Show Navigation
All Galleries
Add to Cart Download

Red Arrows (Full edit)

312 images Created 22 Jun 2010

To the very second, they fly in formation over palace balconies and seaside beaches, over crowds of millions and the sheep in farmers' fields. With millions to entertain and with Concorde now grounded, Britain looks to the Royal Air Force's 'Red Arrows' Aerobatic Team as one remaining symbol to represent a truly great British institution.

Richard Baker has trailed the Red Arrows - also known as the Reds - as they trained at their home airfield, in Cyprus and performing at air shows. Far from a traditional view of an aviation subject - 35mm jets and sky - his medium format cameras make an intimate and sometimes ironic reportage. He flew in formation with the team on 6 occasions shooting from the cockpit canopy while often travelling at 450mph.

His pictures centre mostly on his travels and friendships with the pilots and engineers of the 100-strong team who, without exception, shared their trust and energies during his 10-month reportage. His air show observations also make for surreal side-glances at those fans who follow the patriotic red, white and blue smoke.

The official RAF-sanctioned book appeared in time for the 40th anniversary of the very first Red Arrows display on May 15th 1965.

This full set has until now been exclusive at CORBIS but is now at Photoshelter then Alamy.

From the book 'Red Arrows' by Richard Baker
Published by Dalton Watson and available from Amazon, Waterstones in the UK and publisher daltonwatson.com
ISBN 1-85443-217-6

Signed copies from richard(at)bakerpictures.com

Loading ()...

  • RAF support admin man belonging to the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows446_RBA.jpg
  • Trails of white smoke left in the sky by Hawk jet aircraft of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Completing their off-season training, the team put the finishing touches to their display routine every Spring on the Mediterranean island where they perfect new manoeuvres. The sky is empty but as the light wind blows across the airfield, the remainder of the tapering coloured smoke (a mixture of vegetable dye and 'derv' - diesel fuel), blends together like a patriotic ribbon to make a haze of soft spectrum in the correct order of the United Kingdom's flag, and which becomes ever-sharper as the viewer looks towards the distant aircraft. They fly past, bend to the left and climb to a higher altitude, ready for their next formation.
    Red_Arrows478_RBA.jpg
  • Stored temporarily in a storeroom shelf, are the front and rear sections of a Hawk jet aircraft smoke pod belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Grubby and old, like museum artifacts, the two items are attached to the ageing aircrafts' belly accessory that provides the team with their distinctive red, white and blue smoke (a vegetable dye and diesel fuel mixture) during their air show display routines. This version of the BAE Systems Hawks are primitive pieces of equipment, without computers or fly-by-wire technology. Nevertheless, the team's aircraft are in some cases over 20 years old and their air-frames require constant attention with increasingly frequent major overhauls due. Here the parts are separated from the middle section which are receiving a winter modification.
    Red_Arrows393_RBA.jpg
  • Two Hawk jets from the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, almost touch in mid-air at an altitude of approximately 4,100 feet in the Mediterranean skies above Cyprus. The texture of mottled cirrus cloud provides a soft background for the  aircraft which approach each other at a combined air speed of approximately 800 miles per hour (1,200 kph). The Opposition Loop is flown by the two pilot partners known as the Synchro Pair who fly independently of the other seven in the second-half of their 25-minute show. The two jets have vegetable dye and derv (diesel fuel) smoke mixture coloured red, blue or white. Here it traces the paths of both airplanes which curve from the edges of the frame to the centre (center). To the crowds far below, both look as if they are on collision course but wil safely pass within feet of each other.
    Red_Arrows094_RBA.jpg
  • Two RAF pilots listen to flight-briefing by 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team for whom they want to join after the candidate process.
    Red_Arrows299_RBA.jpg
  • Contract cleaner hoovers pilots' crew room of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows320_RBA.jpg
  • Detail of a Hawk aircraft of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows765_RBA.jpg
  • Blue and red dye stains on the 'line' at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, home base of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. The spilled dye provides the team with their distinctive red, white and blue smoke (a vegetable dye and diesel fuel mixture) during their air show display routines. While on the ground, this non-toxic derv/vegetable dye is injected into a vacuum under pressure into the jets' modified belly-pod which in varying amounts of concentrate, gives off a smoke via three nozzles that point down into the jet's efflux, the exhaust that exits the jet pipe at 500°C. For a display, the pods hold enough dye for 5 minutes of white smoke, 1 of blue and 1 of red while the Synchro pair uses slightly more. 7,200 gallons of dye during the entire 2004 season and since 1965 they have flown over 4,000 such shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows698_RBA.jpg
  • Stored in their respective wooden boxes are the flying helmets and miscellaneous equipment belonging to two pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, at their headquarters RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. All ten pilots have their own storage space for gear. We see the place names of Reds One and Two: Squadron Leader Spike Jepson and Flight Lieutenant Matt Jarvis, whose visors are protected by soft cloths preventing scratches protective face screen. Squadron Leader Jepson is team leader and Flight Lieutenant Jarvis flies slightly behind and to the right in the Red Arrows Diamond Nine formation. On an average winter training day at Scampton, the crews will collect their kit up to six times a day in readiness for the forthcoming summer air show season. Flight Lieutenant Jarvis died of cancer one year later in March 2005. .
    Red_Arrows021_RBA.jpg
  • Whilst one spectator cranes her neck skyward, another is oblivious to an air show spectacle above their heads. One looks up into the sun, shielding her eyes with a hand and outstretched fingers but the other concentrates on lighting her cigarette with a match. Unseen in this picture, the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, are performing high in the blue skies above the public on West Greensward, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. In front of the seaside town's brightly coloured red and yellow Lifeguard Station, the two ladies have different interests in the aerobatic manoeuvres. The Red Arrows' 25-minute display either captivates some or bores others although they can be seen upwards of 90-plus shows and fly-pasts each year in front of several millions live or on TV. They have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows618_RBA.jpg
  • Sqn Ldr Spike Jepson, leader of 'Red Arrows', Royal Air Force aerobatic team strides to his waiting aircraft for training sortie
    Red_Arrows275_RBA.jpg
  • Fans of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team await their favourite disaplay in Jersey.
    Red_Arrows718_RBA.jpg
  • A flying helmet belonging to a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is cradled in the highly-polished open Plexiglass  canopy of a team Hawk jet aircraft. With the arrow pointing downwards we see it from below along with the airplane's red fuselage and the words Royal Air Force stencilled in blue lettering on the side within a white stripe. There are strong angles with clear blue space on the top right. The colours that dominate this image are red, white and blue - the colors of the Union Jack, United Kingdom's flag. This scene is at RAF Akrotiri, Cypus where the Red Arrows put the finishing touches to their display sequences before starting the gruelling air show calendar in the UK and Europe. The squadron represents all that is perfect with aerobatic flying, about teamwork and discipline.
    Red_Arrows102_RBA.jpg
  • Looking down vertically upon the Hawk jet aicraft of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the team loop over agricultural countryside during an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. Roman Ermine Street road is a diagonal line through the centre, dissecting wisps of organic white smoke left hanging in the air. Reforming in front of a local crowd at the airfield they work through a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. Freshly-ploughed English fields with properties, roads, hedgerows plus former nuclear silos are seen below. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.   .
    Red_Arrows733_RBA.jpg
  • Members of the the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, spend hours aboard a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft during a two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. The interior is basic with sharp corners but the walls are padded.  Ward wears a heavy camouflaged coat to counteract the cold and ear-plugs from the droning engines. The Red Arrows pilots fly their Hawk jet aircraft to air shows but on long journeys requiring the support of ground crew borrow RAF transporters that fly behind the main airborne squadron shipping 10 tons of spares and personal effects for their six-week winter training stay.
    Red_Arrows051_RBA.jpg
  • Ground crew members of Red Arrows Royal Air Force aerobatic team refuel the team's Hawks between training flights,
    Red_Arrows427_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team zip themselves into their g-pants before training flight. G-pants counteract the effects of high gravity stresses that jet-fighters impose on the human body, automatically inflating and squeezing blood back to the thorax and head when blood drains towards the legs.
    Red_Arrows488_RBA.jpg
  • BAE Systems Hawk tail belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, forms part of the team's highly-skilled group of support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1. The team's aircraft are in some cases 25 years old and their airframes require constant attention, with frequent overhauls needed. In these shelters were housed the Lancaster bombers 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows nearby offices as their administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year. .
    Red_Arrows064_RBA.jpg
  • A red Hawk jet aircraft belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is parked in the hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the home base for the squadron. Night is falling with only blue daylight remaining in the western sky and the warm light from the hangar spills out of the giant open doors on to the concrete. The aircraft awaits attention from the engineer's night-shift who service and maintain all 11 of the famous red aerobatic jets before flying the next morning. The hangaran original World War 2 shelter for the Lancaster bombers of 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows use this and nearby offices administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year. .
    Red_Arrows007_RBA.jpg
  • Small AIr Force cadet peers into ex-Gnat of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team at RAF Scampton.
    Red_Arrows360_RBA.jpg
  • Senior RAF officers assess 'Red Arrows' Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team and grant them authority to fly public displays
    Red_Arrows130_RBA.jpg
  • Equipment supplier checks flying pilots' survival vests of 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows444_RBA.jpg
  • RAF creman watches through open door of Sea King helicopter.
    Red_Arrows711_RBA.jpg
  • Parking places for participating military aircraft have been mapped out with aerosol spray at the Royal International Air tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershirewhere a single nosewheel belonging to a Hawk jet of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is pressed onto chocks, on a yellow taxi-way centre-line stripe. Since 1965 the Red Arrows have flown over 4,000 such shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows495_RBA.jpg
  • Sign showing visitors to offices and hangar of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team at RAF Scampton
    Red_Arrows410_RBA.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, leader of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, briefs his pilots in the briefing room at their RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire headquarters. Five autumn and winter months are spent teaching new recruits manual aerobatic display flying while the older members (who rotate positions) learn new disciplines within the routine. Their leaning curve is steep, even for these accomplished fast-jet aviators who had already accumulated 1,500 hours in fighters. By Summer they need every aspect of their 25-minute displays honed to perfection. In this meeting room they meet before and after every flight discussing safety, merits and failures.
    Red_Arrows696_RBA.jpg
  • Propulsion engine specialist inspects internal Hawk of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows392_RBA.jpg
  • Pilot of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team signs literature for junior RAF cadets. .
    Red_Arrows498_RBA.jpg
  • A member of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team helps guide Hawk jets in after a display.
    Red_Arrows666_RBA.jpg
  • Members of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, prepare for next flight in Cyprus.
    Red_Arrows088_RBA.jpg
  • Rainbow after heavy rain at RAF Scampton, home to the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team,
    Red_Arrows237_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team exchange green flying suits for famous red ones on PDA Day at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'), is when they are allowed by senior RAF officers to perform as a military aerobatic show in front of the public - following a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Until that day arrives, their training and practicing is done in the privacy of their own airfield at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, UK or here in the glare of Akrotiri. The pilots are called reds and their ground crew, the Blues after their summer air show uniforms.
    Red_Arrows147_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team sign autograpohs before their display at Eastborne.
    Red_Arrows594_RBA.jpg
  • Pushing back BAE Systems Hawk jet belonging to the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows228_RBA.jpg
  • In the mid-day heat, Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, leader of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, informally addresses the team's highly-skilled ground crew at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus after the whole team's success of passing PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'). The Red Arrows are then allowed by senior RAF officers to perform as a military aerobatic show in front of the general public - following a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Until that day arrives, their training and practicing is done in the privacy of their own airfield at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, UK. Squadron Leader Jepson has gathered his engineers and support crew known as the Blues to congratulate and encourage them. Specialists like these outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.
    Red_Arrows162_RBA.jpg
  • A detailed view of a Mark 1 Hawk jet belonging to 'Synchro Leader' of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. We see the flight controls and instrument panels looking grubby and worn with grey paint rubbed or flaking off. This version of the BAE Systems Hawk is low-tech without computers nor fly-by-wire technology it is one of the most user-friendly modern jets to fly and serves as a first step trainer for pilots to accumulate fast-jet flying hours and who are destined for the most sophisticated of fast military fighters in the future. Their aerobatic displays demands that their workhorse machine must have phenomenal turning circle ability and rate of climb. The team's aircraft are in some cases over 25 years old and their airframes require constant attention, with frequent engineering overhauls needed..
    Red_Arrows691_RBA.jpg
  • Seaside spectators enjoy fly-past by the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team at Weston-super-Mare
    Red_Arrows520_RBA.jpg
  • Joining with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team on the far left, are the smoke trails of forty leading European display aircraft: Spanish Patrulla Aguila; Italian Frecce Tricolori; French Breitling Jet Team and the Swiss Patrouille Suisse. All flew together in the clear, blue alpine skies on a spectacular fly-past at the Payerne Air 04 show, Switzerland. The two-day festival at the Swiss airfield is home of the Swiss Air Force who host the cream of international aerobatic display flying every September to 275,000 spectators over a weekend. European display teams and air forces gathered to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Swiss military aviation. Flying on the far left here, the Red Arrows have performed over 4,000 shows in 52 countries since 1965.
    Red_Arrows672_RBA.jpg
  • Members of the Blues, th 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team support crew, wipe away morning moisture.
    Red_Arrows110_RBA.jpg
  • Joystick controller at BAE Systems Hawk jet aircraft simulator test a Red Arrows pilot at the fast-jet flying training centre, RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. All fast-jet pilots are required to complete an emergency drill every six months. The pilot is seated in his ejector seat as if in a real jet using back-projected computer graphics representing a generic landscape below. Each aviator proves they can cope with a series of failures that operators select: Engine, hydraulic failure or bird strike.  Apart from the aircraft fuselage, the high-tech facility loads malfunctions on a pilot that he could experience in reality. The version of Hawk that the Red Arrows fly is actually a primitive piece of equipment, without computers or fly-by-wire technology.
    Red_Arrows256_RBA.jpg
  • A 40th anniversary celebration cake has been baked for the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team who are soon to appear. Displayed in a hospitality tent at the Kemble Air Show, the iced gateau has a red ribbon and an image of nine aircraft in mid-flight. A bouquet of flowers and assorted cutlery for the forthcoming lunch is alongside. Blue paper is draped over the top adding to the patriotic red, white and blue colours. After several identities, the Red Arrows started life near this location in 1964 at RAF Little Rissington in Gloucesterhire. Their name originates from the French 'Fleches Noirs', or Black Arrows, so in England, a new team was established flying black Hawker Hunters in the colour of their Squadron 111. As the Red Arrows diaplay team, they have since flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows188_RBA.jpg
  • Two pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team walk out to their aircraft for another training sortie.
    Red_Arrows131_RBA.jpg
  • RAF ground crew member of  the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team refuels between training flights.
    Red_Arrows466_RBA.jpg
  • BAE System Hawk aircraft of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team await start-up clearance.
    Red_Arrows042_RBA.jpg
  • Ground crew of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team polish the aircraft's flying surfaces using wool and cleaning fluid on the morning of the team's PDA Day. PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'), is a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Corporal Faulder is to buff up the airplane for an extra special shine on such an important day and we see the UK's Union Jack flag on the side of the diagonal stripes of the tail fin. The Red Arrows ground crew take enormous pride in their role as supporting the aviators whose air displays are known around the world. Blues like Mal outnumber the pilots 8:1. Without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.
    Red_Arrows116_RBA.jpg
  • SNow-clearer  brush and line-up or Hawk jets beloning to the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows224_RBA.jpg
  • In the mid-day heat, Flt. Lt. Anthony Parkinson is a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Here he walks out alone to his aircraft, which is lined up with some of the others jets at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus before flying out to Marka in Jordan for the first display of the year. The Red Arrows arrive each April to fine-tune their air show skills in the clear Mediterranean skies and continue their busy display calendar above the skies of the UK and other European show circuit. We see John Green carrying his flight bag and life-vest over his shoulder. He paces confidently across the bright 'apron' dressed in his famous red flying suit that the Red Arrows have made famous since 1965. He is alone and striding confidently towards the matching red eight Hawk airplanes.
    Red_Arrows699_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team ride in crew bus after air show display.
    Red_Arrows674_RBA.jpg
  • Five Hawk jets from the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, almost touch in mid-air at an altitude of approximately 4,100 feet in the Mediterranean skies above Cyprus. The texture of mottled cirrus cloud provides a soft background for the  aircraft which approach each other at a combined air speed of approximately 800 miles per hour (1,200 kph). The Opposition Loop is flown by the two pilot partners known as the Synchro Pair who fly independently of the other seven in the second-half of their 25-minute show. The two jets have vegetable dye and derv (diesel fuel) smoke mixture coloured red, blue or white. Here it traces the paths of both airplanes which curve from the edges of the frame to the centre (center). To the crowds far below, both look as if they are on collision course but will safely pass within feet of each other.
    Red_Arrows336_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team wave to seafront spectators from RAF Merlin helicopter.
    Red_Arrows585_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team pace out to aircraft before Cyprus training flight.
    Red_Arrows298_RBA.jpg
  • BAE Systems Hawk wing belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, forms part of the team's highly-skilled group of support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1. The team's aircraft are in some cases 25 years old and their airframes require constant attention, with frequent overhauls needed. In these shelters were housed the Lancaster bombers 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows nearby offices as their administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year. .
    Red_Arrows065_RBA.jpg
  • At the start of another day's work, pilots belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, walk in single-file out into the pink morning light for the first winter training flight of the day at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Emerging from their squadron building the aviators make their way along a pathway towards the waiting Hawk jet aircraft known the world over. Wearing winter green flying suits and carrying their helmets, their day is spent flying and de-briefing up to six times a day when weather permits. Long shadows spill over on to the airfield's cropped grass. Scampton  is one of the original World War 2 RAF stations for the Lancaster bombers the 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. Today, it is used almost exclusively by the team.
    Red_Arrows011_RBA.jpg
  • The Hawk jets of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team make a low-level pass through summer skies. ,
    Red_Arrows629_RBA.jpg
  • Automated stitching machinist works on badges for the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team at Dale Techniche, Nelson, Lancashire. Every Winter, the Red Arrows place about 40 pilot suit orders and 180 blue (support ground crew) suits. Tricia adjusts her thread while the suit is complete on her work bench. The clothing factory also designs the Red Arrows badges, each requiring 15,000 stitches. All suits are made from Nomex by the Du Pont corporation, containing 5% Kevlar. Flame-retardant, they fit exactly each team member. Fouteen different measurements are taken before the first suit is cut, each one requiring approximately three metres of dyed cloth. When a suit is complete, each one is signed inside by the machinist.
    Red_Arrows081_RBA.jpg
  • Two pilots the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team discuss finer points of aerobatic flying in crew room.
    Red_Arrows356_RBA.jpg
  • Ground crew members of 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team - known as Blues - in off-duty Cyprus quarters.
    Red_Arrows291_RBA.jpg
  • Stopwatch in the cockpit of a Red Arrows BAE Systems Hawk jet aircraft.
    Red_Arrows690_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', aerobatic team, relax before a transit flight from RAF Valley, Wales after simulator day.
    Red_Arrows257_RBA.jpg
  • Ground crew members of 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team - known as Blues - in off-duty Cyprus quarters.
    Red_Arrows290_RBA.jpg
  • Nine pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, stand in the shape of their signature 'Diamond Nine' formation with one of their Hawk jet aircraft at the team's headquarters at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Today they have reached the all-important milestone of 'first 9-ship' (when all nine aircraft have flown a basic air show display together, after two groups have practiced seperately) and is the culmination of five months rigorous Winter training. They stand proud with beaming smiles on a warm spring day, their flying helmets with those famous arrows pointing towards blue sky and fluffy clouds. Still dressed in green flying suits, they go on to their spring training ground at Akrotiri, Cyprus where they earn the right to wear red suits, known around the world. At the front is team leader, Squadron Leader Spike Jepson...
    Red_Arrows421_RBA.jpg
  • Rain grounded BAE Systems Hawk wing of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team at RAF Scmapton
    Red_Arrows471_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team during pre-flight briefing 'on the wing' before sortie..
    Red_Arrows258_RBA.jpg
  • Chief Technician Kerry Griffiths is a with the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. In camouflaged military green jacket, large forearms and rolled-up sleeves, he oversees the loading of spares and personal effects into a C-130 Hercules aircraft before the two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Surrounded by heavy-duty flight-spares, survival equipment boxes and a tyre for a Hawk jet aircraft, the Hercules looms large in the overcast sky. The team complete their winter training schedule in Cyprus. The Red Arrows pilots fly their own jet aircraft to air shows but when requiring the support of ground crew  they borrow a transporter to fly behind the main airborne squadron. 10 tons of spares and personal effects are shipped for a six-week stay.
    Red_Arrows052_RBA.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, leader of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team does paperwork.
    Red_Arrows156_RBA.jpg
  • RAF Flight Lieutenant Jez Griggs, exerts his last, tough repetition of sit-ups to reach his target during his annual basic fitness test. Griggs is a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, and each member has to pass fitness exams like this in order to maintain their military pilots' licence. Held in the gym at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, it forms part of the team's Spring training month. The fatigued pilot is straining to sit upright once more while an RAF instructor shouts encouragement while holding down his feet at the ankles to ensure the sit-ups are performed perfectly. The picture is blurred to show movement during the exercise and the man's face is red with effort. Another instructor is seen in the background holding down another pilot's feet and the floor of the gymnasium is marked for indoor sport. .
    Red_Arrows040_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team let off steam after passing their display authority on PDA Day at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'), is when they are allowed by senior RAF officers to perform as a military aerobatic show in front of the public - following a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Until that day arrives, their training and practicing is done in the privacy of their own airfield at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, UK or here in the glare of Akrotiri. The pilots are called reds and their ground crew, the Blues after their summer air show uniforms.
    Red_Arrows152_RBA.jpg
  • Model plane used for training in pilots' crew room of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows321_RBA.jpg
  • RAF fighter pilot in Harrier ground attack aircraft at RAF Wittering.
    Red_Arrows240_RBA.jpg
  • Propulsion engine specialist inspects internal Hawk of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows385_RBA.jpg
  • Corporal Andrew Haynes and Senior Aircraftman Michael Owen load boxes packed with the possessions and kit belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows' pilots, Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, before travelling for winter training at Akrotiri in Cyprus. In the team's hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the two Suppliers lift the reinforced cardboard 'tri-pack' struggling to lift the weight from the ground. Corporal Haynes lifts with the correct technique: knees bent, straight back. The man on the right, has a bent back risking spinal injury. Some 80-plus members of the team will spend six weeks away from home. 23 tons of spares and personal effects travel ahead by ship with another 10 tons travelling on-board a C-130 transport aircraft. The Suppliers ensure possessions and spares are stored taking many weeks of meticulous planning. .
    Red_Arrows460_RBA.jpg
  • Airshow commentators at St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands.
    Red_Arrows712_RBA.jpg
  • On a misty morning, a red Hawk jet aircraft belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is parked in the hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the home base for the squadron. The aircraft awaits attention from the engineer's night-shift who service and maintain all 11 of the famous red aerobatic jets before flying the next morning. The hangar, an original World War 2 shelter for the Lancaster bombers of 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows use this and nearby offices administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year..
    Red_Arrows395_RBA.jpg
  • RAF fighter pilot in Harrier ground attack aircraft at RAF Wittering.
    Red_Arrows242_RBA.jpg
  • A member of the Swiss army guards Payerne airfield during its annual airshow.
    Red_Arrows678_RBA.jpg
  • Former Chief of the Air Staff Sir Jock Stirrup toasts the achievements of the Wright Brothers at RAF Hendon...Air Chief Marshal Sir Graham Eric (Jock) Stirrup and guest RAF dignitaries chat and drink at the Royal Air Force Museum Hendon on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight in 1903. Behind them, Icarus falls to earth on melted wings before the Red Arrows RAF aerobatic team flew over the North London museum in a perfect Diamond Nine formation.
    Red_Arrows418_RBA.jpg
  • Flight spare for the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team while on secondment in Cyprus for training.
    Red_Arrows125_RBA.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Antony Parkinson a pilot with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, signs posters on arriving at the team's home base at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire from his last ever display. Flt Lt Parkinson has served on the Red Arrows for four years and is to leave for a Typhoon squadron - from a relatively simple aircraft to one of the most sophisticated. Press and PR is one of the team's main purposes, acting as ambassadors for the UK and as recruiting tool for tomorrow's RAF officers and autographing publicity material is a routine chore. Traditionally, photographs are designed to allow pilots a space to sign their names alongside their respective position in the display formation. In high-spirits after a stressfully long year, he is in the crew room to wind down, with a tomato in his mouth. .  . .
    Red_Arrows747_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team take shelter under a scale model of Hawk jet during airshow
    Red_Arrows200_RBA.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Duncan Mason of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, strides out across a gloomy, rainswept 'apron' at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Squadron Leader Mason will fly up to 6 times daily during winter training ,when weather permits, learning new manoeuvres. Wearing winter green flying suits, their day is spent flying and de-briefing. Mason  wears a green flying suit with anti-g pants and helmet on with its pilot number. He is being greeted by a member of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1.  The engineer wears a fluorescent yellow tabard and stands politely by the waiting aircraft on the 'line'. He has already prepared it for flight and helps with any technical issues that may arise.
    Red_Arrows015_RBA.jpg
  • Ground crew of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team sweep foreign objects from airfield apron.
    Red_Arrows297_RBA.jpg
  • Small fuel spillage on ground of airfield apron at RAF Scampton, home of the 'Red Arrows', Royal Air Force aerobatic team
    Red_Arrows481_RBA.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Dave Thomas of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team plays golf while off-duty in Jersey
    Red_Arrows702_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk aircraft of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team display above Guensey harbour crowds.
    Red_Arrows615_RBA.jpg
  • Member of the Blues, the support of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team walks past tow-bar in hangar
    Red_Arrows234_RBA.jpg
  • A tailor cuts red material for flying suits of of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. The man is a bespoke tailor at Dale Techniche, Nelson, Lancashire. Every Winter, the Red Arrows place about 40 pilot suit orders and 180 blue (support ground crew) suits. Tricia adjusts her thread while the suit is complete on her work bench. The clothing factory also designs the Red Arrows badges, each requiring 15,000 stitches. All suits are made from Nomex by the Du Pont corporation, containing 5% Kevlar. Flame-retardant, they fit exactly each team member. Fouteen different measurements are taken before the first suit is cut, each one requiring approximately three metres of dyed cloth. When a suit is complete, each one is signed inside by the machinist.
    Red_Arrows012_RBA.jpg
  • Rainbow after heavy rain at RAF Scampton, home to the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team,
    Red_Arrows236_RBA.jpg
  • The Hawk jet aircraft of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, are lined up at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus as members of the team's ground crew step away from the aircraft that they respectively look after. From a low angle we see a wide landscape looking over the taxi-way markings that direct military airplanes. The Red Arrows aircraft are a deep red colour that stand out against the horizon in an identical line. It is a wide expanse of road surface, the yellow centre-lines are for the benefit of pilots who need guidance for parking areas after landing, or leaving towards the departing runway on the southern part of the Cypriot Mediterranean island. With the Red Arrows, the nine taxiing jets all peel off in unison to and from the parking area and these lines are vital for this technique.
    Red_Arrows281_RBA.jpg
  • Swiss cycling family at air show display by the 'Red Arrows', aerobatic team in Payerne, Switzerland.
    Red_Arrows679_RBA.jpg
  • Member of the the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, spend hours aboard a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft during a two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. The interior is basic with sharp corners but the walls are padded.  Ward wears a heavy camouflaged coat to counteract the cold and ear-plugs from the droning engines. The Red Arrows pilots fly their Hawk jet aircraft to air shows but on long journeys requiring the support of ground crew borrow RAF transporters that fly behind the main airborne squadron shipping 10 tons of spares and personal effects for their six-week winter training stay.
    Red_Arrows457_RBA.jpg
  • Flt. Lt. Matt Jarvis, a pilot of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team arrives at gate of RAF Scampton.
    Red_Arrows613_RBA.jpg
  • Corporal Andrew Haynes and Senior Aircraftman Michael Owen load boxes packed with the possessions and kit belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows' pilots, Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, before travelling for winter training at Akrotiri in Cyprus. In the team's hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the two Suppliers lift the reinforced cardboard 'tri-pack' struggling to lift the weight from the ground. Corporal Haynes lifts with the correct technique: knees bent, straight back. The man on the right, has a bent back risking spinal injury. Some 80-plus members of the team will spend six weeks away from home. 23 tons of spares and personal effects travel ahead by ship with another 10 tons travelling on-board a C-130 transport aircraft. The Suppliers ensure possessions and spares are stored taking many weeks of meticulous planning. .
    Red_Arrows014_RBA.jpg
  • A 7 year-old boy has been lucky enough to spend a day with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. As just four members of the team of nine red jet aircraft fly past in formation, Mitchell stretches out his arm, holding a plastic toy Hawk aircraft up to the blue sky and light cloud with his back to the practice show, part of the team's winter training schedule. The Red Arrows' main purpose is Press and PR and corporate guest visitors are a weekly item in the team's diary during the winter training period - a 5-month schedule of up to six flights a day. Companies who help the RAF, the Red Arrows or local charities are privileged to be invited behind-the-scenes at the squadron's home facilities.
    Red_Arrows454_RBA.jpg
  • The 'Red Arrows', Air Force aerobatic team train over the skies of Lincolnshire, above 'low flying' warning road sign.
    Red_Arrows352_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team during pre-flight briefing 'on the wing' before display.
    Red_Arrows512_RBA.jpg
  • On the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, fly over the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London as part of the celebrations to honour this momentous date in aviations history. Coming from behind RAF personnel who are lined up to meet Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the ten Hawk jet aircraft make a perfect Diamond as they trail red, white and blue smoke across the blue skies above London. Since 1965 the team have flown over 4,000 such shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows001_RBA.jpg
  • Flight spare for the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team before secondment for training in Cyprus.
    Red_Arrows075_RBA.jpg
  • In the mid-day heat, Squadron Leader John Green is a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Here he walks out alone to his aircraft, which is lined up with some of the others jets at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus before flying out to Marka in Jordan for the first display of the year. The Red Arrows arrive each April to fine-tune their air show skills in the clear Mediterranean skies and continue their busy display calendar above the skies of the UK and other European show circuit. We see John Green carrying his flight bag and life-vest over his shoulder. He paces confidently across the bright 'apron' dressed in his famous red flying suit that the Red Arrows have made famous since 1965. He is alone and striding confidently towards the matching red eight Hawk airplanes.
    Red_Arrows093_RBA.jpg
  • Flying overhead into the distance, Hawk jet aircraft of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, leave behind a trail of red, white and blue smoke in the clear skies above RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. Completing their off-season training, the team put the finishing touches to their display routine every Spring on the Mediterranean island where they perfect new manoeuvres. The sky is empty but as the light wind blows across the airfield, the remainder of the tapering coloured smoke (a mixture of vegetable dye and 'derv' - diesel fuel), blends together like a patriotic ribbon to make a haze of soft spectrum in the correct order of the United Kingdom's flag, and which becomes ever-sharper as the viewer looks towards the distant aircraft. They fly past, bend to the left and climb to a higher altitude, ready for their next formation.
    Red_Arrows485_RBA.jpg
  • Ground crew prepare BAE Systems Hawk jet of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team.
    Red_Arrows004_RBA.jpg
Next
View: 100 | All
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Richard Baker Photography

  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Blog