Dubai: The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, will conduct a spectacular display to celebrate UAE National Day at Skydive Dubai on Monday.
The world-famous team is scheduled to perform at 4.30pm on Monday to coincide with the 4th Dubai International Parachuting Championship (DIPC).
Monday’s display will be the final one from the Red Arrows for this year as part of its major tour of the Middle East. The team has visited various locations across the area, including the Dubai and Al Ain Airshows, over the past four weeks.
Being organised to mark the 42nd UAE National Day celebrations, organisers are hoping to draw thousands of people at the Skydive Dubai site opposite Grosvenor House Hotel to see the thrilling aerial performance by the team.
“This display from the Red Arrows is also meant to pay tribute to the successful bid from Dubai to host Expo 2020, and so we expect residents to turn up and witness such a world-class team,” remarked Yousuf Al Hammadi, Deputy Chairman, DIPC.
Squadron Leader Jim Turner, the Team Leader of Red Arrows, said: “The team has been overwhelmed with the reception it has received during our tour of the Middle East. A large part of this month-long visit to the region has taken place in the UAE, with displays in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. And to say thank you for this fantastic, warm welcome, the team is performing one final display in the Middle East.”
Officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows represent the United Kingdom and have been thrilling crowds, at home and overseas, since the 1960s. As ambassadors for the UK, the Red Arrows showcase the excellence of the Royal Air Force and the team’s display in Dubai will take place shortly after its final appearance earlier in the day at the Al Ain Air Show.
Next year is the 50th display season for the team which is based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and since its formation it has performed more than 4,500 displays in 55 different countries worldwide.
“The Red Arrows showcase the speed, agility and precision of the Royal Air Force. Our flying display includes a combination of a synchronised formation aerobatics during the first half of the performance, followed by a more dynamic second half,” Squadron Leader Turner said.
“The location at Skydive Dubai will provide a stunning backdrop for our performance and all of the team hope thousands of people will be able to watch our last display of 2013,” he added.
There are also more than 100 support staff in the Red Arrows, including operations staff, flight planners, engineering technicians, photographers, safety equipment experts, drivers, a public relations department, suppliers and administrators.
The team, who currently fly BAE Systems Hawk aircraft, consists of nine display pilots, all of whom are from frontline squadrons. Each has previously operated other Royal Air Force fast jets, such as the Tornado or the Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.
UAE maintain position
Meanwhile, the UAE squad continued its position at the top of the standings at the end of two days of competition in the 8-way Formation Skydiving (FS) and 4-way Vertical Formation Skydiving (VFS) after four jumps in both categories.
The hosts had scores of 15, 17, 14 and 17 for a total of 63 points in the 8-way FS to keep Monaco in second with 60 points and Russia in third with 59.
In the 4-way VFS, the UAE was leading with 55 points after two jumps, well clear of world champions France with 48 points and Poland in third place with just 18 points.
The UAE women’s team were not to be left behind as they stood in third place behind leaders France and Norway in the 4-way Female FS category. The hosts had a score of 18 points to add to their previous two rounds of 13 and 14 for a total of 45 points after three jumps.
The UAE continues to hold on to fifth place in the overall standings of the Freestyle Skydiving with scores of 4.9, 4.3 and 4.9 after three attempts. France is at the top with a total of 26.7, while Finland and Venezuela follow in second and third respectively with totals of 20.3 and 19.3.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, the two-week competition is being organised by the Emirates Aero Sport Federation in coordination with Skydive Dubai. The event that is being attended by more than 1,000 jumpers from 43 countries will end on December 9.
