I humbly apologise for expressing an opinion (or indeed 2).
In future I will pass my posts to you in draft for your clearance. Will that be OK?

Would you care to comment on the others who have also expressed disapproval?

Yep. That will be fine.

So, a question to the cyber-brave Chairborne Warriors who don't like the design and choose to slag it off on here.

What would you have designed, and what would have made your design better than that chosen? In your own time.

(Or to put it another way - put your money where your virtual mouth is!)

Couple of comments if I may.

It is quite a clever design with what it has incorporated, the Flag,
the aircraft breaking from the centre (apologise of that is the
wrong term).

That picture on the front pages is way to small to do it justice
and the one's on the following page are not much better although
one of them is OK.

I think it needs some distance to see it at it's best.

I'll take that one, as the OH and I have 55 years of commissioned service between us
.
I would have left well alone. Retain National Flag emblematic, instead of artistic doodles that are probably indistinguishable beyond 100 metres.

BTW, scores on the doors so far appear to be:
Yes ... 3
No ... 5

Box on :cool:

Here's a better image ...

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...psdfd935b1.jpg

Image Credit : MOD RAF : Posted by Red 1

The design is beginning to grow on me ... probably the most pragmatic choice in terms of production cost for the entire fleet and not wanting to detract too much from an otherwise iconic colour scheme ... but that's just a personal opinion :ok:

Teeteringhead,

A sizable number of the original sandwich islanders are less than pleased with their flag, and tend to fly it upside down.

On the design - the white tick's still there, so from a distance, it'll make little difference. It is a bit heavy on the Scottishness, perhaps a ploy for September?

A genuine question, and not trying to be argumentative, I assure you.

So ... is this an in-house design, by RAFAT? Or contacted out at ££££? Or imposed from some MoD/HQ Air/Gp level?

Once upon a foggy, Sqn Cdrs used to determine what their ac looked like. As when FC ceased to exist, and the embryo STC hadn't issued regulations, so on Day 1 74 Sqn at Tengah were ALL back on the line with black fins. (OK, rush job, the leading edges peeled very quickly, but they got that sorted eventually)

MPN11 ...

The MOD RAF Press Release mentions ...

As I believe the RAF recently dispensed with the Painter and Finishers Trade ... I suspect the graphics may be Contractor fitted ?

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7fe19a66.jpg

Image Credit : MOD RAF : Posted by RAFAT

The final design is by a very talented civilian Graphics Designer called Will from the Air Media Centre at AIR and was picked by a panel from a large number of entries into an open competition that ran last year.
Will was a guest of the Red Arrows and present for the reveal at Scampton today.
The final graphics are applied by civilian contractors as the photo shows.

The design is far too fussy - although it's nice to see a couple of Gnats in the artwork.

The '50 Display Seasons' is so small that no-one will notice.

As has been said, too much of the saltire about it. The Hawk is an ugly, hunchbacked aeroplane lacking the Gnat's elegance - and that awful smoke pod is like a dog's dick. To improve the image, a simple design would have been preferable - this looks pretty dire, particularly with the stupid slanting font 'Royal Air Force' breaking the white lightning flash....

That ginger bloke at the back on the staging is little. Do they have a minimum size for the Reds?

Single word..."gopping!" :yuk:

Wow! BEagle seems to have got out of the wrong side of his bed this morning!

I wonder how long it will take Corgi to produce a model with the new paint scheme. Sales (and the price on e-bay) should show how popular the design is.

Come on now Genstabler, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If they want to live in the past, let them.

They're your team, support them!
 

Could this thread contain a more miserable, cynical, or depressing bunch of aviators? After the utterly sh*t time the boys (and girl) have had over the last few years, why put the boot in on the 50th anniversary scheme? Sure if you paid more tax you could have a team of Typhoons coated with Myrrh. :ugh::ugh::ugh:

Why is this thread lingering? The question was posed and answered on page 1.

The 2014 "makeover" was correctly identified as a slap or two of paint on the tail.

Prepare to be underwhelmed. Prepared and wasn't disappointed.

I'm not that keen on the design either, unless you have go go gadget eyes, a lot of the detail will be missed.

Nobodys 'putting the boot in'. Saying you think a tail design could have been better is not knifing all the arrows pilots in the back!
Everythings taken to extremes these days.

I think the idea of a union flag tail is good and what they tried to do with the gnats & hawks is also a good idea. I just think what they ended up with is quite disappointing designwise.
From a distance I think you'll lose the red completely.

Fox Four, well said.

Spurtle, yes they are.

It's quite a clever design, for the reasons expressed by 500N and will catch the eye of the punters - that is, after all the purpose. Relax, everyone, it will be fine.

Edit to add: Oh, and from the photo, it looks like 8 out of nine Reds approve.

Clearly opinion is divided on the subject. Surprisingly, some like it and some don't ... Which I think is permissible under our T&C.

Any correlation between the new tail design and the tragedies the RAFAT have experienced is, however, complete and utter scribble. I apologise if that offends anyone, but this thread is about the new tail logo. My, or anyone else's, opinion of the design is simply that ... We like the design or we don't. Don't start introducing 'moral blackmail'.

"unless you have go go gadget eyes, a lot of the detail will be missed."

The design works both from afar and close up. The clearly distinct design will stand out during a fly past but when the crowds are seeing the aircraft taxi past or on a stand, the finer features of the design will be visible.

So in that way it achieves two things.

If the red was thicker, it would lose the clearly defined blue / white component
which is what will make it stand out at a distance.

The aircraft and the red lines give it some interesting detail up close
and a good representation of what the Red Arrows do, smoke and all.

It's growing on me. I'd like to see an aircraft in the sky with that tail.

Spurtle

"That's a whole 5 minutes and a new packet of felt-tips gone into the design of that then" does give a credible impression of a boot being put in. May I suggest "The Mrs and I don't like it" as a more constructive way of expressing your opinion on a sensitive matter?

Spurtle and MPN

While you may not like the new design, your vitriolic opinion is hardly warranted.
So come on, felt pens at the ready, let's see you do better....:cool:

Yes, but with only 3 colours QFI filth need not apply...:ok:

Nige321 ... Vitriol? Perleeeeze. Can we avoid hyperbole?

I said I didn't like it, as did several others if you would be gracious enough to read back a page or three. And I have already said ... Leave it as it is.

Just saying.

RAFAT are very good. I don't have the same opinion of the new tail design (or the new 'Royal Air Force' joke font). I assume opinions are allowed to be expressed on PPRuNe?

Just noticed ZA446 which was ex XV Sqn Laarbruch and the aircraft that carried the "McRoberts Reply" coat of arms.

p.s. I'm not a spotter, its just that particular tail number that rang a bell from the past.

ZA446
 

Spotter....:ok:

I'm sure they are. I suppose it really depends on how, or in what terms, you express them. Too many immature posters try to make an impression by using hyperbole or insensitive language which, when it causes offence, they then defend as banter.

I Like the tail design. As does the AOC (indoors). Yeah, it's ok...

I personally think this tail logo has a touch of Facebook and Twitter about it - pointless. And I am unanimous in that.

"Two tragic accidents that were just one of those things".

Hmmm. Haven't read the reports, have you?

I like the way the Reds are going to mark their 50th Anniversary season with the new tails. Some think that they should have left the jets alone and not bothered, but I've still not seen anyone come up with their version of a better design.

For those who think the new logo won't be seen much from the ground, a fair point, but there are thousands who will view the team parked on the ground also and they will have the opportunity to view and photograph it.

As for how much service, commissioned or otherwise, has to do with having an opinion on a colour scheme, that's lost on me! (Post 125). Don't bother trying to explain, by the way - I've moved on.

I hope the Reds have a safe flying season and thank whoever I might believe in that they aren't being managed by some of the former served who post on here.

"Hmmm. Haven't read the reports, have you?"

That has got to be one of the crassest, most insensitive comments ever. He not only read the reports, he witnessed the second tragedy himself and has been dealing with the consequences for the last two years.

And the prize for the most immature poster trying to make an impression goes to........dervish!

OK, tell us why you think he's right that two fatal accidents are "just one of those things". What kind of blithering idiot regards an avoidable accident as just one of those things?

dervish

Perhaps someone who, a few days after taking over command of his unit, watched one of his junior pilots die a horrible, violent death in front of him; who then carried his coffin and gave a eulogy at his funeral; who dealt personally with the grief of the family, his other pilots and engineers as well as his own; who then had to nurture his squadron back to its traditional health and proficiency under the additional pressures of intense scrutiny, constant inspection, reorganisation and ill informed criticism.

So, while hoping that he and his Team could at last put the traumatic events of two years ago behind them and finally focus on a more positive future and a memorable event, namely their historic anniversary, he makes a harmless, throw away remark in an interview, making light of their pain with traditional British understatement and humility.

And you, viewing his remark out of context and from the comfort and safety of your anonymity, and knowing nothing about the circumstances and background except what you read in the papers and on your computer, then have the effrontery to criticise him so harshly. What pain did you suffer that gives you the right to judge him?

I suggest that you are the blithering idiot. And that's being polite to you.

Not for the first time the Reds have had a tough time. With good leadership and their own innate resilience they have come through the pain and we all hope they will have a great season. Opinion is divided about the new fin design - for me it is too fiddly close-up, and won't be very visible at display distance, but that is a personal view. All I can add is my very best wishes to all aircrew and ground crew for the 2014 season

From the new fin scheme ... To the spirit of RAFAT and the people that make it happen.
Such is PPRuNe :ok:

It might be nice if we quietly forgot (if we can) the tragedies and just focus on the fin design. I think RAFAT has had enough grief recently ... A bit of yea/nay on that won't bother anyone. But going beyond that line isn't necessary or appropriate.

Personally, I don't give a sh*t what colour my car is ... I'm on the inside, so the cabin and controls are what matter. Apparently it has a Peugeot badge on it ... Now that is gross!

Indeed, good luck to the Team for a fine and successful 50th year!

As for the design.... I would have kept the red-white-and blue fin, but moved the white to the rudder hinge line, with a stylised Hawk at the fin top in profile as if trailing the white as smoke, about half the fin in size. And replaced the hideous 'Royal Air Force' logo with 'Red Arrows 50th Year'.

I think that the mad spider's web design on the fin is overly fussy - and a makeover would have given the Team an opportunity to bin the stupid 'Royal Air Force' logo design....:(