Red Arrows on channel 5 - 'Kings Of The Sky'
Not a fan of Channel 5 but given the positive posts here I decided to watch it last night. Well worth it - an informative and entertaining programme. Hopefully the rest of the series will maintain the standard set by the first episode.
Addition
Retired BA/BY
I lived down the road from Kemble and I'm pretty sure there were 2 crossover collisions - the date you gave sounds right for the first and the other was a couple of years later and involved a former leader down from MOD for a visit. IIRC he was the leader in 1970 when my crew on 30 supported them to Cologne/Bonn and then back to Farnborough for the '70 Air Show, still September in those days. We gave a few of them a lift back to Fairford, where I guess they got MT back to Rissie. Just checked my logbook and we had started from Gaydon where they were temporarily detached - runway resurfacing perhaps at Kemble?
The name Dennis Hazell keeps coming into my head - apologies to all if that's wrong!
PS Are you the guy I met at Stack Butterley's house in the early 90s?
I lived down the road from Kemble and I'm pretty sure there were 2 crossover collisions - the date you gave sounds right for the first and the other was a couple of years later and involved a former leader down from MOD for a visit. IIRC he was the leader in 1970 when my crew on 30 supported them to Cologne/Bonn and then back to Farnborough for the '70 Air Show, still September in those days. We gave a few of them a lift back to Fairford, where I guess they got MT back to Rissie. Just checked my logbook and we had started from Gaydon where they were temporarily detached - runway resurfacing perhaps at Kemble?
The name Dennis Hazell keeps coming into my head - apologies to all if that's wrong!
PS Are you the guy I met at Stack Butterley's house in the early 90s?
I think you are right about Denis Hazell. He was on a visit to the Reds and taking a refamil trip.
Dont think his fatal was a collision but the accident happened after I had left CFS.so cant be certain.
Never went to Stack’ s house but he was a QFI at Acklington when I went through and. I flew with him on a number of occasions when he was a Concorde captain.
Dont think his fatal was a collision but the accident happened after I had left CFS.so cant be certain.
Never went to Stack’ s house but he was a QFI at Acklington when I went through and. I flew with him on a number of occasions when he was a Concorde captain.
Last edited by RetiredBA/BY; 11th Jan 2019 at 21:06.
Duff gen indeed , for which sincere apologies to all . Ted was lost many years later in a solo vintage aircraft display .
Retired BA/BY
I "Googled' after I had made my post and I was right about the name, but wrong about the details - as you said he was not killed in a collision, and it was later in the 70s than I thought.
Stack lived in the same village as me in North Dorset for a few years, and once at his house there was an ex-Herc guy I had not known, that Stack had met when he used to fly BA 747s down to the Falklands. IIRC the guy had joined BY at his 38pt and after a year or two joined BA - hence I made the wrong assumption! IIRC initials LR.
I did my LHR ATCO Concorde jolly with Stack - absolute star! He could tell jokes all night and had everyone in our pub in stitches.
Apologies for the thread drift folks.
I "Googled' after I had made my post and I was right about the name, but wrong about the details - as you said he was not killed in a collision, and it was later in the 70s than I thought.
Stack lived in the same village as me in North Dorset for a few years, and once at his house there was an ex-Herc guy I had not known, that Stack had met when he used to fly BA 747s down to the Falklands. IIRC the guy had joined BY at his 38pt and after a year or two joined BA - hence I made the wrong assumption! IIRC initials LR.
I did my LHR ATCO Concorde jolly with Stack - absolute star! He could tell jokes all night and had everyone in our pub in stitches.
Apologies for the thread drift folks.
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I've only seen the trailer to this which I found more amusing than anything. Particularly fond of the team member pointing to the word "Éclat" on his badge and saying "That means excellence" when, of course, it doesn't.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
The thing to remember is professional aviators will always be more critical of a programme like this than Joe Public. I was actually back in the UK and saw the first episode and thought it was a masterful piece of recruitment material for the RAF, in addition to highlighting the skills of the team. It seemed far more effective than the official recruitment drivel for all 3 services I saw during the various adverts.
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I've only seen the trailer to this which I found more amusing than anything. Particularly fond of the team member pointing to the word "Éclat" on his badge and saying "That means excellence" when, of course, it doesn't.
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Well, it doesn't quite mean brilliance - certainly not in the sense of excellence - and, if you read my post you'd realise that, this is all I have to say about the trailer.
Last edited by MaxR; 13th Jan 2019 at 07:42.
Much better than many of its predecessors. (IMHO) Such a pleasure to have a reasonably put together commentary.
Without wishing to appear 'Northist' I was relieved that here was a documentary with none of the extremely irritating narrative clips shouted in an excitable north eastern accent. If you get my meaning?
Without wishing to appear 'Northist' I was relieved that here was a documentary with none of the extremely irritating narrative clips shouted in an excitable north eastern accent. If you get my meaning?
Agreed, and I also think that the dialogues/accents/speech patterns on the Reds' programme were more easy on the ear [more RP for want of a better phrase] than the Warship version.
Producers do so like "posh" officer voice stereotypes and assorted other rank Cockneys, Geordies and Yokels. I don't think I missed a meaning or a word, and I wear two hearing aids.
Well done.
Producers do so like "posh" officer voice stereotypes and assorted other rank Cockneys, Geordies and Yokels. I don't think I missed a meaning or a word, and I wear two hearing aids.
Well done.
Hats off to the Reds and the rest of the team, they came across really well. Very sad to see the engineer who was killed at Valley in the programme last night, he came across as an exceptionally talented chap and really excited about being part of the circus. RIP.
Excellent programme for those of us who have done that kind of flying (FJ) and for non-pilots too. Very sad seeing what a nice young man the engineer was who died in the Valley accident was. Mike Ling took the pilot involved's place as Red 3 for his last of 10 years with the Team. Great tragedy all round. Well done to him and congrats on his award given by the Honourable Company at their Trophies and Awards ceremony last Autumn.
The meaning of "Eclat" can be interpreted as "Excellence" - especially in this context. How petty some people can be.
Can't wait for the rest of the series.
The meaning of "Eclat" can be interpreted as "Excellence" - especially in this context. How petty some people can be.
Can't wait for the rest of the series.
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From the Red Arrows history section of the RAF Website - Red Arrows
For my two-penneth, it's an excellent program which my whole family has been able to sit down and watch and find very interesting and enjoyable; for me as a PPL holder, my wife who puts up with my unhealthy obsession with aviation and my kids who have seen many displays and met the pilots several times over the past few years!
The Gnat, which had flown 1,292 displays, was replaced by the BAE Systems Hawk, a modified version of the RAF’s fast jet and weapons trainer, for the 1980 season. Also that year, permission was given for the team to have the motto Eclat – meaning excellence.
I enjoyed the progamme but:
Surely the new former fighter pilots have LOTS of experience of formation flying, so why the big deal made by the commentator, or thats how it seemed. . The guys did brilliantly.
Secondly, why on eath. do the blues need to swin 4 lengrhs of a pool in a flying suit ?
In my day, dinghy drill, the training was to board your dinghy attached
to your life jacket, supported by your Mae West, and in an immersion suit. Etc.,
No swimming required !
Other than that, first class, brought back a lot of memories, as a QFI !
Anyway, really look forward to their displsys this season, they always make the hard things, such as formation changes when pulling G, look so smooth and precise.
Surely the new former fighter pilots have LOTS of experience of formation flying, so why the big deal made by the commentator, or thats how it seemed. . The guys did brilliantly.
Secondly, why on eath. do the blues need to swin 4 lengrhs of a pool in a flying suit ?
In my day, dinghy drill, the training was to board your dinghy attached
to your life jacket, supported by your Mae West, and in an immersion suit. Etc.,
No swimming required !
Other than that, first class, brought back a lot of memories, as a QFI !
Anyway, really look forward to their displsys this season, they always make the hard things, such as formation changes when pulling G, look so smooth and precise.
Last edited by RetiredBA/BY; 18th Jan 2019 at 08:06.
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I think they're doing pretty well with balancing the human interest with factual bits. The segment about reference points was interesting.
it's going to be interesting (and poignant) to see how they deal with the loss of one of their focal characters. I'm assuming his family were consulted and I hope its something of a legacy for him.
it's going to be interesting (and poignant) to see how they deal with the loss of one of their focal characters. I'm assuming his family were consulted and I hope its something of a legacy for him.