We were lucky to get an interview with some of the RAF Red Arrows team who fly during the English Riviera Airshow. Read on to hear all the inside knowledge from Flight Lieutenant Ollie Suckling who joined the Red Arrows display team this year, and Sergeant Will Runiman who works with the ground support team known as The Blues.   

Can you describe what it feels like flying a plane to those who never have?

Will: “I think it’s the freedom. When you're up and you're flying around, you've got 3D space available to you everywhere. Especially in an airplane like the Hawk, you could pretty much point it wherever you want and it'll go there straight there, just like a classic British sports car. It's so light and manoeuvrable and if I was to use one word for it, it would be freedom.”

What does your ongoing training/practising look like?

Will: We train three times a day, five days a week and we gradually build up to the display by working on all of the manoeuvres and then putting them together, like building blocks. And we repeat this time and time again, which is why we become so good at it. It’s pretty intensive and the most intense flying I have ever done in my career. But the hard work pays off and that’s why we can produce such a dynamic display for the public.

What's the most special thing about flying over the English Riviera?

Will: It's our first display weekend after spending the whole of the winter training. We will have just come back from Europe after doing a fairly intensive workout, which makes it a pretty important weekend for us. You are one of the first shows we will be flying at, so it’s the first time we will have been able to put on the red suits and showcase our display to the public. It’s also my first year as a display pilot, so I haven’t visited as part of the team, but I was here for my final civilian show last year.

What is the role of the Blues?

Will: The Red Arrows actually have around 140 personnel, but only ten of them are display pilots. The Blues are the ground element of the team and we maintain the safety equipment including helmets and life preserves, as well as providing training and advice for pilots in a survival situation. We are made up of all the other trades in the RAF that help support the aircraft team with their displays. I’m going to be down in the Armed Forces Village speaking to the locals once again. 

When you fly over the English Riviera, which landmark stands out the most?

Will: It's got to be the pier, which is dead set right in the middle. I’m actually a local who has watched the Red Arrows in Torbay since I was a little boy. I used to live in the harbour area and would sit on the wall watching the displays.  It’s actually a very good place to sit and enjoy the show, because the aircraft actually approach on that line and come right over the harbour, which is great. But if you are near the pier, you will be able to see Red 1’s signature move, the Infinity Break dead on.

When you're up in the air, can you see the thousands of people watching you, or are you just concentrating on the display?

Ollie: No matter where we are in the formation in the first half, everybody is looking at the boss. So everybody concentration on that one airplane and on the display and flying the best formation you can. You might get the old glimpse or flash of some scenery going past, but unfortunately there’s not much time for looking out the window and doing some sightseeing.

What's the most challenging part of the English Riviera display?

Ollie: So for a normal team member like myself, I'm just doing the same thing that I would do in any location. But for the synchro pair and for the team leader, they've got to position the aeroplanes accurately within the display site. Torbay has a curving coastline from the headland all the way around to the pier in the middle. We have to be 230 metres away from the crowd and while buoys are put out to mark this, they are not in a curve. The team leader has to compensate for this. So it's a nice display site, but it has challenges just like every other display site does. But fortunately, that's not my problem to worry about. I just need to stare at the leader and do the best I can.

Will:  That's also what's great about the English Riviera, you can enjoy the air show from right around the Bay from Torquay to Brixham and get a completely different view of it. It’s a great natural amphitheatre for the displays. 

Can we expect anything new for the 2023 display?

Ollie: You're going to see certain shapes that weren't in the display last year, but there are plenty of fan favourites in there as well. The synchro pair will be doing their heart, with Red 8 doing the spear through the middle, which the return of a classic.  And in the first half, we'll be doing the Tornado, which is one of our favourites, too. Six aeroplanes will all be flying in formation, with coloured smoke coming out the back. And Red 7 and 8 will be rolling around all that smoke and tumbling downwards towards the sea.

If a young person wants to become a future pilot, what advice would you give them?

I'd say just never give up on what you want to do. You can go out and achieve anything if you put your mind to it, no matter what background you're from. And don't ever let anybody tell you you can't. I was told plenty of times that I would never be a pilot in the Air Force. I was told plenty of times I'd never be a Red Arrow. And here I am! So, if I can do it, anybody can.

Join us for the English Riviera Airshow

The Red Arrows will be closing the English Riviera Airshow on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. For more information on the airshow please click here, for the 2023 flight programme click here and to find last minute availability and special offers for accommodation click here.