Red Arrows pierce the sky

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Mike Ling and I am the Squadron Leader (Red 10) of The RAF Red Arrows. I have been flying for 16 years now and have lots of experience in the Royal Air Force. In fact all of our pilots are combat-experienced pilots within the Royal Air Force with more than 1,500 hours of fast jet flying and have conducted at least one operational front-line tour on either Typhoons, Harriers, Jaguars or Tornados.

How many hours a week does the team spend practising their manoeuvres?

Each pilot will fly three times a day, five days a week during our winter training and each flight usually lasts for 30 minutes.

How often do The Red Arrows incorporate new moves and routines into the performances?

We try to introduce a new manoeuvre every year if we can to keep the display fresh. Sometimes we might bring a previously flown manoeuvre back to the display.

What is your favourite, most complex, Red Arrow manoeuvre?

My favourite manoeuvre, both to watch and to fly, is the Corkscrew.

Could you explain how the Corkscrew works?

This involves the Synchro Pair, Reds 6 and 7, flying in an inverted close formation as Reds 8 and 9 perform opposing barrel rolls around them.

Is it true that the aircraft can create five minutes of white smoke, one minute of red and one minute of blue during each display? How does this system work?

Each aircraft can indeed carry five minutes of white smoke and a minute each of red and blue smoke. The smoke is created by injecting diesel fuel or a diesel/dye mix into the jet’s 400 degree Celsius engine exhaust that causes it to vaporise.

Is the smoke released by the pilots themselves?

Yes, each pilot has three individual smoke buttons on the aircraft’s control column.

Do weather conditions in the UAE affect preparations and performances or is it manageable?

The higher temperatures in the Middle East do have a minor effect on the jets’ performance but we all have experience flying in hot conditions.

Being an F1 fan, how did it feel flying David Coulthard while racing Lewis Hamilton? What can you tell us about that day and who eventually won that race?

That was an amazing day with Lewis and David. It is a real privilege to be able to take part in events like that as part of the Red Arrows. We were flying at 100 feet and at 550 knots and we could still hear Lewis’ engine. Those cars are so loud. I am a huge F1 fan and [watched] the races in Singapore, Japan and Abu Dhabi.

Lastly, what can visitors expect from the Red Arrows this year? Will there be anything different this year when compared to past performances?

The 2013 Red Arrows display lasts around 21 minutes and will feature nine Hawk T1 aircraft performing formation aerobatics. This year’s display has a new manoeuvre called the 5/4 Split, which we use to start the second half of the full display.