Best thing about being a Red Arrow?

The element of pure flying! The aircraft have a stick and throttle, no computers or clever electronics; it’s all done by you in the cockpit. Also we get to see the fruits of our work every time we do it. We get to meet the public and see their reactions to what we do. The public enjoy it...lots

How long did it take to learn the manoeuvres?

I start training in October as we get three new pilots each year. We then start basic formation training. By January we begin training on specific manoeuvres. In the middle of March it all starts to come together. By May we will have the routine polished. We start off in small formations up high, further away from the ground, and then slowly build up the complexity and the size of the formation. It’s a big building block process.


Do you suffer from motion sickness and do you eat ginger biscuits to remedy it?

None of us suffer from motion sickness, that would be bad! We are all experienced front line, fast jet pilots so have been flying in the Air Force a minimum of eight years. Being hardened pilots if we had air sickness we would have found out early! People do suffer from motion sickness but they are taught to desensitise themselves, I am not sure ginger biscuits is one of the ways!

What would you have been if you weren’t a Red Arrow?

I don’t know as I can’t imagine not being a pilot. I joined the Air Force at 18 and always wanted to be a fast-jet pilot. Luckily enough I have achieved that. The sort of person I am, and the kind of people we are, I imagine it would have to be an exciting, rewarding job and there are many jobs out there that give you that.

How long have you been a Red Arrow?

It’s my fourth season on the Red Arrows. I have had three seasons as a wing man, and this is my first season as team leader. You have to have three years on the Red Arrows before being team leader.

What is the hardest thing about being a Red Arrow?

The hardest thing is the flying, without a doubt. Hopefully, we make something extremely difficult look very easy. I have hand-picked some of the best pilots in the Air Force and they will all have struggled with something in the training beginning in October. We all work very hard to get to the standard we need.

How many days a year do you work?

Displays start in May and finish in October. July and August are our busiest periods. Typically we do 85 displays in that period. We also do some high profile “flypasts.” We did fly-bys for the Queen’s birthday and the opening of Wembley this year. As well as for smaller events like garden shows, if we are near, we will try and accommodate.

How fast do you go?

About 400 mph, although the Hawks can go up to 600 mph. It gives enough speed to do loops. This means at the close of the show, the two planes go past at a closing speed of 800 mph and miss each other by 100 feet.

Is that the most dangerous manoeuvre?

None of the manoeuvres are dangerous. We wouldn’t do it if they were. In the first half of show we are all together in formation. The second half will look more dramatic and hopefully people will gasp as they look as though they will hit.

How do you train for it?

We have all flown the Hawk in training for piloting fast jets. We have a short course of about 10 hours in flight simulators and the aircraft, then we go straight into flying into formations. We are all experienced pilots so it’s not like learning to fly. The Hawk looks great in close formation.

Holiday questions

Are you a back seat driver on commercial flights?

No, I like to watch a film and have a gin a tonic

Would you prefer to go on holiday by plane or boat?

Plane as it goes somewhere nicer and quicker.

Surfing or Diving?

Surfing

Extreme holiday or relaxing?

I would rather have an extreme holiday, my wife and children a relaxing one. So we tend to have a relaxing one!