Ken Harrison kindly contacted us on Friday to say the world famous Red Arrows display team had just been just seen over Brigg, flying from north-west to south-east at 12 noon..
Did you see the planes come over? We were in Scunthorpe at the time and so missed this free spectacle.
Having an elderly relative in Lincoln, we often drive along the A15 towards the county capital and sometimes see the Red Arrows practising as we near RAF Scampton.
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6 comments:
I too saw them, Nige...They were red and noisy...!!!!
I also saw them - they frightened the cat ...Ken's Mum..
I saw them.....they didn't really frighten me.... Tiddles
I'm at an age who can remember the forerunners of the Red Arrows...Sopwith Camels at the Hendon airshows in the 1920's!!!
Seriously, before the Red Arrows, various RAF squadrons competed to be the RAF's official aerobatic team at air displays.
In the late 50's and early 60's the most famous of these teams was 111 Squadron - nicknamed the Black Arrows...another squadron sprayed their aircraft blue and were named the Blue Arrows.
Initially, the Black Arrows flew Hawker Hunter jets...but by the early 60's these has been replaced by the supersonic English Electric Lightnings...not the easiest aeroplane to throw about the sky during aerobatics..
However, I do remember seeing the Black Arrows flying their Lightnings during the Farnborough Air Show in 1962...when I was there in 61, I think they flew the Hunters..
This was about the time when the RAF was contemplating the formation of a designated display team...
This team initially flew the advanced trainer, Jet Provosts, quickly moving to the Folland Gnat...painting their aircraft red, the squadron became the famous Red Arrows..
Signed Kenny's Grannie
I wish people would stop using my blog thing to make comments...!!!!!
A minor correction...during the interim period between the forming of the Red Arrows in 1964 and the first Red Arrows first official air display in 1965, a display team called the Red Pelicans was the temporary official aerobatic team...they flew Jet Provosts and many of its pilots joined the Red Arrows flying Gnats in 1965..
Kenny's Grannie, again...!!!
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