Sitting in the cockpit of a small yet sturdy fast jet and doing the twists and turns in the sky must be an exhilarating feeling, right?! “Its awesome,” Flight Lieutenant Joe Hourston rolls is eyes as his fellow Red Arrow aerobatics mate Stew Campbell nods.
‘Red Nine’ and ‘Red Eight’ are not ordinary pilots but full-fledged fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF), Britain. Even for them, aerobatics display in the sky beats everything else. “Not everyone can become a Red Arrow, you have to apply and have to undergo a rigorous selection process before you are picked to be among the famed nine-member crew,” says Mr. Hourston.
Good team players
‘Reds’ have an average age of 30-40 and can be part of the team for three years with replacements each year. “Firstly, you got to be a damn good team player. Its like a play where everyone has a role and it takes six months to build a team,” says Mr. Campbell.
For the Nine Reds to perform their incredible 30-odd manoeuvres, there are at least 100 maintenance crew on the ground keeping their machines flying fit and ensuring everything goes to a plan. “Whatever we do in the air is according to standard operating procedures and we stick to the pre-rehearsed script,” explains Mr. Hourston.
The duo was interacting at a reception hosted by the British Deputy High Commission to celebrate Red Arrows arrival to the city and their upcoming programme at the Indian Air Force Academy in Dundigal on Thursday. The team have been on the skies almost continuously as part of the 60-day tour of Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions displaying their wares in the sleek Hawks.
Hawks built at HAL
Their Hawks, which are a generation ahead of what the Indians train on currently, are capable of reaching to speeds of Mach1.2 and reach heights of 48,000 ft. During display the distance between two planes can be as little as three metres! Aerobatics are also done anywhere from 300 ft to 1000 ft during a clear sky.
“We are thrilled to be here having travelled 10,000 km,” smiles ‘Red One’ Sq. Leader David Montenegro and team lead. “Red Arrows is team work in the sky and on the ground. We are also proud 100 Hawk aircraft were made in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),” adds Air Commodore David Bently, RAF.
