Display Details for 2000 Season

The Full Display for 2000 season is as follows:

1. Arrival in 9 Arrow from crowd right and Canopy Bend
2. Change to Swan
3. Diamond Loop
4. Diamond Bend
5. Big Vixen Roll
6. Apollo and Clover
7. Vulcan Bend
8. Typhoon Roll
9. Angel of the North and Clover
10. Five-Four Split (Reds 1 to 5 and Reds 6 to 9)
11. Five-Four Cross (Reds 1 to 5 and Reds 6 to 9)
12. Goose (Reds 1 to 5 with Red 8 passing underneath)
13. Synchro Heart (Reds 6 & 7 speared by Red 9)
14. Double Rolls (Reds 6 & 7)
15. Vertical Split (Reds 1 to 5 and 8 & 9)
16. Mirror Roll (Reds 6 & 7)
17. Caterpillar (Reds 1 to 5 and Red 8)
18. Corkscrew (Reds 6, 7 and Red 9 )
19. Roll Backs (Reds 1 to 5)
20. Gypo Break (Reds 6 to 9)
21. Two by Two (Reds 6 to 9)
22. Twizzle (Reds 1 to 5)
23. Opposition Loop (Reds 6 & 7)
24. Opposition Barrel Rolls (Reds 6 & 7)
25. Box (Reds 1 to 5 and 8 & 9)
26. Vixen Loop (Reds 1 to 5 and 8 & 9)
27. Vixen Break (Reds 1 to 5 and 8 & 9)

The full display for the 1999 season was as follows:

As ever, there were be minor variations in the sequence for the rolling and flat shows.

The name "Enid" relates to the "Famous Five" in children’s books written by the late and much-loved author, Enid Blyton.

The name "Gypo", used to refer to Reds 6, 7, 8 and 9 when flying as a separate entity, is based on the nickname of a pilot who flew as Red 6 with the Team in the late 60s. We would like to make it quite clear that there are no racist connotations and the pilot concerned was quite happy to be referred to as Gypo.

1. Big Battle arrival and Canopy Bend from crowd left.your first opportunity to photograph or film the upper surfaces of the Hawks.
2. Change to 9-Arrow then to Diamond for the Arrival Loop
3. Concorde Bend
4. Fred Roll (Fred is our abbreviation for Feathered Arrow)
5. Quarter Cloverleaf pattern in Eagle formation
6. Delta Bend
7. Big Vixen Roll
8. Short Diamond quarter cloverleaf leading to the Five-Four split – and marking the transition from the first half to the second half of the show.
9. Goose (Red 8, at high speed, flies towards Enid who are flying relatively slowly, and then shoots underneath and climbs away to rejoin the rest of the formation, hopefully in time for the Vertical Split.)
10. Synchro Heart (outlined by red or white smoke depending on the atmospheric conditions on the day) followed by Synchro Opposition Barrel Rolls.
11. Vertical Split (Reds 1 to 5, 8 and 9)
12. Shotgun (Synchro Pair)
13. Caterpillar (Enid) – replaced by the Whirlpool in the Rolling and Flat shows
14. Double Corkscrews (Gypo)
15. Rollbacks (Enid)- first singly and then in pairs
16. Gypo Break
17. Double Rolls (Synchro Pair)
18. Twizzle (Enid)
19. Opposition Loop (Synchro Pair)
20. 4-point rolls (Synchro Pair)
21. Vixen Loop (Reds 1-5, 8 and 9)leading to…
22. Vixen Break

The full display for the 1998 season was as follows:

1. Arrive in Big Vixen, from crowd left;
2. Change to Diamond as they pull up for a Diamond Loop down the line;
3. Diamond Bend from left to right;
4. Shuttle Roll;
5. Quarter Clover Leaf in Apollo;
6. Concorde Bend;
7. Delta Roll;
8. Card Loop;
9. Five/Four split – leading to second half:
10. Goose (‘Enid’ – Reds 1 to 5 – with Red 9 passing underneath in the opposite direction);
11. Heart by Synchro Pair, speared by Red 8, followed by Synchro Opposition Barrel Rolls;
12. Vixen Quarter Clover Leaf (Reds 1 to 7) followed by Vertical Split;
13. Shotgun (Synchro Pair);
14. Caterpillar (‘Enid’ – Reds 1 to 5);
15. Corkscrew (Reds 6 to 9);
16. Double Rollbacks (‘Enid’ – Reds 1 to 5);
17. Reds 6 to 9 Break, followed by Synchro Pair Double Rolls;
18. Twizzle (Enid);
19. Synchro Pair Opposition Loop followed by opposition Half Cubans;
20. Vixen Loop (Reds 1 – 5 and 8 & 9);
21. Vixen Break towards the crowd synchronised with Synchro Pair’s opposition 4 point rolls down the line from either end.

The full display for the 1997 season was as follows:

• Big 9 arrival from crowd rear.
• Pull up – change to Diamond 9 crowd front
• Diamond Bend
• EFA Roll
• Apollo quarter Clover Leaf
• Flanker Bend
• Feathered Arrow (FRED) Loop
• 4-5 split
• Leader’s Benefit Roll (Enid – ie Reds 1-5)
• Corkscrew (Reds 6 to 9)
• Twizzle (Enid)
• Break (Reds 6 to 9)
• Synchro Double Rolls down the line
• Caterpillar Loop (Enid) – line astern loop
• Card Break (Reds 6 to 9) from crowd rear pulling up crowd front
• Opposition Barrel Rolls – Synchro
• Vertical Split (7 aircraft – not Synchro)
• Opposition Loop (Synchro)
• Roll Backs (Enid)
• Shot Gun (Synchro)
• Goose (Enid goosed by 8 and 9)
• Heart (Synchro)
• 4 Point slow rolls (Synchro)
• Vixen Loop (7)
• Vixen Break (7)

The following modifications to the routine will be made should it be necessary to fly the flat or rolling display due to adverse conditions:

• Caterpillar becomes Whirlpool
• Opposition Loop becomes Carousel

Some Display Etymology

The names for some of the Red Arrows’ formations are self explanatory, but others are more obscure. Over the 31 years the team has been in existence most of the formation shapes possible with 7 and 9 aircraft have been used, but from time to time an old shape is revived and given a new name.

The Tango Roll

The Tango Roll, a favourite in 1995 and appearing again in 1996, was introduced in 1989 by the then Leader, Squadron Leader Tim Miller. In the Tango Roll, nine aircraft fly in the shape of the capital letter T. A well-known national newspaper immediately proclaimed that this formation had been introduced as a tribute to the Prime Minister of the day, Mrs Thatcher. One of the Ministry of Defence’s press officers, anxious to maintain political neutrality, hastily denied that and said the T was a tribute to Tim, the Team’s Leader. In fact both were wrong and the real explanation is much more mundane: Tango is the international phonetic pronunciation for the letter T.

The Tango Roll is one of the more difficult formations to fly. The front five aircraft have to fly precisely in line abreast, which means that the pilots have to twist their necks fully to the left or right so that they can visually judge their position relative to the leader. It is quite painful to keep your neck in that position throughout the manoeuvre whilst up to 4 1/2 times the force of gravity is acting on your body, and it is immediately obvious to everyone on the ground if one aircraft is even very slightly out of position. During the ensuing barrel roll, in order to maintain position relative to the Leader, the pilot on the outside has to fly faster than the Leader and the pilot on the inside has to fly slower than the Leader. The stem of the Tango is formed by 5 aircraft flying in close line astern. How can 5 aircraft fly line abreast and 5 line astern when there are only 9 aircraft in the formation? Think about it!

Corkscrew

Barrel Roll? This is quite a simple manoeuvre to fly badly but very difficult to fly accurately. Flying instructors tell their students to imagine that they are flying around the outside of a horizontal barrel. The highest point of the roll should be as far above the starting height as the lowest is below, and the entire roll should be orientated along a straight line, the axis of the barrel. Compare this with a slow roll where the object is to maintain the same horizontal path through the air whilst rolling the aircraft around its fore and aft axis. Although there are several barrel rolls employing all 9 aircraft during the first half of the display, there is a great opportunity to watch a series of small barrel rolls during the second half of the Red Arrows’ show when Red 7 rolls around Reds 6, 8 and 9, a manoeuvre called Corkscrew. To make Corkscrew more interesting, the front 3 aircraft fly upside down.

Tongue-Tied!

Not all of the formation names translate easily and this can cause problems when the team is flying overseas. For example, when describing the Big Vixen Roll an Arab commentator during the recent Winter tour translated Vixen as the wife of a fox! In fact Vixen refers to a veteran fighter aircraft which the formation shape resembles.

Another name which causes furrowed eyebrows for interpreters is Fred. This is the pilots’ own contraction of Feathered Arrow.

Enid splits from Gypo during the Tango Roll
Photograph courtesy John M. Dibbs of The Plane Picture Company

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