Reds Diamond Season and 60th
 

https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams...fRm5VscG0iKcSg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e5b36a6ff.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5886de28d.jpeg

cheers

Von Richthofen remarked, the day before he died, that 80 was a good number. Perhaps 60 should be a “good number” for the Reds, given the parlours state of the RAF at present and the gathering storm to the East.

I am afraid that the recruitment value of the team has, long ago, evaporated and the personnel could be far better employed elsewhere.

Mog

In the FAA perhaps, eh Mog:ok:

I still enjoy seeing them at air shows but my impression of the team has been dampened by recent events. Their `esprit de corps` has been tarnished some what.

I'm sad to say that I'm inclined to agree. Recruitment value - negligible (and we can't train the pilots that we do recruit). Overseas sales of the hawk value - nil - we don't make it anymore. Positive publicity and good PR value: Nil sadly.

Plus they cost a flaming fortune that we simply can't afford and use resources that, as Mog says, really should be elsewhere.

Never thought i'd say it but I think it may be time to hang up the red suits.

Should quit while the great reputation remains (almost) intact.

In which case, this year would be perfect for their finale

They'd better be on their best behaviour - the press will be watching them like a... well, like a Hawk, I suppose.

Their utility is akin to UASs, the QFIs could be better employed elsewhere!

What QFI's?

Indeed pr00ne! Not just RAFAT, but even UASs have precious few QFIs these days, sadly.

There was enough 'fat' in the system pre-GW1 to spring some QFIs back to the front line after a couple of weeks of refresher flying, but with the advent of MFTS any flexibility has long since disappeared.

A surge in pilot training simply couldn't happen these days - there aren't enough aircraft, aerodromes, instructors or ground crew capable of coping with any large demand.

I read recently that the largest UAS was only capable of achieving 6 first solos, 2 first solo sector recces and 1 first aerobatic solo in an entire year......

Will this make them all Diamond geezers?:hmm:

Jack

Font
 

I'm not exactly sure when they changed it - but THAT font for Royal Air Force just looks so tacky somehow with the out of balance slanty letters.

Lots of comment about the Pilots and resources would be better deployed elsewhere.
Are we saying the resources to fund and operate the Red Arrows is stretching our military?
That's damming isn't it for one of the richest countries in the world?

What's more damning ...
 

...
What's more damning is that they seem to be still carrying pax in the back seat without command eject (front ejects back) and they seem to be still using the out of date scissors shackle ejector seat, rather than the gas shackle mod that was offered and refused some twenty years ago for Hawk, but accepted for Tonkas. Viz: XX177 and XX204 in particular.

LFH

The scissor shackle worked perfectly well when it was serviced regularly in the ejection seat bay at unit level. It was only when seat servicing was extended incrementally over a few years and the demise of unit seat bays that a frig had to be invented to open the shackle in the cockpit in order to do out of phase work!

A surge in pilot training simply couldn't happen these days - there aren't enough aircraft, aerodromes, instructors or ground crew capable of coping with any large demand.
I read recently that the largest UAS was only capable of achieving 6 first solos, 2 first solo sector recces and 1 first aerobatic solo in an entire year .

RAF Valley Graduation on Friday , 9 February , saw 3 pilots awarded their wings ;

"Masters of the Air!

Three more Valley students were awarded their coveted wings today as their proud mums, dads and partners watched on. The 'wings' were awarded by Air Vice Marshal Mark Flewin CBE, Air Officer Commanding 1 Group."

Not sure how much of that was down to QFI availability and how much of that was down to aircraft? The Tutor has had some pretty dreadful availability the last couple of years (prop, control surfaces, etc), and every time it comes back you immediately lose all the QFIs to refreshing AEF staff.

Yes I am and, yes it is.

Not only are the Reds no longer productive in terms of their original objectives, I believe that they are now actively counter productive to the interests of the RAF in that they portray a false impression of the underlying state of the organisation. How many operational units could muster 9 serviceable aircraft simultaneously for the same number of days as the Reds display?