"Genuine question: Other than flying 9x Hawks and a spare in formation, what else would anyone else do with £8M to provide a
PR spectacle for the RAF?"
Probably a few adverts of a quic fly buy at a few shows.
Easily forgotten until the next advert comes on.
With the Red Arrows, the people at the actual event see and remember them,
they then get coverage in the local newspapers and on local TV (and maybe national).
So in terms of exposure as advertising people would say, the RAF
probably gets good bang for it's buck.
Putting 8 mil back into the pot would just be a small drop, hardly noticed
- that is IF the RAF kept it once they were gone, surely more likely that
the money would be cut from the budget ?