Hawks Grounded (merged with Hawk Display Cancelled)

[Could be the last?]

Airsound

I think you were right with one of your previous posts...........


'I do know it's not an aircraft technical problem'

[Anonystude]

Beags,

Nothing on either the RAF Hawk Display Team - Latest News or the RAF Hawk Display News websites about any change to the display season content either.

Unless you missed the two-paragraph blurb on the left of the Hawk Display website, perhaps?

It is with considerable regret that Flt Lt Tom Saunders has been withdrawn from his role as the Hawk solo Display Pilot for the remainder of the Summer display season. This follows an incident which took place recently involving the Hawk Display aircraft.

The RAF is aware of how popular the Hawk solo display is and apologises for any disappointment caused. Unfortunately, it is not possible to find a replacement display pilot in time for the remainder of the current season but we are looking at whether it is possible to offer alternatives to the solo Hawk display at the scheduled events instead.

Edited to add: I believe the role demo will consist of a heavyweight circuit (thrown away due to flying through the centreline), a MRT flown entirely in the heavy buffet, a flapless stall and the stude bonging Sennybridge, followed by some trimming and a thorough debrief over the speakers for the benefit of the crowd.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<They flew down to Cowes today >>

Really? They were scheduled to be based at Bournemouth for the Cowes show but the weather that evening was atrocious and I doubt they got anywhere near Cowes. Vis was poor and the cloud base 1-100 feet.

[gareth herts]

Beags posted well before that appeared.

[green granite]

It is with considerable regret that Flt Lt Tom Saunders has been withdrawn from his role as the Hawk solo Display Pilot for the remainder of the Summer display season. This follows an incident which took place recently involving the HawkDisplay aircraft.

So, what was the black that he put up then?

[Benjybh]

Maybe he neglected to fly his routine over a different county to the one that was holding the airshow, as is usual practice for the Hawk Display?

[Vox Populi]

It is with considerable regret that Flt Lt Tom Saunders has been withdrawn from his role as the Hawk solo Display Pilot for the remainder of the Summer display season. This follows an incident which took place recently involving the HawkDisplay aircraft.

This is getting confusing. So the Hawk display team is canned because the pilot has been 'withdrawn' following an 'incident'....nothing to do with the Mk10b seat then?

This reads very badly for Flt Lt Tom Saunders, implying some cock up on his part. If that's the case, fair enough I suppose, if it is something much more innocent however (an injury?) then I would want this press statement re-written if I were him...

Just saying.

[BEagle]

It iswith considerable regret that Flt Lt Tom Saunders has been withdrawn from hisrole as the Hawk solo Display Pilot for the remainder of the Summer displayseason. This follows an incident which took place recently involving the HawkDisplay aircraft.

The RAFis aware of how popular the Hawk solo display is and apologises for anydisappointment caused. Unfortunately, it is not possible to find a replacementdisplay pilot in time for the remainder of the current season but we arelooking at whether it is possible to offer alternatives to the solo Hawkdisplay at the scheduled events instead.

I've just seen this item - it wasn't there earlier.

Apart from the fact that it's very badly written, it comes across like something pushed out from the Kremlin in the Kruschev era. I'm surprised that it didn't conclude "Tovarich Saunders will be receiving political re-education in accordance with the glorious policy of the Peoples' Glavnoye Upravlyeniye Ispravityel'no-Trudovih Lagyeryey i koloniyat (GULag)."

By the nature of the beast, PPRuNe is a rumour site. So this thoroughly unpleasant announcement will do nothing except to raise speculation.

It needs to be removed and re-released in a more acceptable form.

No idea what's been going on, but good luck to you, Tom!

[green granite]

When you consider the incident with the Typhoon at the RIAT practice which was very very close to being a disaster but the pilot was allowed to continue his displays, this must have been an horrendous incident. Or of course it may not have been flying related.

[Vox Populi]

Or of course it may not have been flying related.

This follows an incident which took place recently involving the HawkDisplay aircraft.

As Beagle states - this clumsily written press statement fuels what might be very unfair speculation.

[Benjybh]

A new press release has now been issued.

[Pontius Navigator]

Well that clears that up then.

[Al R]

What hamfisted, clunky writing. Little wonder the scribbly isn't risking scratching a living in the real world.

Why has the RAF cancelled the solo Hawk Display? � An incident has occurred involving the pilot of the RAF Hawk Display aircraft, who has since been withdrawn from his role. The incident is being investigated and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

Could easily have been..

Why has the RAF cancelled the solo Hawk Display? � Due to various operational circumstances, the display is currently suspended until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience and dissapointment caused.

Tosser.

[drugsdontwork]

Is this how we in the RAF treat our finest??

Guy has clearly messed up in some way, who hasn't? Not sure what it is but im pretty sure Tom has brought more good than bad to the RAF. By all means throw the book at him with our internal procedures as appropriate, but this public slapping? Disgusting.

Keep your pecker up mate and don't let the
b@stards get you down.

[PPRuNeUser0211]

DDW - seconded!

[Pontius Navigator]

Interesting bit of thread pruning there. Well done Mods.

[glad rag]

Hmm, This is an internal matter and should be handled as such, not in the public's eye, as has been said above.

[BEagle]

Hmm, This is an internal matter and should be handled as such, not in the public's eye, as has been said above.

Perhaps. However, the ridiculous '....has since been withdrawn from his role' Stalinist prose of the MoD press release merely raises more questions than it answers....

[green granite]

Unfortunately Glad Rag it is now in the public eye and therefore immediately has the effect of everyone wishing to know what he'd done to merit such action, it's called human nature.

[BOAC]

gg - Gladrag knows that! We are now discussing the way MOD have (mis)handled this rather than human nature.