Red Arrow Gnat serials

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12 years 4 months

Posts: 12

Hi guys
I'm new to this, so please forgive me if this has been asked umpteen times before.:rolleyes:

Does anyone have records of Gnat usage by the Red Arrows (and Yellow Jacks) over the years?

In fact, it would be nice to know RAF and foreign air force usage of Gnat as well. Has anything been published as there is a a definite scarcity of Gnat books out there?

Cheers
Mike Shackleton

Original post

Member for

14 years 9 months

Posts: 239

Hi Mike & welcome.

Might be worth you trying to get your hands on a copy of "Red Arrows" by Ray Hanna, with photo's by Arthur Gibson. There are also references to the Yellow Jacks.

Not sure of publication date but it includes details of teams up to 1973. The publisher is Balfour.

Amongst the photographs it is possible to identify XR996, 986, 540, & 991.

You could also try the RAF Museum at Hendon.

Member for

12 years 4 months

Posts: 12

Book

Thank yuou very much for the tip. I've already found a copy at Amazon!
Cheers
Mike

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18 years 6 months

Posts: 993

Red Arrows

XM693, XM698, XM705, XM708
XP514, XP531, XP535, XP539
XR540, XR545, XR572, XR955, XR977, XR981, XR986, XR987, XR991, XR992, XR993, XR994, XR995, XR996
XS101, XS107, XS111

Yellowjacks

http://aerobaticteams.net/yellowjacks.html

Member for

12 years 4 months

Posts: 12

Serials

Thank you Dave
Is any more detail available such as dates, accidents, etc?

Were all the Yellow Jacks absorbed into the Arrows?

Cheers
Mike

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13 years 4 months

Posts: 346

Red Arrows Gnat Serials

Mike,

I've added to the Aviation Safety Network's database all the Gnat crashes I know of (75 in all) at http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?AcType=GNAT

From that I can advise that (as far as I know) the following Gnat T.1s crashed (seven in all) whilst on the strength of the Red Arrows:

26-MAR-1969 XR573 near RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire (1 Fatal)

16-DEC-1969 XR995 RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire (pilot ejected)
16-DEC-1969 XR992 Cirencester, Gloucestershire (pilot ejected)

The above two Gnats crashed in strange circumstances: XR995 caught fire, but the pilot of XR992, mis-hearing the fire warning over the R/T, thought that it was HIS Gnat that was on fire, causing him to eject from a perfectly serviceable Gnat!

13-Nov-1970 XR994 RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire (pilot ejected)

24-JUN-1976 XS111 RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire (pilot ejected)

03-MAR-1978 XR981 RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire (2 fatalities)

22-May-1979 XR539 RAF Leeming, North Yorks (pilot ejected)

As I said, the above are the only "true" Red Arrows Gnats that I know of that crashed whilst with the team - but I don't mind any additions or corrections...

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Arrows#Incidents_and_accidents for a listing of all serious incidents and accidents involving Red Arrows Gnats, not just write offs

The Yellowjacks (formed 1963) became the Red Arrows in late 1964, and their last season with the Gnat was 1979. Whilst the Gnats of the Red Arrows were (for the 1965 season at least) were inherited from the Yellowjacks, I am not clear if the same applied to the pilots.

(Edit: On balance, probably not - the Yellowjacks pilots were instructors from 4 FTS RAF Valley, the Red Arrows were all QFIs from the CFS)

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Arrows#Incidents_and_accidents for a listing of Red Arrows accidents between 1969 and 2011

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12 years 4 months

Posts: 12

That's a lot of Gnats

Hi John
Overall there were a lot of gnat losses over the years then. I didn't realise it was so high.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Cheers
Mike

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14 years 10 months

Posts: 35

To add to the above,XR545 and XR986 were destroyed in the Reds worst accident at Kemble on 20th Jan 1971-4 crew killed.All are buried in Little Rissington churchyard.

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12 years 2 months

Posts: 15

Can anyone tell me what the serials were for the leader's aircraft were during the 1965 to 1970 seasons? Thank you.

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13 years

Posts: 422

ms shackleton, there was a thin monograph published by Aviation News, compiled by Paul Jackson many years ago, with individual aircraft histories, dates, fates etc - and colour scheme plans too.

Probably impossible to find one on the open market, however consult your PMs.

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13 years 7 months

Posts: 146

As a young lad, my Dad took me to a garage in East London where XS101 was on display. Got to sit in it, more fuel to the fire of my ambition to become a pilot...must have been late 70s...anyone else remember that?

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16 years

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When leaving Farnborough after the show in 1972 I remember passing a dump with a pile of wreckage of at least one and possibly two Red Arrows Gnats. Does anyone have any further info on this/these please?
Jim

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13 years 4 months

Posts: 346

Red Arrow Gnat serials

As a young lad, my Dad took me to a garage in East London where XS101 was on display. Got to sit in it, more fuel to the fire of my ambition to become a pilot...must have been late 70s...anyone else remember that?

Gnat T.1 XS101 (c/no FL595) first flew 10/9/1964, and was delivered 6/10/1964. XS101 joined the CFS at Little Rissington, moving on to become one of the Red Arrows jets in February 1971. Final flight was to RAF Cranwell on 17th September 1979, at the end of its career, it became Ground instructional airframe 8638M, before being sold off: she was acquired by Arnold Glass at Cranfield and civil registered G-GNAT as 14/4/1982. After a change of ownership on 28/9/1983, it was sold off on 25/2/1997 to Australia as VH-XSO

See here: http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/gnat/survivor.php?id=840 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/XJET/340306122340?v=wall for the facebook page of this aircraft's current owners. XS101 also has its own website at https://www.xjet.com.au/about-us/aircraft/

Anyway, the point is, in reply to your post, if you sat in XS101, it was probably sometime between 17/9/1979 (date of last flight) and 14/4/1982 (date it was sold off). In other words, your memory dates from 1980-81 rather than "the late 1970s".

The RAF Exhibition Flight, home based at RAF Abingdon, and which toured the UK with a number of aircraft in tow, putting up Recruitment Displays, definitely had a Gnat or two on their strength in the 1970s and early 1980s - perhaps XS101 was one of them?

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13 years 4 months

Posts: 346

Red Arrow Gnat serials

Can anyone tell me what the serials were for the leader's aircraft were during the 1965 to 1970 seasons? Thank you.

Well, not exactly, but...the following Gnats were recorded as making up the Red Arrows team at the 1976 Teesside Air Show:

XR534 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XR540 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XR572 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XR981 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XR987 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XR991 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XR993 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows
XS107 Folland Gnat T.1 RAF Red Arrows

As you can see, eight aircraft in all, usually operated as seven display aircraft plus one reserve. Date for the above was 8 August 1976, back in the days when Durham-Tees Valley Airport was known as "Teesside Airport" (to me, it will always be "Middleton St. George"...). Source http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/Info/Historic%20Logs/TeesAirShow76.htm

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13 years 7 months

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Thanks for that Doc, nice to know we're both still tearing around the sky:)

It might have been a recruitment display but I seem to remember it just being a car showroom/garage. Early 80's probably about right.

Best

D

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16 years

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The exhibition flight used to tout XM693 around the country in the mid-70s. It was displayed at one time in a car showroom in Worcester.

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14 years 8 months

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As you can see, eight aircraft in all, usually operated as seven display aircraft plus one reserve. Date for the above was 8 August 1976

I don't know why there's only eight listed there but the Reds had been operating as a nine ship team long before 1976. I'm also pretty sure XR537 was the lead aircraft that year too. (1976-79).

Coincidentally, XR537 is still airworthy and I've seen it flying around these parts just recently. Still sporting it's glorious Red Arrows scheme as well. :)

XR537 is still serviceable and flying. It should be attending airshows this season. Big sister XP924 will be at several airshows as well:cool:

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20 years 7 months

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On Thursday 17th May 1973 the Royal Air Force Red Arrows were actually based at Southend Airport, the RAF Red Arrows came to Southend with the nine Folland Gnats, (XP514, XP531, XR540, XR991, XR955, XR987, XS101, XS107, XS111 they are based at the airport for the duration of that years Biggin Hill Airshow, they stayed at Southend until Monday 21st May.

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15 years 3 months

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I can maybe rule out a couple of Serial numbers for the leaders aircraft in 2 years.

My Dad sat backseat in 2 Arrows shows.

9 May 1969 - Linton - XR994 Flt Lt ( Doug ? ) Smith flew the show.
18 May 1977 - Aberdeen - XR992 - Dudley Carvell flew the show.

I assume the same aircraft was assigned to a pilot/position for the entire year ?

I can also add that he flew a "test" flight on 21 July 1961 in XR537 - with Flt Lt Molloy. This is listed in his log book as " LL Battle, Close & T/C CCTs"

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12 years 4 months

Posts: 12

Hi Viscount
I was just wondering if you got my emails?

Cheers
Michael