One of the highlights of Al Ain Air Show is UK’s Red Arrows, who are actually on a tour of the Middle East.
Al Fursan, the UAE aerobatic team, was not part of the Al Ain Air Show programme on Sunday as the team had a surprise air display on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, instead.
They are also due to perform a National Day aerobatics today along the corniche for an audience that includes rulers of all seven emirates, received in Abu Dhabi by General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. One of the highlights of Al Ain Air Show is UK’s Red Arrows, who are actually on a tour of the Middle East.
Flying from eye level to beyond eyesight in seconds, displaying the most daredevil manoeuvres, kept the audience wowed throughout the 20 minutes display.
“We fly from 100 feet to 8,000 feet in about 35 seconds,” said Mike Ling, Red Arrows squadron leader.
The first half of Red Arrows acrobatics was flying in formation, all nine aircrafts together, while the second half were split manoeuvres, loops and rolls. “We did 20 manoeuvres in 21 minutes,” pointed out Ling. Formed in 1965, the Red Arrows consists of pilots from the UK’s Royal Air Force. They only spend three years with the air show team, the newcomers flying closer to the leader, while the most experienced, in the third year, being allowed to perform single manoeuvres.
This year, three new pilots have joined the Red Arrows.
“We are all combat pilots, with at least 1,500 flying hours. Myself, I have 15 years flying experience,” Ling told Khaleej Times. The tour, which started on November 7 in Qatar and included Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, will end today with the Al Ain Air Show.
