The Red Arrows have a packed schedule for the summer – with plenty of places to catch them in action as the world-famous aerobatic display team takes to the skies at dozens of events across the UK and Europe
This summer, the skies will come alive as the Red Arrows dazzle spectators throughout Britain and make waves with overseas performances in their packed season of aerial acrobatics.
The renowned pilots of the Red Arrows enthralled onlookers with their spectacular aerobatic feats in the VE Day celebrations and are gearing up for an extensive tour featuring around 60 demonstrations across the UK and European mainland. The red jets put on a dazzling display as they soared over RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Saturday morning – before heading to Northern Ireland for a display during Newtownards Armed Forces Day. As the team embarks on their 61st season, Squadron Leader Jon Bond said: “Training for the Red Arrows’ 61st season is well underway and we can’t wait to display at shows this summer.”
The crucial part of this season’s preparations centred around Exercise Springhawk, as Bond pointed out: “Exercise Springhawk is a crucial part of the preparations for this, allowing all parts of the team to come together – often in more settled, finer weather than at home – to further develop the new show.”
Find out where you can catch the Red Arrows’ flight path near you by checking our interactive map below.
During these highly anticipated tours, the type of performance the Red Arrows execute will be adapted to cloud levels, as clarified on their website: “There are three types of display the Team Leader can elect to fly – full, rolling or flat.”
The Red Arrows have laid out specific guidelines for their awe-inspiring stunts, noting, “To carry out a full, looping display, the base of the cloud must be above 5,500ft to avoid the aircraft entering the cloud at the top of the loop. If the cloud base is less than 5,500ft, but more than 2,500ft, the team will perform the rolling display – substituting wing-overs and rolls for the loops. When the cloud base is below 2,500ft, the team will fly the flat display, consisting of a series of flypasts and steep turns.”
Preparations for the summer’s aerobatic performances start early, right after the previous season concludes, with team training resuming in October focusing on three or four plane formations. Throughout the display season, it’s not uncommon for the Red Arrows to conduct two displays accompanied by several flybys all in one day, with fans able to keep updated on arrival and departure times alongside airshow schedules through the Royal Air Force’s social media accounts.
The thrilling line-up of Red Arrows events include:
June
- June 21 – Northern Ireland Armed Forces Day (Newtownards Airfield) Display
- June 22 – Duxford Summer Air Show Display
- June 28 – Shuttleworth Festival of Flight (Old Warden) Display
- June 28 – North East Lincolnshire Armed Forces Day (Cleethorpes) Display
- June 29 – Battle of Britain Airshow (Headcorn) Display
July
- July 5 – Wales National Airshow (Swansea) Display
- July 6 – Wales National Airshow (Swansea) Display
- July 6 – British Grand Prix, Silverstone Flypast
- July 10 – Goodwood Festival of Speed Display
- July 11 – Goodwood Festival of Speed Display
- July 13 – Goodwood Festival of Speed Display
- July 18 – Royal International Air Tattoo Display
- July 19 – Royal International Air Tattoo Display
- July 20 – Royal International Air Tattoo Display
- July 21 – The Tall Ships Races, Aberdeen Display
- July 26 – Swanage Carnival Display
- July 26 – Old Buckenham Airshow Display
- July 27 – Old Buckenham Airshow Display
August
- August 9 – Blackpool Airshow Display
- August 9 – Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Flypast
- August 10 – Blackpool Airshow Display
- August 13 – Falmouth Week Display
- August 14 – Airbourne – Eastbourne International Airshow Display
- August 15 – Airbourne – Eastbourne International Airshow Display
- August 16 – Airbourne – Eastbourne International Airshow Display
- August 17 – Airbourne – Eastbourne International Airshow Display
- August 21 – Clacton Airshow
- August 22 – Clacton Airshow
- August 22 – Sidmouth Regatta
- August 24 – Roskilde Airshow
- August 30 – Bucharest International Air Show
- August 30 – Radom Airshow (Poland)
- August 31 – Radom Airshow (Poland)
September
- September 5 – International Ayr Show, Scotland Display
- September 6 – International Ayr Show, Scotland Display
- September 7 – Great North Run, Newcastle/South Shields Display
- September 10 – Guernsey Air Display
- September 11 – Jersey International Air Display
- September 13 – International Sanicole Airshow, Belgium Display
- September 14 – International Sanicole Airshow, Belgium Display
- September 20 – NATO Days – Ostrava, Czech Republic Display
- September 21 – NATO Days – Ostrava, Czech Republic Display
- September 27 – Malta International Airshow Display.
- September 28 – Malta International Airshow Display.