Red arrows confusing display team make up
Ancient
I think we agree that the situation the RAF finds itself right now is both embarrasing and appalling: a broken training system, lack of SQEP especially in frontline roles, pay freezes or well below inflation pay rises for over a decade, and now this fiasco of prejudice against white males in recruitment. I am so glad to be out of it and working in a team where everyone is highly valued and treated fairly with respect.
My point re Reds bashing, is it often comes from those who haven't achieved their ambitions, as they had hoped, or from those who serve/d in other sections of the Forces who see it as an easy way to bash the RAF. The high regard in which the public view and react positively to the RAF is observed by me when the Reds display at public festivals. It is very impressive.
I think we agree that the situation the RAF finds itself right now is both embarrasing and appalling: a broken training system, lack of SQEP especially in frontline roles, pay freezes or well below inflation pay rises for over a decade, and now this fiasco of prejudice against white males in recruitment. I am so glad to be out of it and working in a team where everyone is highly valued and treated fairly with respect.
My point re Reds bashing, is it often comes from those who haven't achieved their ambitions, as they had hoped, or from those who serve/d in other sections of the Forces who see it as an easy way to bash the RAF. The high regard in which the public view and react positively to the RAF is observed by me when the Reds display at public festivals. It is very impressive.
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KK ,
Thank goodness you you were able to enlighten me as to my problems with the Reds. I obviously lack the intellect to see the big picture, or maybe I'm just blinded by my jealousy. Jog on.
Thank goodness you you were able to enlighten me as to my problems with the Reds. I obviously lack the intellect to see the big picture, or maybe I'm just blinded by my jealousy. Jog on.
KK,
I have been watching the RAFAT since yellow Gnat days and living in Scampton village I probably see more of the current team than most on here. I haven't been to a display for a few years so don't have much knowledge of audience reactions but I am more than aware of local reactions, most of whom lived here prior to RAFAT's arrival, but that's another story.
Jealous ? maybe, but if I do get jealous or want a seaside shiver then I would sooner get it from something like this, but having spent 20 of my 22 with the V-force I am probably biased as well.
I have been watching the RAFAT since yellow Gnat days and living in Scampton village I probably see more of the current team than most on here. I haven't been to a display for a few years so don't have much knowledge of audience reactions but I am more than aware of local reactions, most of whom lived here prior to RAFAT's arrival, but that's another story.
Jealous ? maybe, but if I do get jealous or want a seaside shiver then I would sooner get it from something like this, but having spent 20 of my 22 with the V-force I am probably biased as well.
Saw my first Vulcan blasting off from Prestwick and parting the clouds leaving a plume of smoke trailing back through the hole sometime in the early '60s
Never forget that image for as long as I live.
El Grifo
Never forget that image for as long as I live.
El Grifo
Well, this will be interesting...
Red Arrows to undertake five-week Middle East tour in late 2022 - This is Flight
Red Arrows to undertake five-week Middle East tour in late 2022 - This is Flight
Guest
Nothing wrong with the Red Arrows. Still a big crowd pull imho. I just wish they could get some altitude to do their full display.
I bet Rah Hanna is doing an opposition bend in his grave though,
I bet Rah Hanna is doing an opposition bend in his grave though,
The Times article in all its (non) glory (minus the usual photos).
Red Arrows engulfed by bullying and assault row
Red Arrows engulfed by bullying and assault row
Members of the Red Arrows have been accused of bullying, misogyny, assault, sexual harassment and drunkenness in the biggest scandal in the team’s 60-year history, The Times can reveal.
More than 40 personnel, several of them young female recruits, have provided 250 hours of evidence to a long-running inquiry into the “toxic pocket” of the RAF.
Alleged victims are said to have been told for months that if they spoke up they would be sent home or kicked out of the air force as senior leaders “swept complaints under the carpet” for years to protect the reputations of people considered “untouchable”.
The investigation, instigated in December by Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, was meant to have concluded in May but has been repeatedly delayed.No details are known on when its findings will now be released.
An inside source, who was one of 40 people who gave evidence and wanted to remain anonymous, has come forward to expose what she said was the culture at the elite aerobatic team in which female recruits were considered “fresh meat”. She said: “At the moment many females are at risk because there are numerous toxic pockets within the air force, but there is no urgency to act.”
Another source helping with the inquiry said that the allegations about the Red Arrows were only the “tip of the iceberg”.
The RAF is facing a crisis over its diversity targets, accused of looking for ways to prioritise women and ethnic minority recruits over white men. As part of the Red Arrows inquiry at least two Red Arrows personnel are under investigation and face “administrative action” after allegations of “inappropriate behaviours”, according to the inside source. This could result in them being thrown out of the air force.
A service police investigation found that none of the alleged behaviours met the threshold for criminal charges.
The team is already operating below strength. It usually consists of nine pilots, Red 1 to Red 9, their supervisor Red 10, a commanding officer and a ground crew. It now has a skeleton team of seven after the departures of Flight Lieutenant Damon Green, known as Damo, who is in his late thirties and was Red 8, and Flight Lieutenant Will Cambridge, 39, who was Red 4. A defence source said that both men were on “other duties”.Allegations against one individual included behaviours going back to 2019, but the Special Investigation Branch found insufficient evidence for a criminal investigation. It is understood that by the time the SIB concluded its investigation some women had refused to give testimony because of the trauma of so many interviews.
After complaints were first raised about Cambridge he was allowed to continue to fly, the source alleged.
Squadron leader Nick Critchell, 36, resigned in protest against the “toxic culture” after confronting a colleague.
The inside source said that members of the 130-strong squadron would start “pestering” young recruits as soon as they joined, and “bombard” them with WhatsApp messages. “The girls who join the squadron are basically considered fresh meat,” the source said. “All of them are married and they just don’t leave them alone. It’s a toxic environment . . . It’s all men in senior positions. It is run by misogynistic white male blokes.”
The team was also accused of having tolerated a heavy drinking culture in the past, including drinking into the early hours — sometimes resulting in brawls — before pilots flew the same day. The source said this meant that alcohol would still have been in their systems when they were flying.
Other teams, including the Thunderbirds, of the US air force, and the Blue Angels, of the US navy, have remarked in the past on the Red Arrows members’ drinking.
A spokesman for the RAF said allegations that Red Arrows pilots had flown while intoxicated were unfounded.
Another person helping the inquiry said: “The Red Arrows and those around them were deemed untouchable and that has created a toxic culture, destroying unit cohesion . . . and ultimately highlighting poor leadership.”
The source accused the RAF and the Ministry of Defence of “delay and obfuscation”, adding that the issues with the squadron were “merely the tip of the iceberg”. They said the “sacred” chain of command “cannot be trusted to deal with toxic behaviours”, adding: “There is zero independent oversight.”
It is understood that the non-statutory inquiry has so far documented at least 13 alleged behaviours including misogyny, harassment, sexual harassment, assault, “misunderstanding of consent”, sexual assault, victimisation, bullying, intimidation, isolation and indecent exposure. Leaders accused of trying to keep allegations secret are still in post.
Diane Allen, who served for 30 years in the British Army and campaigns for better treatment for servicewomen, said that the RAF leadership had been urged for six months to “deal fairly and swiftly with these allegations”, adding: “They have not.”
Allen said the women who made the allegations had been put “on trial and forced to tell their story repeatedly” as those accused had been “supported, promoted”. She said: “The leadership is brushing it under the carpet.”
Some of the evidence was provided to an inquiry led by the Conservative MP Sarah Atherton into the treatment of women in the military. Four thousand female personnel and veterans gave evidence, revealing abuses of power.
The RAF spokesman said: “The RAF has a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour and takes action wherever wrongdoing is proven.
“Following allegations of unacceptable behaviour within the Red Arrows, the RAF commissioned a thorough and far-reaching investigation. We will not be commenting further on the individual circumstances of specific personnel moves, which have been made without prejudice and are the result of both personal and professional reasons.”
More than 40 personnel, several of them young female recruits, have provided 250 hours of evidence to a long-running inquiry into the “toxic pocket” of the RAF.
Alleged victims are said to have been told for months that if they spoke up they would be sent home or kicked out of the air force as senior leaders “swept complaints under the carpet” for years to protect the reputations of people considered “untouchable”.
The investigation, instigated in December by Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, was meant to have concluded in May but has been repeatedly delayed.No details are known on when its findings will now be released.
An inside source, who was one of 40 people who gave evidence and wanted to remain anonymous, has come forward to expose what she said was the culture at the elite aerobatic team in which female recruits were considered “fresh meat”. She said: “At the moment many females are at risk because there are numerous toxic pockets within the air force, but there is no urgency to act.”
Another source helping with the inquiry said that the allegations about the Red Arrows were only the “tip of the iceberg”.
The RAF is facing a crisis over its diversity targets, accused of looking for ways to prioritise women and ethnic minority recruits over white men. As part of the Red Arrows inquiry at least two Red Arrows personnel are under investigation and face “administrative action” after allegations of “inappropriate behaviours”, according to the inside source. This could result in them being thrown out of the air force.
A service police investigation found that none of the alleged behaviours met the threshold for criminal charges.
The team is already operating below strength. It usually consists of nine pilots, Red 1 to Red 9, their supervisor Red 10, a commanding officer and a ground crew. It now has a skeleton team of seven after the departures of Flight Lieutenant Damon Green, known as Damo, who is in his late thirties and was Red 8, and Flight Lieutenant Will Cambridge, 39, who was Red 4. A defence source said that both men were on “other duties”.Allegations against one individual included behaviours going back to 2019, but the Special Investigation Branch found insufficient evidence for a criminal investigation. It is understood that by the time the SIB concluded its investigation some women had refused to give testimony because of the trauma of so many interviews.
After complaints were first raised about Cambridge he was allowed to continue to fly, the source alleged.
Squadron leader Nick Critchell, 36, resigned in protest against the “toxic culture” after confronting a colleague.
The inside source said that members of the 130-strong squadron would start “pestering” young recruits as soon as they joined, and “bombard” them with WhatsApp messages. “The girls who join the squadron are basically considered fresh meat,” the source said. “All of them are married and they just don’t leave them alone. It’s a toxic environment . . . It’s all men in senior positions. It is run by misogynistic white male blokes.”
The team was also accused of having tolerated a heavy drinking culture in the past, including drinking into the early hours — sometimes resulting in brawls — before pilots flew the same day. The source said this meant that alcohol would still have been in their systems when they were flying.
Other teams, including the Thunderbirds, of the US air force, and the Blue Angels, of the US navy, have remarked in the past on the Red Arrows members’ drinking.
A spokesman for the RAF said allegations that Red Arrows pilots had flown while intoxicated were unfounded.
Another person helping the inquiry said: “The Red Arrows and those around them were deemed untouchable and that has created a toxic culture, destroying unit cohesion . . . and ultimately highlighting poor leadership.”
The source accused the RAF and the Ministry of Defence of “delay and obfuscation”, adding that the issues with the squadron were “merely the tip of the iceberg”. They said the “sacred” chain of command “cannot be trusted to deal with toxic behaviours”, adding: “There is zero independent oversight.”
It is understood that the non-statutory inquiry has so far documented at least 13 alleged behaviours including misogyny, harassment, sexual harassment, assault, “misunderstanding of consent”, sexual assault, victimisation, bullying, intimidation, isolation and indecent exposure. Leaders accused of trying to keep allegations secret are still in post.
Diane Allen, who served for 30 years in the British Army and campaigns for better treatment for servicewomen, said that the RAF leadership had been urged for six months to “deal fairly and swiftly with these allegations”, adding: “They have not.”
Allen said the women who made the allegations had been put “on trial and forced to tell their story repeatedly” as those accused had been “supported, promoted”. She said: “The leadership is brushing it under the carpet.”
Some of the evidence was provided to an inquiry led by the Conservative MP Sarah Atherton into the treatment of women in the military. Four thousand female personnel and veterans gave evidence, revealing abuses of power.
The RAF spokesman said: “The RAF has a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour and takes action wherever wrongdoing is proven.
“Following allegations of unacceptable behaviour within the Red Arrows, the RAF commissioned a thorough and far-reaching investigation. We will not be commenting further on the individual circumstances of specific personnel moves, which have been made without prejudice and are the result of both personal and professional reasons.”
I think Monty is still there and he must have had 16 years+ away from the frontline flying Hawks, with a short break for Aussie staff college. He has spent around a decade in the Reds in that time, so it really has been a flying club for him and I think his current stint as OC RAFAT has been extended too.
Who knew the Reds could be a dedicated career.
Who knew the Reds could be a dedicated career.
The Arrows are tasked to do amazing things in an unforgiving environment. It requires skills and attributes that few possess, in an atmosphere where there is always an expectation to 'do more' and to do it in the full gaze of the public and the wider 'expert-for-a-day' command chain. Leadership and resources are pivotal but the team finds itself operating from a derelict airfield, hosted by a non-flying station commander, operating the equipment of yesteryear with ground crew that arrive with little or no Hawk experience and overseen and tasked by a convoluted command-chain. Who leads RAFAT... is it the AoC who is the sole arbiter and decision maker for public displays, or the Team Leader, or OC RAFAT, or the team members with their hire/reject social and personality veto during selection, or all those in the AoC's leadership chain with an ill-defined role, the MoD and RAF PR teams or those that actually hold all the support purse-strings?
CG
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
When the mood shifts to the team being laughed at……
Accepting it’s a parody site, it’s one with a love of aviation at its heart.
RAF Luton
BREAKING: For safety reasons fans of the Red Arrows can only visit them in their enclosure from 1100-1400 Tues-Thurs (Standard RAF working hours) and are encouraged not to feed them or mention bullying
Photographed from a Canberra
Accepting it’s a parody site, it’s one with a love of aviation at its heart.
RAF Luton
BREAKING: For safety reasons fans of the Red Arrows can only visit them in their enclosure from 1100-1400 Tues-Thurs (Standard RAF working hours) and are encouraged not to feed them or mention bullying
Photographed from a Canberra
Leadership and resources are pivotal but the team finds itself operating from a derelict airfield, hosted by a non-flying station commander, operating the equipment of yesteryear with ground crew that arrive with little or no Hawk experience and overseen and tasked by a convoluted command-chain. Who leads RAFAT... is it the AoC who is the sole arbiter and decision maker for public displays, or the Team Leader, or OC RAFAT, or the team members with their hire/reject social and personality veto during selection, or all those in the AoC's leadership chain with an ill-defined role, the MoD and RAF PR teams or those that actually hold all the support purse-strings?
In a statement, the RAF said the action was a result of an inquiry that revealed "a broad range of unacceptable behaviours" at the aerobatics display team.
It said that "several" personnel have been investigated, with a range of outcomes "up to and including dismissals from the RAF". In August, the head of the RAF vowed to address "legitimate questions" raised about allegations of sexual harassment and bullying within the Red Arrows along with a number of other issues. That was a response to a story in The Sun and The Times newspapers about a "toxic culture" in the aerobatics display team.
Both newspapers reported the departure of two of the team's nine pilots, revealing that Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston had launched an inquiry in December, which documented allegations of bullying, misogyny and sexual harassment.
More than 40 personnel had given evidence, including young, female recruits.
It said that "several" personnel have been investigated, with a range of outcomes "up to and including dismissals from the RAF". In August, the head of the RAF vowed to address "legitimate questions" raised about allegations of sexual harassment and bullying within the Red Arrows along with a number of other issues. That was a response to a story in The Sun and The Times newspapers about a "toxic culture" in the aerobatics display team.
Both newspapers reported the departure of two of the team's nine pilots, revealing that Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston had launched an inquiry in December, which documented allegations of bullying, misogyny and sexual harassment.
More than 40 personnel had given evidence, including young, female recruits.