What do the Red Arrows do this year?

[PirateTrickster]

Regardless of whether or not you're a fan, it does strike me that there's not much point in the Red Arrows training this year - no RIAT, no Yeovilton and no doubt many more cancellations to come.

What can the Red Arrows actually do this year - I did think of flypasts although would likely encourage gatherings so they can't do them? Time for the pilots and crews to mothball things and join other squadrons until regrouping in Autumn? Could this expedite (1) leaving Scampton or even (2) the demise of the Red Arrows altogether?

[starbuck]

If they are not already they need to be grounded immediately. A luxury we have to do without for the foreseeable.

[pbeardmore]

Copy the E-sports guys and give a virtual display? seriously, though, are they actually flying?

[toom317]

They'll need to keep current, so I imagine they'll still be flying. It may not mean showing off or normal formation flying, but general flying skills.

[The Baron]

They're still practicing, certainly as of last Friday.

[TEXANTOMCAT]

My thought it that on VE day if we're all still locked down it would be a marvellous thing if the Reds or BBMF did a circular tour of the UK over major towns and cities to buck everyone's morale up - after all it's unlikely they will be displaying this year.

TT

[rdchawk]

J0327/20: Temporary restricted area activated
Q) EGTT/QRTCA/IV/BO/AW/000/083/5301N00055W006

RESTRICTED AREA (TEMPORARY) AT SYERSTON AD, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE FOR A
RED ARROWS DISPLAY WI 6NM RADIUS 530113N 0005451W. AREA ESTABLISHED
UNDER ARTICLE 239 OF THE AIR NAVIGATION ORDER 2016. AIC M 023/2020
REFERS. 2020030185/AS1

LOWER: Surface, UPPER: 8,300 Feet AMSL
FROM: 25 Mar 2020 09:20 GMT TO: 27 Mar 2020 10:20 GMT
SCHEDULE: 25 27 0920-1020

[FlankerPhoto]

Flown this morning.

[MiG_Eater]

If they are not already they need to be grounded immediately. A luxury we have to do without for the foreseeable.

What a silly post.

The only thing keeping the country going at the moment is the optimism for when this horrible period is over. We need the Red Arrows more than ever.

[PirateTrickster]

OK I'll rise to the bait since you think I've asked a silly question - what can the Reds actually do, realistically? With social distancing measures you could argue they shouldn't really be displaying, or even doing pre-advertised flypasts, for fear of creating a gathering of people. And they can't do either without publicising via a NOTAMS (I'll admit I'm not sure about the flypasts although I thought you needed a NOTAMS for formation flying) .

[starbuck]

If they are not already they need to be grounded immediately. A luxury we have to do without for the foreseeable.

What a silly post.

The only thing keeping the country going at the moment is the optimism for when this horrible period is over. We need the Red Arrows more than ever.

No. We really don't.

As someone who is pretty soon going to be relying on the government to put food on my table because I cannot see how I am going to be able to keep my job I can think of better ways for HMG to be spending money right now. And I am an aviation enthusiast.

Try justifying the Red Arrows to someone who doesn't give a fig about aircraft and then see how silly my post reads.

[CJS]

Assuming that the RAF will continue flying for the time being (assumption based on the fact they they'll have to won't they, to keep their hours up and for normal operational reasons), I don't see why they don't just return to their squadrons, forget about this year and start again with the winter training later in the year, with a view to resuming normal service next year?

I must say I agree - can you imagine if the RAFAT started appearing over food queues across the country? I can't see this being the end of them - it certainly needn't be - but equally I don't think we'll be seeing much (anything?) in the way of displays or flypasts from anything RAF this year.

[farnboroughrob]

I think we can say the same for the BBMF and all the display pilots this year. We may well get into a situation where the military are driving supermarket lorries, helping the police, and the like, of course we hope it does not come to that. Just write the season off and come back next year. Any shows that we squeeze in towards the end of the summer can just have cilil acts. Airshows are of no importance right now.

[Tommy]

AFAIK at the moment September airshows/events aren’t cancelled, so worth continuing training for that.

However, if all shows and events this year cancel, I’m not sure I can see a real justification for them flying right now or over the summer. Perhaps a much longer winter work up will be needed next year to regain currency, but it seems like an expensive operation to maintain the entire team performing displays no one will see for the entire year just to keep things alive for 2021.

[FarnboroJohn]

Given that two-thirds of the pilots will have one or two years still to do with the Red Arrows I should think there is value in their continuous exercising of the role.

We also know that unused aeroplanes go wrong faster than ones kept in regular use.

We also know that the Red Arrows are a team, (as is any military unit) and rebuilding a team amounts to rebuilding a capability: it is easier to maintain a capability than to rebuild one.

Be careful what you wish for (a few days after a rueful site-wide agreement that any RIAT would be better than what we are going to get this year).

Maybe it's best if they don't display during the COVID-19 emergency (I agree the NOTAM point, but the idea of guerrilla Red Arrows displays does seem an attractive one if it could be made to work) but I'm sure it's also best if they work on through it rather than trying to take a year off.

[Rich.B]

Keep training. Could be July or August or Sept we get a reprive of non puplic mixing.
The reds can do what there good at and go around all the big seaside towns displaying for the masses at our seaside.

A bit of hope and pride of Britain if we get over the virus in that time span. Everyone head to the coast for some sea air and a reds display and Typhoon and Bbmf.

[PirateTrickster]

Interesting comment on Twitter last night - apparently one of the Red Arrows dropped in at Stansted yesterday, which is a little unusual? If they can't do mass flypasts maybe solo/pairs flypasts? Could they send the synchro pair out to draw hearts in the skies?

[aceyone]

Update on their site,not going overseas for their fair weather training !

[XP282]

I really don't understand why people think its at all sensible to send them back to other squadrons. Firstly, they don't have 'there' squadron to go back too. 'Their' squadron is the Red Arrows'... And to think that in 5 months time, the reds will be getting ready to start their winter training for 2021.... So you're asking people to move to vacancies that probably don't exist to start retraining on a different aircraft only to potentially return back to Scampton in a few months time. Close formation flying and aerobatics is a skill in itself and even if the reds just 'stay current' and get their display authorisation, they will be taking skill back to their next squadron that will have knock on benefits.

If we are talking about the financial justification of keeping the Reds, then that is a far wider conversation? Scrapping the reds might not feed everyone in the UK who has to visit a food bank.... scrapping a few Typhoons or F35's probably will.

[Spiny Norman]

I would have thought that as they're not key workers, they should be at home, like everyone else.

There's plenty online engagement they could be doing with schools and other organisations. Is there a RAFAT equivalent to Joe Wickes!?

[blackfive460]

I would have thought that as they're not key workers, they should be at home, like everyone else.

Perhaps they are...
https://twitter.com/RAFRed1/status/1242497133678395395?s=20

[Marathon Milkshake]

It does not matter what they are doing, display flying, winter bulid up keeping current etc etc, the most important thing for them and us is to not catch this awfull thing that is happening and survive to fly again, I dont think it has been said openly, but we are at war. A war that is very different to any that has been seen before.

[effects]

I would have thought that as they're not key workers, they should be at home, like everyone else.

There's plenty online engagement they could be doing with schools and other organisations. Is there a RAFAT equivalent to Joe Wickes!?

The whole of the Armed Forces are key workers at all times.

[Pen Pusher]

[fb-post]https://www.facebook.com/royalairforce/posts/10158296301294885:0[/fb-post]

Brian

[Spiny Norman]

I would have thought that as they're not key workers, they should be at home, like everyone else.

There's plenty online engagement they could be doing with schools and other organisations. Is there a RAFAT equivalent to Joe Wickes!?

The whole of the Armed Forces are key workers at all times.

But some are more key workers than others! Ie, QRA v BBMF,RAFAT, etc.