The Red Arrows

The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, England (soon to be RAF Waddington). They were formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial The Red Arrows badge shows the aircraft in their trademark diamond nine formation, with the motto Éclat, meaning "brilliance" or "excellence".

The Red Arrows switched to the BAE Hawk trainer in 1979. The Red Arrows have now performed over 4,000 displays world-wide in 53 countries.

Such is the popularity of the showmen that at a recent charity auction, a British woman paid 1.5 million pounds to fly with the Red Arrows.

The Red Arrows

The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, have been based at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln since December 21, 2000.

In July 2004 there was speculation in the British media that the Red Arrows would be disbanded, after a spending review, due to running costs of between £5 million and £6 million. The Arrows were not disbanded and the expense has been justified through the public relations value of the arrows, because the Red Arrows help develop business in the defence industry and also because they act as a recruitment mechanism for the RAF.

With the planned disposal of RAF Scampton the future home of the Red Arrows was uncertain. A move to RAF Waddington, in Lincolnshire was revealed by the Ministry of Defence in 2008.

Since 1966, there have been nine display pilots each year, all volunteers. Pilots must have completed one or more operational tours on a fast jet such as the Tornado, Harrier or Jaguar, have accumulated at least 1,500 flying hours and have been assessed as above average in their operational role to be eligible. Even then, there are more than ten applicants for each place on the team. Pilots stay with the Red Arrows for a three-year tour of duty. Three pilots are changed every year, such that there are always three first year pilots, three second year pilots, and three in their final year.

The Red Arrows have no reserve pilots, as a spare pilot would not perform often enough to fly to the standard required. If one of the pilots is not able to fly, the team flies an eight-plane formation. However, if the Team Leader, 'Red 1', is unable to fly then the team does not display at all. Each pilot always flies the same position in a formation. The pilots spend six months from October to April practicing for the coming display season.

During an aerobatics display, Red Arrows pilots experience forces up to 5g and when performing the aerobatic manoeuvre 'Vixen Break', forces up to 7g can be reached, close to the 8g structural limit of the aircraft.

As well as the nine pilots, 'Red 10', also known as the Road Manager, is a fully qualified Hawk pilot who flies the tenth aircraft when the Red Arrows are away from base. This means the team have a reserve aircraft at the display site. Red 10's duties include co-ordination of the display and acting as the team's Ground Safety Officer. Red 10 also flies TV cameramen and photographers for air-to-air pictures of the Red Arrows.

The Display Team for the 2008 season were:

• Red One - Wing Commander Jas Hawker
• Red Two - Flight Lieutenant Simon Rea
• Red Three - Flight Lieutenant Mike Ling
• Red Four - Squadron Leader Graham Duff
• Red Five - Flight Lieutenant Andrew Keith
• Red Six - Flight Lieutenant Paul "Pablo" O'Grady
• Red Seven - Squadron Leader Ben Murphy
• Red Eight (and Executive Officer) - Flight Lieutenant Greg Perilleux
• Red Nine - Flight Lieutenant Damian "Damo" Ellacott
• Red Ten (Road Manager) - Flight Lieutenant Andy Robins

The Team Manager for the 2008 season was Squadron Leader Jon Trott. Over the coming months 3 new pilots will  join the team to replace the three pilots that have come to the end of their tour.

The engineering team that supports the Red Arrows are known as "The Blues" and consists of 85 members.

 The Red Arrows do not use front-line aircraft because of operating costs. While the Hawk is very basic compared to the much more modern Eurofighter Typhoon, it is still fast enough and very manoeuvrable, ideal for low-altitude aerobatics. The Red Arrows normally cruise at 360 knots (one nautical mile every 10 seconds).

Statistics

1. Wing span - 9.39 mtr
2. Length - 11.85 mtr
3. Height - 4.0 mtr
4. Maximum speed sea level - 645 mph (1,037 km/ph)
5. Maximum altitude - 48,000ft (15,900 m)
6. Empty weight - 8,000 ib (3,630 kg)
7. Maximum weight - 18,390 lb (8,330 kg)
8. Powerplant - one Rolls-Royce Adour Mk 151
9. Thrust - 5,200 ibf (23 kN)
   

Information supplied by wikipedia