a number of changes.
Red1 has been sacked. This was in no small part due to his missing his display slot. As many will know, display slots are tight and display crews must be pedantic when it comes to timing. It is thought he missed the slot as he was still putting up the team marquee whilst the remainder of the team held a working group in the hospitality area.
He has been replaced by 3 Flt Ops Sqn Ldr's and a FOM Sgt. Each Flt Ops officer will be issued with either a red, white or blue chinagraph. The FOM will supervise, due to the sharp ends.
This does mean that there will not actually be any flying display, but spectators will be invited to one of the many policy steering groups or presentations on airpower and the role of core values in todays shrinking air force.
An MOD spokesman said today that the team would be adding various LGBT venues to the list of displays. When questioned with regard to the value of an aerobatic display team with no aircraft or pilots, the spokesman was angrily dismissive.
'This is the kind of embittered attitude we have come to expect in todays society. The expensive aspect of an aerobatic team is of course the aircraft. By removing these, we are providing better value for money across a number of cost streams, whilst still maintaining an insight into how todays RAF operates'.