Getting back to the subject at hand. I read the CVs of the
Gnat Display Team's pilots in the immediate aftermath of the accident and was left distinctly underwhelmed by most, with the selection criteria appearing to consist of a bit of UAS time and a job in consultancy or investment banking. Now with the benefit of the AAIB's report*, which makes no mention of any Hawk experience in Mr Whyman's flying history, it would appear that even these thinnest of CVs are a little inflated. What exactly does "completed his initial RAF Pilot Training" mean in another pilot's profile?
I would be very surprised if any of the inexperienced individuals flew a display in future in the light of the AAIB's report. So it will be interesting to see how firmly the aircraft owners subscribe to the historical and educational aims of the Heritage Aircraft Trust, which will presumably require them to continue to foot a decent chunk of the bill while rather more experienced pilots display the aircraft on their behalf. Very happy to be proved wrong but I have a feeling that the charitable aims followed rather than led in this venture.
* Excellent report, with one caveat - I would have liked to have seen an assessment of where the pilot was likely to be looking after completing his twinkle rolls. What was next in the display sequence - did it need him to get visual with the other aircraft or would he have been looking for some ground feature? My thought on seeing the video was that he could have been looking over his shoulder when pulling in to the overbank, hence late recognition and inadequate recovery action. The report did include a one-liner that disorientation could not be ruled out, but I think a paragraph expanding upon that would have been useful context.