Quote:
"The team has been cleared to display again."
Very much hope you are right, Finningley Boy, but what is your source? The BBC and Guardian, in almost identical reports, write:
"The Red Arrows have been cleared to resume flying..." [my emphasis]
They both quote a MoD "spokeswoman" as saying:
"Having been assured of the airworthiness of the Hawk T1 fleet, the precautionary suspension of flying activity has been lifted and flying operations have been resumed."
But the BBC article quotes a "defence spokeperson" as saying:
"It is extremely unlikely that they will do any displays for the rest of this year."
If the latter quote is authoritative, there is an element of mixed-message (as usual) from the powers that be. If the Hawk T1 has been cleared as a type, and the Red Arrows regularly practise an 8-ship routine to allow for crew sickness, what would stop them from resuming displays this season?
How about Dunsfold this wekend? Paticularly appropriate for the Hawks, and the public response would be overwhelming: one in the eye for any jobsworth eyeing the cost and ignoring the value.
Yes, Alloa Akbar, the show MUST go on.