APRIL

Geoff Beck of Bournemouth, a friend of the Red Arrows, has discovered a pristine copy of the very first brochure produced by the Red Arrows in 1965. He has very kindly copied the brochure and our webmaster, Tim Callaway, has created a version which can be read and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Technology and printing techniques have obviously moved on in the intervening years but the principle of the brochure remains the same – to give the public a flavour of what it takes to put our Team and the display season together.

To download a copy of this brochure, got to the history page and follow the link, or click here.

28 April 2002

Although the Team are away at the moment, we still see plenty of visitors to Scampton. Last week, the Wright Jubilee Aerobatic Competition was held overhead Scampton. Some of the competitors are shown in these photographs:

A Chinook from RAF Odiham called in yesterday to re-fuel. The captain of the aircraft kindly offered four of our groundcrew a familiarisation flight around the local area.

27 April 2002

XX 260, which suffered a birdstrike in early March, has now been completely repaired. Structural repair was carried out by technicians from the Aircraft Repair Flight at RAF St Athan and the paintwork completed by contractors from Huntings at Cranwell.

Wg Cdr Bill Ramsey brought back another airframe from Seville yesterday. XX 237 is due to undergo major servicing over the next few weeks. As this is being written, Bill Ramsey, accompanied by Sqn Ldr Mark Northover, is in the air on his way to Nimes-Garonne in southern France. He will refuel at Nimes then transit to Luqa on Malta, where he will meet up with the rest of the Team.

25 April 2002

At 1000 (Spanish time), the Reds lifted off from the runway at Moron Air Base, heading for Majorca. They will be on the ground for about 2 hours while the jets are refuelled. The C130 support aircraft from 24 Squadron, RAF Lyneham, will take off from Moron, aiming to be overhed Majorca 15 minutes before the Hawks are due to take off. The next leg of their journey to Cyprus takes them to Luqa, the former RAF base on Malta. All of our logistics arrangements in Malta have been kindly looked after by the staff of the British High Commission.

Early tomorrow (26 April) the Team will leave for Souda Bay on Crete. Another 2-hour reful stop, then the Team take off for the short hop to Akrotiri. We will be in Cyprus until 18 May.

The Team have had an extremely successful deployment to Spain. On the whole, the weather was excellent, providing just the conditions the Team Leader was looking for. The support received from our Spanish Air Force hosts, as well as from the USAF lodger units at Moron, was exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble for our hosts.

The Team are next due to be in Spain towards the end of the season, when we will display at the Barcelona Air Show on Sunday 22 September.

25 April 2002

The story announcing the award of the AFC to Steve Underwood was a transcript of the citation which the Station Commander at Valley submitted to higher authority. After Steve landed safely at Valley, he was required to complete an Incident Report, detailing exactly what happened during the emergency. A transcript of Steve’s Incident Report follows:

"The front seat pilot was flying an academic practice forced landing to Mona airfield. On short finals he informed me of a control restriction. As he started the overshoot action, I took control. There was no control authority in pitch beyond the neutral position. Full power was applied, wings levelled and the aircraft, due to the engine thrust, levelled off and entered a shallow climb.

I continued to climb the aircraft to height. A PAN was declared. I entered a slow left turn and climbed into the Mona overhead at 200 kts IAS. At 4000 feet and with the need for a slow speed handling check, I elected to divert to RAF Valley and the bay beyond. I continued the climb and levelled at 5000 feet.

The control restriction became progressively worse. The control column had no rearward movement and approximately one centimetre forward movement. I upgraded the PAN and declared a Mayday with Valley ATC.

The aircraft was flown towards the premeditated ejection area and the pre-ejection checks carried out in accordance with Flight Reference Cards. The aircraft was sluggish. I elected to carry out a slow speed handling check and configure the aircraft in stages. I flew the aircraft from the rear seat and instructed the front seat pilot to lower the landing gear with the speed at 180 knots.

I reduced speed to 150 knots and maintained height using power. On discussion with the front seat pilot, I discounted a flapless approach. Mid flap was lowered with no adverse handling characteristics. With the lack of control authority, I decided to select full flap to give a lower nose attitude. Full flap was lowered. At 150 knots, the aircraft was stable. I turned the aircraft towards RAF Valley at 5000 feet. At this stage the control column locked in the fore/aft position. Aileron control was maintained. I found that by use of the power a Rate of Descent (ROD)/level flight could be achieved. On discussion with the front seat pilot, it was decided to make an approach to runway 14 to allow for a greater sea track on the approach. However, runway 14 had a tailwind. I decided that the lack of elevator control meant an approach to runway 14 was unwise. I set up a slow rate of descent, using power and paralleled the coast abeam RAF Valley. With very limited control of the aircraft, the ejection option was further discussed. I decided that a long straight-in approach with less than 1000 fpm ROD would be acceptable. At 2900 feet and 170 knots, the decision was made to make an approach to runway 32 using power to control the pitch of the aircraft and the ROD.

I positioned the aircraft at approximately 4 miles finals and set up a ROD of 700 fpm. A landing speed of 130 knots was decided on. At this stage the elevator control was completely locked and aileron control extremely sluggish. As the speed decayed, the aircraft became very unstable and I elected to land at 150 knots. The aircraft was flown to avoid overflight of habitation.

The aircraft was landed at 145 knots with 900 fpm ROD. The landing was heavier than usual with no elevator control available to check the ROD. The aircraft bounced aggressively, twice, before settling on the runway. Braking was uneventful and the aircraft shut down."

This Incident Report illustrates just what an exceptional feat of flying it was.

22 April 2002

Flying Officer Howard Leader has taken over as the Red Arrows Public Relations Officer. Howard is a member of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and will be working on a part-time basis. In his other life, Howard is an actor and broadcaster. We are sure that Howard’s vast experience of the media will benefit the Team over the forthcoming display season. To read Howard’s biography, go the Team menu and select "Public Relations Office".

22 April 2002

The Red Arrows are delighted to announce that Flight Lieutenant Steve Underwood, Red 10, has been awarded the Air Force Cross in recognition of an outstanding feat of airmanship whilst serving with No 19 (Fighter) Squadron at RAF Valley. The citation for the award reads as follows:-

"On 31 July 2001, Flight Lieutenant Underwood was conducting a student training sortie in Hawk T Mk 1A XX256. In the latter stages of a practice forced landing pattern, with the aircraft in a steep descending nose down attitude some 400 feet above ground level, his student pilot experienced a flying control restriction, which prevented him from raising the nose of the aircraft.

As the student pilot instinctively selected full power, Underwood took control of the aircraft. With very little time available before ground impact, he calmly assessed that the engine thrust would arrest the descent and he coolly elected to remain with the aircraft which, if abandoned, would have crashed into a populated area. This assessment demanded the highest level of skill and judgement and the decision to remain with the aircraft required exceptional moral courage. With only minimal control authority available, Underwood then coaxed his stricken aircraft towards the RAF Valley premeditated ejection area.

With almost no control authority in pitch, other than by varying the thrust of the engine, and only limited aileron control, Underwood was confronted by an extremely grave situation. Ejection was the justified option. Instead, displaying conspicuous courage and determination, he decided to attempt a recovery. Following a slow speed handling check he determined that the approach would have to be flown at high speed and he was forced to reconsider abandoning the aircraft. However, he elected to continue the recovery; his courage and fortitude evident once more. In the minutes that followed, the dire nature of his predicament forced Underwood to re-examine the ejection option repeatedly. Each time, through sheer strength of character and resilience, he continued with the recovery. Ultimately, he flew a flawless approach under extreme pressure, saving a valuable aircraft and negating the need to expose his crew to the risk of ejection.

For his dogged persistence in recovering a stricken aircraft, his calm and measured response to a life-threatening situation, and his consummate piloting skill and unselfish action in flying a ground track that avoided habitation, Flight Lieutenant Underwood is awarded the Air Force Cross."

Steve is in Spain with the rest of the Team at the moment. Team Leader, Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, speaks for all of us when he says, "I am particularly proud of Steve’s award. Throughout the incident, he displayed exceptional courage and skill to recover the aircraft safely. Those of us who fly the Hawk know more than most the extreme difficulties he encountered; there are insufficient superlatives in the dictionary to adequately describe his actions on that day. Well done, Steve."

19 April 2002

RED Arrows’ Public Relations Officer Denise Housby is flying out to take up the offer of a prestigious course at university. Denise, who has been with the Team for 15 months, has been selected by the Civil Service for the Ministry of Defence sponsored course in media and management.

Commandant Central Flying School Group Captain Jon Fynes said: "Whilst sorry to see her go The Red Arrows are delighted to announce that Denise has been offered the opportunity to study for an MA to further her corporate communications career."

Denise, who is a member of the Government Information and Communication Service – the media branch of the Civil Service, has managed the press and publicity office and the internet site during her time on The Red Arrows. Regular visitors to the Team’s website will appreciate the contribution Denise has made to the site’s development.

"As a qualified journalist, Denise was able to relate easily to the demands of the media and could often be seen hosting film crews who were making documentaries on the Team. We wish her all the bery best," said Group Capt Fynes.

18 April 2002

For extended deployments, we normally take 11 aircraft with us to allow for minor unserviceabilities. Our 11th jet is currently at RAF St Athan in South Wales, undergoing major servicing. The overhaul programme is nearly complete and the aircraft should be back with us at Scampton on 10th April. As soon as the squadron have accepted the aircraft back onto our charge, Wing Commander Bill Ramsey, supported by Squadron Leader Mark Northover, will fly the jet to Spain to meet up with the rest of the Team.

09 April 2002

Every year the Red Arrows deploy to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to carry out intensive training for about 8 weeks. The training consists of the Team flying 3 times every day, fine-tuning the display routine until it reaches the standard which the public have come to expect of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. Cyprus provides many advantages to the Team – historically, the weather is much better in Cyprus than it is in UK at this time of the year; we have the opportunity to practice at different display locations rather than just using the airfield at Scampton as a reference point; the new members of the Team can become used to our ways of working without distraction and, of course, Cyprus is a nice place to be in the Spring.

For operational reasons, we cannot use the airfield at Akrotiri until 26 April; the Spanish Air Force kindly offered us the use of their base at Moron de la Frontera, near Seville. 10 aircraft left Scampton at 0945 this morning bound for a fuel stop at Bordeaux; after a 2 hour stint on the ground in France, they will take off again for the relatively short hop to Seville. The support C130 will leave Scampton later in the morning, aiming to be overhead Bordeaux just as the Hawks are preparing to leave for Spain. If one of our jets becomes unserviceable, the Hercules can then divert to Bordeaux with the appropriate specialist personnel and equipment to fix the problem. If all the Hawks are serviceable, the C130 will continue onto Spain.

One the of our photographers, Cpl Iain McIvor, will accompany the Team to Spain. Any good shots which Iain sends back to base, will be uploaded to this site as soon as we have them. The Team will stay in Seville until 25 April; they will leave Moron that day staging through Palma di Mallorca and on to Malta for a night stop. On 26 April, they will leave for Souda Bay on the island of Crete; quick refuel then off again for the 60 minute flight to Akrotiri.

09 April 2002

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