Privatised Red Arrows !!!

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24 years 2 months

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Just heard on the news out here that three ex Red Arrows folland gnats are being flown by some civilians from North Weald. They are attempting to become the first private jet acrobatic display team. Didn't catch their names tho, but all power to em. The footage I saw looked quite good and certainly makes a different formation in the sky.
No doubt, it'll be covered in more detail in flypast / airoplane etc.

Cheers

Gary

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24 years 2 months

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RE: Privatised Red Arrows !!!

Read about this over on the PPRuNe forums, should be great if it all pans out.

Regards, Dazza.

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24 years 2 months

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RE: Privatised Red Arrows !!!

Oh well, with this new team will come another excuse for me to have a look around the hangars. I'm sorry, but the small Gnat does nothing for me personally; having a 'Third-of-Red-Arrows-in-Their-Old-Aircraft (known as Team TRATOA) is perhaps satsifying for some Reds wanabees living out their fantasies (unless they are Ex-Reds), but I would rather see the present Red Arrows convert onto the Pilatus PC-9.

I can hear the jet-lovers spluttering over this one....so I'll make a new thread on it.

Mostly tongue in cheek fellow enthusiasts, but do we REALLY need more of this?

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RE: Privatised Red Arrows !!!

I believe at least one of them is an ex-Dead Sparrow. The rest are rich types.

One of them is finance director at Cable & Wireless.

I have some C&W shares and reckon he owes me a ride or two in the back seat.

Moggy

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"Boardroom Top Guns"

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-01-03 AT 08:36 PM (GMT)]This was subject of an item on this evenings BBC Look East programme, with some air to air shots from one of the 3 Gnats. Two of the three, Mark Grimshaw, a business executive from Norwich and Ken Lyndon-Dykes a company chairman were interviewed. The third owner is a city trader.

They are currently looking for sponsorship, presumably for the forthcoming airshow season.

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RE: "Boardroom Top Guns"

Ken Lyndon-Dykes, that name rings a bell, was he the guy interviewed following the tragic L39 accident at Duxford in June?

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RE: "Boardroom Top Guns"

Yes he was the guy interviewed after the L-39 tradegy.

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RE: "Boardroom Top Guns"

Talking of Gnats when are we going to see some on thunder-and lightnings?

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Dead Sparrows come back to life....

Great news.

I love the Gnat, in my opinion it's one of the best looking jets ever (after the Hunter and Sea Hawk of course).

This sort of thing is all about nostalgia (and money!) and as I can well remember the 'Reds' flying Gnats I think it would be good to see at least a third of them again!

Sounds very expensive to operate though, I hope there's plenty of money behind this because Airshow organisers don't generally have a lot to throw about.

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RE: Dead Sparrows come back to life....

if they are red and glossy, do you think the public could tell the difference?

And if they are cheaper they will be a big hit with organisers.