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Red Arrows on channel 5 - 'Kings Of The Sky'
New 6-part series coming January 9th on Channel 5
Documentary series following Britain's premier flight squadron. A new team leader arrives to design and develop fresh and ambitious manoeuvres for the 2018 season. (S1 Ep 1) Channel 5 has commissioned ITV Studios-owned production label Shiver for a six-part doc series on aerobatic squadron the Red Arrows.The channel has ordered a 6 x 60-minute series entitled The Red Arrows: Kings Of The Sky, which is to air on 9 January at 9pm. The Red Arrows are the world’s most renowned aerobatic display team, famous for precision flying and synchronised manoeuvres.Across the series, Channel 5 tells the story of the squadron as it creates a new display and embarks on a challenging season. The series also showcases the work of the ground crews, engineers and back room teams who help to coordinate shows. The Red Arrows: Kings of the Sky is produced and directed for Shiver by Jamie Simpson. The series is the third military programme recently commissioned by Channel 5, following the success of Warship: Life at Sea and Raw Recruits: Squaddies at 16.Guy Davies, commissioning editor for factual at Channel 5, said: “We are incredibly proud to deliver the most in-depth documentary on the Red Arrows in a generation. We’ll get to know the cast of characters, and put Channel 5 viewers right at the heart of the action, giving them a taste of what it’s like to be in the cockpit of a jet flying complex aerobatics at 600 mph, within just six feet of its neighbour’s wing tips.”Mike Blair, exec producer at Shiver, added: “This is a series that not only showcases some of the most jaw-dropping flying and aerobatics, it also gets up close and personal to an amazing group of people, the pilots and engineers who make up the Red Arrows. They gave us 12 months of access during one of the hardest years in their history, revealing their human face as they dealt with tragedy, and their passion and professionalism in the sky and on the ground.” |
"600 mph within just six feet of its neighbour's wing tips" - is that right?
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Distance wise, yes, whilst in formation. Speed wise, no! I think they’re closer to around 360 knots Oppostion passes are 100ft apart. |
As this is Channel 5 I assume we will be treated to the usual time wasting nonsense of them telling us what's coming up after the break, and then after the break reminding us that we are watching a programme about the Red Arrows, in case we had forgotten! If it's anything like their recent effort on the RAF's last 100 years I'm not holding out much hope.
600 mph? I doubt if their routines are done at that sort of speed, but in any case as Pure Pursuit points out its the relative speed that matters. |
All rather Channel 5...:D |
Originally Posted by Nige321
(Post 10356461)
All rather Channel 5...:D Well done Channel 5 (never thought I’d ever say that!). |
Actually, the team came over very well. Far better than previous efforts. (poignant note ; interesting account about the collision on the opposition crossover; very lucky to have just one ejection and no fatalities . Brought back memories of my instructor on Gnats at Valley in the early '70s ( Ted G ) . Joined the Arrows shortly after and 2 jets collided doing the same type of manoeuvre during training . Sadly , Ted was one of the four who lost their lives that day) |
Really enjoyed the program - absolutely wonderful to see the wee boy who used to live next door in a red suit :)
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Thanks.
and some padding |
I enjoyed the programme but that last approach (at about 54 mins in) seemed to me to be extremely low and to barely reach the threshold of a very long runway. Is that a normal approach for the Red Arrows?
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All landings get low at some point!😉 |
Judging by the tyre marks on the piano keys, it's a regular occurrence. Great programme.
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Having become inured to the Reds’ documentaries over the decades, with increasing apathy, I confess I enjoyed this. Less bullsh*t and more in-depth than usual. Less diddley-up, more about the people who DO IT! 7/10 ... actually looking forward to next episodes. |
Very enjoyable programme, really looking forward to the rest of the series (and to seeing them in the flesh a few times this summer!).
One thing I thought odd though, is it normal to go from an operational squadron stright into Red 1? I assumed the new leader was taken from the existing team? |
Originally Posted by AeroSpark
(Post 10357191)
Very enjoyable programme, really looking forward to the rest of the series (and to seeing them in the flesh a few times this summer!).
One thing I thought odd though, is it normal to go from an operational squadron stright into Red 1? I assumed the new leader was taken from the existing team? |
Most do their 3 years on the team, head off to a ‘normal’ flying role in the RAF before a select few get recalled and asked to lead the team. So yes, almost always Red 1 will come from outside the RAFAT initially although they must’ve served with the team before. Champ |
Acres better than anything the BBC has
Mr Phantom driver: check your facts and edit your posting. Duff gen can cause distress to families. |
Quite an enjoyable programme. |
Originally Posted by Percy Cute
(Post 10357711)
Acres better than anything the BBC has done recently.
Mr Phantom driver: check your facts and edit your posting. Duff gen can cause distress to families. The crossover collision occurred at Kemble on Jan 20th 1971 and Ted G was not one if the four pilots lost. I had been night flying at K very early on 20th before recovering to CFS at LR. So remember the tragedy only too well. The backseaters were to be new team members. |
Originally Posted by Percy Cute
(Post 10357711)
Acres better than anything the BBC has done recently.
Mr Phantom driver: check your facts and edit your posting. Duff gen can cause distress to families. The series was made by an independant production company. It could easily have ended up on the BBC if they had chosen to pick it up. The production values are down to the team who make it, not the broadcaster... |
Thank you for the intervention RetiredBA/BY.
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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.
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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 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. |
Originally Posted by Percy Cute
(Post 10357711)
Acres better than anything the BBC has
Mr Phantom driver: check your facts and edit your posting. Duff gen can cause distress to families. |
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'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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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. |
Originally Posted by Clockwork Mouse
(Post 10359011)
It was Lingy and it means brilliance, which is much the same in context. Is that all you’ve got to say about the programme? Get a life. |
Extremely well produced, and highly watchable. And nice to see some old faces still around, at the Cranwell dinner
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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? �� |
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. |
I finally got round to watching the first programme tonight and it was really very good. Lingy's still wrong about the meaning of Éclat, though. 😁
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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. |
From the Red Arrows history section of the RAF Website - Red Arrows
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. |
Enjoyed it. But how long have the blues been doing that "Marching around like the Thunderbirds ground crew thing?" I just find it a tad embarrassing to be honest?
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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. |
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. |
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