The Red Arrows - what is their purpose?
Discussion
pablo said:
i would imagine only a small number attend an event purely to see the red arrows and not for other exhibitors
ever noticed that at major airshows the reds are pretty much last to display?as soon as they're done, the crowds start leaving.
doesn't matter what's then displaying, the public saw what they came for.
don't imagine, go see for yourself
db said:
pablo said:
i would imagine only a small number attend an event purely to see the red arrows and not for other exhibitors
ever noticed that at major airshows the reds are pretty much last to display?as soon as they're done, the crowds start leaving.
doesn't matter what's then displaying, the public saw what they came for.
don't imagine, go see for yourself
In actual fact, they are not always the last act in the display. Often they will have committments elsewhere during the day so will do their display part way through the programme and then disappear to another venue.
At the Farnborough Air Show they are hardly ever the last display item.
At the Farnborough Air Show they are hardly ever the last display item.
It's the same benefit as Trooping the Colour, Beefeaters, etc. Flag waving, part of British culture, etc.
I'm convinced that their displays do not sell a single Hawk aircraft overseas. Those deals are done through 'other channels.'
Are the Red Arrows genuinely thought of as the best display team? Interested to know. At various Dubai airshows (10+ years ago) I saw some pretty good teams from other countries.
I'm convinced that their displays do not sell a single Hawk aircraft overseas. Those deals are done through 'other channels.'
Are the Red Arrows genuinely thought of as the best display team? Interested to know. At various Dubai airshows (10+ years ago) I saw some pretty good teams from other countries.
5705 said:
It's the same benefit as Trooping the Colour, Beefeaters, etc. Flag waving, part of British culture, etc.
I'm convinced that their displays do not sell a single Hawk aircraft overseas. Those deals are done through 'other channels.'
Are the Red Arrows genuinely thought of as the best display team? Interested to know. At various Dubai airshows (10+ years ago) I saw some pretty good teams from other countries.
I've watched dozens of display teams over almost 4 decades and I would safely say that on the whole, they are the most consistently precise of them all.I'm convinced that their displays do not sell a single Hawk aircraft overseas. Those deals are done through 'other channels.'
Are the Red Arrows genuinely thought of as the best display team? Interested to know. At various Dubai airshows (10+ years ago) I saw some pretty good teams from other countries.
The only teams that can match them in some areas would be the Italian Frecci Tricolori and perhaps the French Patrouille France and the Parrouille Suisse. Other than those, I can't think of any other teams of a similar stature.
Eric Mc said:
I've watched dozens of display teams over almost 4 decades and I would safely say that on the whole, they are the most consistently precise of them all.
The only teams that can match them in some areas would be the Italian Frecci Tricolori and perhaps the French Patrouille France and the Parrouille Suisse. Other than those, I can't think of any other teams of a similar stature.
Interesting - thanks. From memory, there were French and Italian teams at one particular show ('98ish). I remember thinking that their displays were quite different to the Red Arrows' - and therefore quite novel to me.The only teams that can match them in some areas would be the Italian Frecci Tricolori and perhaps the French Patrouille France and the Parrouille Suisse. Other than those, I can't think of any other teams of a similar stature.
Will waste some time at YouTube later today.
Familiarity with the Red Arrows routines can dull one's appreciation of how good they really are. There are limits to the manouevers you can do with 9 aircraft and, after 47 years of flying (initially as the Yellow Jacks) most permutations will have been exploited by now.
The Frecci Tricolori use 10 aircraft and they definitely have an element of flair and flamboyance which sometimes may be missing from the Reds. The solo asymetric pass they used to do was always a crowd pleaser, for instance.
Obviously, the spectre of Ramstein 1988 hangs over the Frecci and I don't think they have ever really returned to the rather carefree style they once had.
The Frecci Tricolori use 10 aircraft and they definitely have an element of flair and flamboyance which sometimes may be missing from the Reds. The solo asymetric pass they used to do was always a crowd pleaser, for instance.
Obviously, the spectre of Ramstein 1988 hangs over the Frecci and I don't think they have ever really returned to the rather carefree style they once had.
This is i think, the problem with modern life, for some reason or other, we feel we constantly have to "justify" everything we do. Can't we just get on with having fun, making people smile, putting on a good show, and if there are any more tangible benifits (such as helping to get youngsters interested in different careers maybe, or selling a plane or two) then thats great. But i just want to be able to look up, watch some bloody good pilots race around the sky and with a big smile on my face say "WOW"............. 
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