Leaving aside for the moment the fact that two pilots have lost their lives which is very saddening, I was wondering, in these times of financial hardship and public sector cuts, job losses and debt mountains…how badly do we really need different coloured lines of smoke in the sky?
Not lorry related I know, but I was just thinking…who decides where priorities lie?
cheekymonkey:
Leaving aside for the moment the fact that two pilots have lost their lives which is very saddening, I was wondering, in these times of financial hardship and public sector cuts, job losses and debt mountains…how badly do we really need different coloured lines of smoke in the sky?Not lorry related I know, but I was just thinking…who decides where priorities lie?
On a very long list of things we pay for that we don’t really need, the Red Arrows come a very very long way down on my list.
To answer your question “WE” decide where our priorities lie (coughs), we live in a democracy (coughs) & so far, no political party has dared to put the disbandment of the Red Arrows into their manifesto.
At least not openly . . . which probably rules out most of our political parties.
Yeh, you probably right there Chas, in terms of things we dont need. Its just that another good blokes lost his life, and for what? I dont get it myself, but Im sure theres loads of people who will say the Red Arrows are money/personnel well spent, but jeez, its lost on me.
I`m just a cynical old sod I suppose.
The RAF are the finest airforce in the world, these guys are very highly skilled flyers who unfortunately have had two very different accidents, none of which were during an actual display. Jon Egging saved many lives whilst giving up his own, Christopher, we don’t know about yet, but his aeroplane was on the ground.
The guys are highly trained, superfit and you owe them your freedom, don’t talk out of your arse!
When a Stobart lorry crashes, it makes news, when a Red Arrows pilot has an accident, it makes news, if the ejector seat had malfunctioned on a Tornado or an F16, this thread would not exist.
cheekymonkey:
Yeh, you probably right there Chas, in terms of things we dont need. Its just that another good blokes lost his life, and for what? I dont get it myself, but Im sure theres loads of people who will say the Red Arrows are money/personnel well spent, but jeez, its lost on me.
I`m just a cynical old sod I suppose.
I can list 1000’s of reasons why the Red Arrows are important, but lets focus on just one.
There isn’t a single pilot flying fast jet combat missions in todays RAF who didn’t look up at that formation of coloured smoke when they were 9yrs old & think “Yeah, one day”.
Today, we rely on those pilots to keep the wolf from our door, tommorrow, we’ll be relying on todays 9yr olds.
Maybe at 9yrs old you saw a truck roll past, maybe it impressed you somehow?
Can I talk out of my arse again, and agree with you Wheelnut?
The level of training and fitness of these fine pilots is not in question as far as Im concerned. I agree with you also in that I too think the Royal Air Force is the best in the world. I maybe alone though in questioning the need for a full time aerobatic team which costs millions, which we can ill afford. Please dont insinuate from this that I hold any dis-regard for our pilots.
The Red Arrows attract crowds, they attract sponsorship, they attract big business from foreign airforces for our diminishing aircraft builders.
I do have an affinity with them as I went to a Red Arrows reunion in RAF Cranwell, my brother flew with them as a civilian.
I booked them for a sail training display which cost around £2000, the price has now risen to about £10000 which is hardly a pittance and costs the country money
I’ll plant my flag firmly in the camp of supporting our armed forces but can’t help but wonder if this will be a nail in the coffin of the Reds. I’m sure there will be before long some MP calling for the money to be spent elsewhere.
I read a few comments on Yahoo that my blood boil along the lines of who cares, etc.
None of the Reds have their place on the team because their face fits or who they know, each of them have earnt the right and have served their country on operational tours and proved to be exceptional pilots.
RIP
I think that in previous years, the business the Red Arrows attracted to the UK far outweighed their running costs. Not so sure today though. I can list thousands of things we should give up paying for before loosing the Red Arrows. Aid to foreign countries, aid to foreigners in this country, free NHS for visitors, legal aid for rich people, legal aid fees for rich solictors etc etc. The Red Arrows is one of them things that makes me think, ‘yh we are the best at what we do’ . I used to think the same of Rolls Royce, Concorde, ship builders, Aston martin, but some of these have gone and it would be a sad day for the Red Arrows to follow them.
extrucker:
I think that in previous years, the business the Red Arrows attracted to the UK far outweighed their running costs. Not so sure today though. I can list thousands of things we should give up paying for before loosing the Red Arrows. Aid to foreign countries, aid to foreigners in this country, free NHS for visitors, legal aid for rich people, legal aid fees for rich solictors etc etc. The Red Arrows is one of them things that makes me think, ‘yh we are the best at what we do’ . I used to think the same of Rolls Royce, Concorde, ship builders, Aston martin, but some of these have gone and it would be a sad day for the Red Arrows to follow them.
If you want a list of things to cut, how about football, the players are being paid obscene sums, the “fans” are hooligans in a corporate uniform, they have days or weeks off work to follow the silly game, every pub is spoiled by the noisy pointless game and it is more boring then talking about the weather.
I am still proud of Aston Martin, Rolls Royce Aero Division and Concorde, it may not be flying anymore, but we still have the technology to build something similar.
I would of thought that precision flying would be a useful atribute for a modern RAF Pilot.
If the practice of that precision flying attracts huge crowds of the paying public, encourages Foreign Governments to buy British built aircraft and improves our Nations military reputation abroad.
I would say that the Red Arrows comfortably pay their way.
W
Wheel Nut:
The RAF are the finest airforce in the world, these guys are very highly skilled flyers who unfortunately have had two very different accidents, none of which were during an actual display. Jon Egging saved many lives whilst giving up his own, Christopher, we don’t know about yet, but his aeroplane was on the ground.The guys are highly trained, superfit and you owe them your freedom, don’t talk out of your arse!
I don;t think he is questioning the Red Arrows, but the displays
Very saddening news about the pilot who got killed at RAF Scampton.
Its precision flying and their at the top of the game but to be honest I find their display boring,it’s nearly always the same.I know I’ll get shot down for writing this but it’s just my personal opinion,I’d sooner watch the tornadoes and the US airforce F15’s when the Thursday war is on over east anglia.
Saw the US thunderbirds once at Fairford,now they were exciting to watch.
A first!!
I must be the first person ever to be persuaded I`m wrong by an internet forum!
All this talk of Astons, Concorde and stuff made me re-think and yes…lets keep the Arrows.
Its probably not much in the grand scheme of things and we must keep a few extravagances here and there to make life worth living!
Good contributions guys.
Cheers.
jase:
Very saddening news about the pilot who got killed at RAF Scampton.
Its precision flying and their at the top of the game but to be honest I find their display boring,it’s nearly always the same.I know I’ll get shot down for writing this but it’s just my personal opinion,I’d sooner watch the tornadoes and the US airforce F15’s when the Thursday war is on over east anglia.
Saw the US thunderbirds once at Fairford,now they were exciting to watch.
I agree, I went to Goodwood Festival of Speed this year and they were flying about but I took very little noticr; I would rather see the Vulcan or the BBMF; If youve seen the Arrows once youve seen them a dozen times…
I cant see the point in paying to get imto an.airshow; Watch the flying from down the road for free…a bit like firework displays…
Major Edit. 
I mistakenly called the pilot “Christopher,” his name was Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham 34
Sean 3rd from left.
Still not sure of what happened but when you read that the ejector seat fired him 200 feet into the air whilst the plane was still on the ground 
Wheel Nut:
extrucker:
I think that in previous years, the business the Red Arrows attracted to the UK far outweighed their running costs. Not so sure today though. I can list thousands of things we should give up paying for before loosing the Red Arrows. Aid to foreign countries, aid to foreigners in this country, free NHS for visitors, legal aid for rich people, legal aid fees for rich solictors etc etc. The Red Arrows is one of them things that makes me think, ‘yh we are the best at what we do’ . I used to think the same of Rolls Royce, Concorde, ship builders, Aston martin, but some of these have gone and it would be a sad day for the Red Arrows to follow them.If you want a list of things to cut, how about football, the players are being paid obscene sums, the “fans” are hooligans in a corporate uniform, they have days or weeks off work to follow the silly game, every pub is spoiled by the noisy pointless game and it is more boring then talking about the weather.
I am still proud of Aston Martin, Rolls Royce Aero Division and Concorde, it may not be flying anymore, but we still have the technology to build something similar.
I see Concorde every day as I go to load and it still looks the sleekest aircraft ever,I also miss it flying over at 1900 every night
Muckaway:
I would rather see the Vulcan or the BBMF;
I too would rather watch the BBMF, and I do quite often, especially at the end of season airshow at Coningsby for the Lincolnshire Lancaster Association members, of which I am one.
While the Reds are exceptional at what they do, I too find their show a little bit repetitive but the same can also be said for all air displays, however I find the sound of a Rolls Royce Merlin hard to beat.
Ken.
like wise, i’d rather see the vulcan/BBMF fly about, but the red arrows are somthing else, they have that wow factor it takes to draw the crowds in, people come to see all three for all different reasons, the red’s because of the milliermeter perfect flying at several hundred mph, the gracefulness of the lancaster, and the sheer size of the vulcan and the power it could of unleashed.
i passed RAF scampton this afternoon, i stopped and stood where every one had laid flowers, and i bet every one Sean Cunningham, in there thoughts at 11am today, along with all the other fallen heros,
as some one said on here, all gave some, but some gave all.