The Red Arrows are the public face of the RAF. Widely acknowledged as the world’s finest aerial acrobatics team they have delighted and amazed audiences all over the world for more than 48 years. While being far removed from the world of private jet hire and private jet charter pilots the Red Arrows are truly in a league of their own. This year they will be performing at more than 70 prestigious events and air shows in countries around the world.
The jet of choice for the Red Arrows is the Hawk T1. Used since 1979 it replaced the Folland Gnat which was used by previous display teams. The Hawk used by the Arrows is modified to provide an incredible 5,200 pounds of thrust and has a top speed of more than 1.2 Mach.
The smoke generation system which produces the unique contrails the Red Arrows are famous for is unique to the aircraft. The smoke is produced by pumping diesel mixed with various coloured dyes over the jet exhaust and while there is no doubt that it produces a stunning effect it was originally introduced to help pilots gauge wind speed and direction.
Each jet carries enough diesel to produce 5 minutes of white smoke and one minute of both blue and red while in the air. The Red Arrows have a busy couple of months ahead of them as the majority of the 70 displays they put on each year are in the summer months.
In July they are making a number of appearances including those at the Sunderland, Rhyll and Farnborough air shows. In August they are appearing at the prestigious Moscow air show as well as more dates in the UK at Bournemouth, Whitby and Portsmouth.
The season concludes on the 29th of September at the Malta Air Festival. Millions of people will see the Red Arrows in action this year and the 10 pilots of the team will no doubt live up to and surpass all expectations. While your private jet hire or private jet charter captain probably won’t be matching the acrobatics of the Red Arrows it is still and exciting and exhilarating way to travel. There are a number of jet charter companies in the UK who offer a range of private jets to destinations all around the world.
