VISIT TO THE RED ARROWS
RAF SCAMPTON
3 November 2011
On the 3rd of November, 15 members of the Air Squadron visited the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, at their base Scampton (just north of Lincoln). Earlier there had been some doubt as to whether this long-planned visit would go ahead as we knew that the Team would, to some extent at least, still be recovering from the sad loss of Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging in a flying accident at Bournemouth in the late summer. As it happened, Squadron Leader Liz Parker, the Team Manager, made it very clear that we were welcome to come on the originally-planned date as the Team would be settling back into their routine training programme.
We thus arrived – by a mixture of fly-in and drive-in – in time for morning coffee (with several members of the Team, in their crew-room) followed by a very well structured brief on the background, team-selection and training regime of the Red Arrows. A young, holding officer who, in so many ways, seemed to typify all that is best in the Service, gave this brief; Flt Lt James Peterson was half way through his pilot training and had been told that he was to hold for at least 2 years before his next phase of flying would commence. Yet his enthusiasm and cheerfulness were undaunted, and he looked after us immaculately throughout the day.
The next event was to witness the brief for a 5 aircraft Red Arrow formation work-up sortie. It is fair to say that much of what the Team Leader, Squadron Leader Jim Turner, said in that brief went a little over most of our heads, but what was clear was that this was a sharp, punchy, and highly professional part of the way that the Red Arrows bring on their new members. We then went outside, to the front of the Air Traffic Control tower, to witness the sortie (flown over the airfield). It says much about the level to which the Team had already progressed that the formation already looked immaculate. Yet, in the debrief (to which we were again invited), the level of critique applied by individuals, both to themselves and to fellow formation members, explains precisely why they are justifiably renowned as the finest formation aerobatic team in the world.
Lunch, again accompanied by all members of the Team, was then taken in the crew-room, following which the Air Squadron presented the Team Leader with an Air Squadron wall plaque and a cheque to befit the Reds’ favoured charities. Our day at Scampton was then rounded off by an engineering tour of their rectification hangar, with technical explanations given by a typically capable and proud member of the Reds’ ground crew.
Sadly, as all members of the Air Squadron will be aware, only 5 days after our visit a member of the Team who had hosted us, Flt Lt Sean Cunningham, was killed in an accidental flight line ejection. Thus our letter of thanks became also one of condolence to the Red Arrows. As I write, the Team is now flying again and I am sure all members of the Air Squadron would join me in wishing them a successful and, most importantly, a safe display season for 2012.
Sir Clive Loader
Trip Manager
