Red arrows confusing display team make up
 

It seems the team are suffering an Annus horribilis this season. Transparency and truth seem to be at odds over the team now flying a seven ship full display formation as the official RAF website still shows 9 display pilots. I suspect this has not been changed otherwise it would identify the 2 team members who have moved on to 'New Duties'. Having led 2 RAF display teams and 2 civilian display teams and have undertaken over 2000 displays worldwide I know at first hand the extreme pressures placed on all display participants. I wish the team the best and look forward to seeing them display in their new format. Have a safe 2022

Cosford Airshow 12th June.

https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams...rows/the-team/

He had it as HTTPS which is a secure link, removing the S fixes it.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/...rows/the-team/


Wasn’t there 9 on the Jubilee Flypast? I suppose they must have borrowed a couple pilots as it was a straight forward flat display.

UPDATED RED ARROWS WEBSITE
 

Glad to see website updated to show the 7 display pilots but obviously done in a rush as the text for the team leader still says he leads 9 aircraft display team and display sequences still show 9 aircraft in the team. I am sure someone will attend to this and set the record straight. 10 aircraft flypast at Cranwell with me tucked in behind the leader. Happy Days.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a9c6e0bba9.jpg

That was stated from the outset - https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles...rafat-in-2022/

Mrs DD was PRO for a well known RAF Display Team in the noughties; averaged several newsworthy items on the Team's website every week. I notice that the BBMF's latest news item is a charity Dakota-pull from November 2021.

Appalling that with all the money still being poured in to airworthiness, crewing, fuel and so forth of these teams, who's raison d'etre is publicity, that the actual publicity-machine is so broken.

7 ship will become the norm moving forward, cost cuts and all that!

“Introducing the 2030 Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrow!”

Odd to see one of the team has been in it for 5 years.

You just cant drop that great picture on us rat without the story! When was that pic taken? Did you fly both the Gnat an Hawk on team display? Civy Gant painted up?

"Red Arrows confusing display team make up"???? The Red Arrows wear make up?!! Goodness me, sign of the times, I suppose.

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.

https://www.military-airshows.co.uk/team1.htm

Scroll down for both the original team members and the reason Bondy’s back again.

That explains the recovery to a full nine but doesn’t explain why two more pilots have left, dropping the team to a 7.

Costs? Everything else is downsized

The RAF are playing that one close to their chests (rightly IMO). The official reason is 'moved to other roles within the RAF'. We've all seen the press coverage . The RAF has a duty of care and confidentiality to those who serve, so unless something emerges like a court martial it's not fair to those who have left the team to speculate.

I watched the Reds at Teesside yesterday, all in all I think that they probably rescued the day there.
They arrived and landed, Displayed then landed, then departed again. Three displays for the price of one.
The display was good and tight dispite low cloud an a high wind across the runway, and the groungcrew mingled with the attending crowd, providing photo opps etc.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5e8f22474d.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c7cb6773b5.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a51da2a906.jpg
Teej...

Thanks for that teej! Interesting that your one airborne picture shows a 9-ship. Was that part of the display, or was the display 7-ship, as announced?

airsound

The 9 ship was the arrival fly by, prior to the break to join the circuit for landing.

Teej.

It's going to be quite the work up season this winter....

Knowing that the Reds are all about uniformity, the first thing I noticed about the groundcrew is the mix of footwear, brown and black. On a couple of front line squadrons last week I noticed a whole variety of uniform ... except it wasn't "uniform" but accepted styles of military clothing. Coupled with wide variations of beards, visible tattoos and hairstyles, the RAF is looking like a loose collection of workers than a uniformed branch of the military.

They obviously don't get free Breitlings either!

Can a formation of aircraft ever be flown in any other direction, or do the numbers/costs involved somehow affect this?

As far as the seven v nine situation is concerned, I now understand from someone 'close to the matter' that if an event organiser or flying display director is approved for a flypast they'll get nine, but the display will be seven. The extra two will be Red 10 and OC RAFAT. (So maybe Monty is hoping to persuade people to ask for flypasts?!) But anyway Cosford last Sunday, for instance, was seven.

airsound

As an ex-trembler, I would suggest that formations of less than 22 are definitely moving backwards.

(2 Pilots moving sideways notwithstanding).

Helicopters can

Is that G-MOUR?

Yellow Gnat in formation with the Reds
 

Yes the aircraft is G-MOUR which I bought/ helped rebuild and flew on displays on behalf of David Gilmore in Uk and Europe for a few years. Invited by the team to visit and undertake some formation flying for publicity purposes, Rewarded with a trip with the team leader during a display practise. My second flight with the team having flown with them at Kemble in the 70's when I was seeking to join the team having led 2 Jet Provost teams in 73/74. I was unsucessful and left RAF and joined Rothmans Aerobatic Team and spent a good few years on the display circuit.

A friend Was down at goodwood today and spoke to a member of the team and after a bit of squirming said they have a very clear direction from the higher ups on the culture expected in the RAF moving forward. Some can meet that expectation and some cannot… he left it at that

apparently a happier ship now so make of it want you will

RAFAT flew past my (home) office window on their way to Goodwood yesterday. Couldn't help thinking the 5 in a V, gap, and 2 in echelon to starboard looked like a large missing men formation.

Busy few days for them, RAF Headcorn and back to Goodwood FoS today. (Weather permitting estimating the cloudbase)

Scarborough, & Cleethorpes with flypasts of Whitby & Filey thrown in before overnight in Bournemouth tomorrow, flying in the vicinity of my eldest's DofE hiking party. Wondering if OC RAFAT and Red 10 get to join in for the flypasts.:E

Back to Goodwood FoS and then Weston-S-M on Sunday.

Good to hear they're a happier ship. Don't want to know the details but I hope it was conduct prejudicial to the good order and discipline of the team not 'thought crimes' against Inglib.

Just seven Red Arrows
 

Is that it for Summer 2022? Saw them at Silverstone.

Yes,two team members were redeployed (A third had to leave earlier for family reasons, but was replaced by a former team member)

What's the plan for replacing the aircraft? They've been around for a few years now.

Until British Aerospace have a new aircraft they need advertising, the Hawk T1 has plenty of spares to keep the BAe advertising team in their current mount.

If they can do a season with seven, it begs the question why do they need nine, think of the savings.... ;)

B*gger the savings, Nutty. We traditionalists need the nine back. Full Reds next season hopefully.

I think the plan is not to be the Defence Secretary who 'Killed the Nation's Top Gun Aces!' in the eyes of the tabloids, while also not spending any money. Think of it like musical chairs for politicians.

Wrong pronouns maybe? Possibly too straight, white male for Wiggy the Woke?