Red Arrows

https://dailyphoto.creativesplurges.com/2026/02/23/red-arrows-8/

The Red Arrows during a display earlier this year.

#photography #redarrows #aircraft #airdisplays #planes @rafredarrows

http://dailyphoto.creativesplurges.com/2026/02/23/red-arrows-8/

The Red Arrows Hawk In Flight - ETW Dennis Postcard

https://www.ebid.net/uk/for-sale/the-red-arrows-hawk-in-flight-etw-dennis-postcard-235750118.htm

#BAEHawk #RedArrows #Aviation

Sasha Nash a été nommée au commandement des Red Arrows, un rôle différent de celui du Leader, et une fonction forcément très politique. #RedArrows #RAF #AvGeek

https://www.aerobuzz.fr/breves-defense/une-femme-pilote-a-la-tete-des-red-arrows/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Former Red Arrows chief engineer from Tregroes picked as Government Aviation Ambassador

Ross Priday, who grew up in Tregroes near Llandysul, has been named one of the Government’s new Aviation Ambassadors — a group of industry professionals tasked with getting young people excited about careers in engineering, flying and the wider aviation sector.

Priday, who once oversaw engineering for the world‑famous RAF aerobatic team, will now spend the next year visiting schools, colleges and events to promote the huge range of jobs available in aviation.

From Tregroes to the Red Arrows

Priday previously served as Chief Engineer for the Red Arrows, travelling the world with the team and managing the complex engineering that keeps the jets in the air.

He has since gone on to run his own aviation safety consultancy and has spoken internationally — including at the African Aviation Summit in Rwanda — about opening up the industry to under‑represented groups.

Speaking about his new ambassador role, he said he wanted young people to see aviation as a sector “full of opportunity”.

“Aviation gave me a career I could never have imagined, and I want others to see the incredible opportunities this industry offers,” he said. “Whether someone is fascinated by engineering, drawn to the skies as a pilot, or interested in roles like air traffic control, ground operations or aviation law, there truly is something for everyone.”

Government wants more young people in aviation

The Department for Transport says the ambassador programme is designed to boost skills, widen access and help build a future workforce for an industry facing major recruitment challenges.

Aviation Minister Keir Mather said the ambassadors would help “break down barriers” and show young people that “the sky really is the limit”.

The volunteers will give talks, run workshops and use social media to reach students, with a particular focus on areas where aviation careers are less visible.

Who else made the ambassador list?

The new cohort includes airport firefighters, airline operations bosses, outreach specialists and social‑media aviation influencers — including:

• Lauren Turner, who rose from airport security officer to Operations Director at East Midlands Airport
• Miguel Cabrera Vivas, known online as The Aviation Mentor
• David Gardner, a senior firefighter and medical lead at Luton Airport
• Sigourney Ansah, a future easyJet cadet pilot

They officially begin their roles on 28 January.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Ex‑Navy entrepreneur urges young people to consider career in Armed Forces
A former Royal Navy serviceman shares his journey and encourages the next generation to explore military careers.

Pembrokeshire blind veteran, 84, to spend Christmas with fellow ex‑service men and women
An 84‑year‑old veteran finds companionship after facing the prospect of spending Christmas alone.

Milford Haven shortlisted for new UK munitions factory
A major defence investment could be heading to Pembrokeshire as the town makes the national shortlist.

Tributes to Llanelli World War II veteran and author Idwal Davies BEM
Community figures pay tribute to a respected WWII veteran, author and Llanelli historian.

RAF Red Arrows, BAe Hawks over Niagara Falls - ETW Dennis Postcard

https://www.ebid.net/uk/for-sale/raf-red-arrows-bae-hawks-over-niagara-falls-etw-dennis-postcard-223616819.htm

#RedArrows #RAF #NiagaraFalls #Aviation

Saw the Red Arrows on our way to Lincoln today. My wife’s photographic skills are improving loads. Great photograph showing the pilot in his cockpit! #redarrows #lincoln

Le remplacement des Hawk T2 de la Royal Air Force va bientôt entrer dans une phase active. Boeing, Saab et BAE se sont alliés pour proposer le T-7A Red Hawk qui pourrait être aussi le futur avion des Red Arrows. #Boeing #SAAB #BAE #T7A #RedHawk #RAF #RedArrows

https://www.aerobuzz.fr/breves-defense/boeing-saab-et-bae-sassocient-pour-proposer-le-t-7a-a-la-royal-air-force/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

At the airshow today: the Red Arrows in V formation.

#RedArrows #Geese #birdsofmastodon #autumn

One of the RAF Red Arrows display team performs a manourvre… manouver? manoeuvre? Manourvrvrere? What was I doing again?

#photography #redarrows #raf #planes #displays #aerobatics @rafredarrows #red #hawkt1 #hawk

http://dailyphoto.creativesplurges.com/2025/11/13/red-arrow/

Red Arrow

One of the RAF Red Arrows display team performs a manourvre… manouver? manoeuvre? Manourvrvrere? What was I doing again?

Found In: The Red Arrows

The Red Arrows during a display earlier this year.

#photography #redarrows #raf @rafredarrows #planes #red #displays

http://dailyphoto.creativesplurges.com/2025/09/23/red-arrows-7/

Red Arrows

The Red Arrows during a display earlier this year.

Found In: The Red Arrows

Průlet nad centrem metropole s barevnými kouřovými efekty se konal u příležitosti Dne vzdušných sil české armády a 80. výročí konce 2. světové války.

Tón: : neutrální
#česko #gdelt #redArrows #dnyNatoVOstravě #druháSvětováVálka

https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/domaci/podivejte-se-jak-vypada-praha-z-kokpitu-akrobaticke-stihacky/r~382c2f50953a11f0ae9c0cc47ab5f122/

Po průletu nad centrem Prahy letadla zamířili přes Kbely na letiště Leoše Janáčka do Mošnova na Dny NATO a Dny Vzdušných sil Armády ČR.

Tón: : mírně negativní
#česko #gdelt #redArrows #britskéKrálovskéLetectvo #letiště

https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/domaci/armada-z-technickych-duvodu-odlozila-prelet-gripenu-a-red-ar/r~0eb6f396949811f0b689ac1f6b220ee8/

stihackova duha nebo chemtrail 🌈

#jetplane #redarrows #vaporware #prague #czechia #photo

At the start of 2025 I set myself the goal of photographing a full @rafredarrows Red Arrows display. Box ticked.

#photography #redarrows #raf #aircraft #displays #airshow #red #planes #aerobatics #hawkt1 #hawk

http://creativesplurges.com/2025/09/05/the-red-arrows/

The Red Arrows

At the start of the year, in my annual birthday post, I outlined my shooting goals for 2025. There were only two: photograph some fireworks, and photograph a Red Arrows display. I had expected to put a small amount of effort into travelling to a display of the latter, but as luck would have it, they actually were scheduled for a display on the very last day of our holiday in Swanage this year.

It has been 14 years since I last photographed a Red Arrows display – and 16 years since I last saw them do a display in Swanage. In fact, this is the first aerobatic display I’ve photographed since the Bournemouth Air Festival in 2011 – part of the reason why I wanted to have another go at it, with better hardware and an extra decade of experience (albeit not of actual air displays).

My plan was simple – just use my telephoto lens, because nothing else was going to get close enough, and the telephoto would probably zoom out enough for any wider shots I wanted to capture, like their iconic arrival.

As you can see, it was a bit of a grey day. The weather was pretty changeable, which occasionally made for some interesting cloud in the background.

Where there were nice patches of blue, the red fuselage of the planes contrasted nicely, as is (probably) the intention.

Other times, when the planes got a little further away and visibility got a little worse, I resorted to some more interesting editing techniques to make the images pop a little.

In comparison to that last time I photographed the Red Arrows perform, in Bournemouth all the way back in 2011, we were not positioned as close to the centre line of the display, and they were performing further out into the bay, away from the crowd. This meant that, even with the increased reach of my 500mm, I wasn’t getting as close as I did with my 300mm back then. I have therefore resorted to periodic cropping for the images in this post.

As I normally would for displays like this, shot multiple frames as the planes flew by, and then picked the best ones for sharing.

As always though, I find I’m not the best judge of my own photographs, so there are a few alternatives in the gallery below.

As I said above, quite a few of these shots have at least a little bit of cropping. There’s also a few instances where I’ve cropped from horizontal into vertical, something I’ve not felt compelled to do for many years (I’d like to think that’s because I have a better idea of what I’m doing these days). This next one was cropped into portrait because I felt it looked nicely more dramatic that way.

I love the shots where the planes are facing forwards and you can easily see their front lights.

The low cloud cover wasn’t ideal, as the Red Arrows couldn’t do their full height display. The atmospheric conditions also meant a lot of the smoke hung in the air longer without dispersing. It did mean I could add a hint of gritty contrast to some of the shots though.

The light was pretty changeable too. Sometimes, like in the shot above, the planes looked more in shadow, but in the shot below they are catching the light a lot better.

That said, sometimes the lighting added to the drama.

It’s also possible the atmospheric conditions affected the smoke trails coming out of the planes, not unlike how it impacts the exhaust coming from a steam train.

There are a few shots where I should possibly have cropped the images into something other than their original aspect ratio. Some of them, like the one below, have quite a bit of empty sky in them.

On some occasions I tried to solve that with a cropping into portrait.

Occasionally I was blessed with a lone plane to focus on.

Or smaller groups getting a bit closer to me.

I was positioned towards the middle of the beach, up a hill. The idea was that the display tends to look best – especially if you want photographs that are balanced – if you’re in the midline of the display. In hindsight, it might have been interesting to have watched from Peveril Point, off to the side of the display. Some of the manoeuvres might have looked a bit odd – although potentially from a unique angle – but in some of moves the planes appeared to fly pretty close to the hill on Peveril Point, which might have given some very interesting results.

This particular run was great, this plane trailed blue smoke the whole time, which added some extra colour to the grey sky.

Although the plane trailing red also looked good from this angle.

When it flew over the Point I edited the shot to enhance its contrast against the sky.

One of the challenges, in moves like this next one, was finding a balance between getting close to the planes, and showing the manoeuvre being carried out.

On a couple of occasions, I was able to get shots of planes with a formation of the other planes in the background, starting with this shot of a plane flying over Peveril Point.

Although I prefer this one, which I have edited to turn the plane into a silhouette.

By this point it was starting to rain, to the point that I was sheltering my camera in my clothes and breaking it out only when some planes came by.

It didn’t affect my shooting too much, but did make the sky a bit darker.

As the rain got heavier we started moving towards the end of the display.

Indeed, we were soon greeted with the traditional display-ending fan out.

And with that, the display was over, and lots of people made a run from the rain.

I think there was an element of ring rust for this one. I haven’t shot an air show since 2011 either, and I haven’t really used much of my gear in that sort of environment yet. The location also possibly meant I didn’t get the degree of closeup I had been hoping for. So although I’m happy to consider this a goal checked off my list for 2025, inevitably I would like to have another crack at it. Luckily, my son enjoyed the display too, so hopefully that means we might be able to figure out another air show of some kind in the not-too-distant future.

I had been hoping to suffix this post with a couple of shots of the Red Arrows flying past my house on their way to Airbourne, the Eastbourne airshow, as they did a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the last couple of years they’ve not come anywhere near as close. I still make sure to check their flight plans every August just in case. Maybe next year.

As usual, there are a few extra shots and angles in the gallery below.

#aircraft #camera #cameras #Photography #RedArrows

Red Arrows In The Carpark

Here’s a photo I took a couple of weekends ago. Sit, dear friends, and I shall relate the tale of how and why I took it.

Context

First off, an explanation of what this photograph shows. This is a view of a wide, helical, staircase in a carpark. Most of the frame shows the steps and surrounding columns, but you can see the parked cars and the concrete decks adjacent. The staircase itself is uncovered and open to the air so, framed by the circular cutout in the top level of the carpark, you get a view out of this space and up into the sky. Also framed in this view of the sky is part of Edinburgh castle, and flying in a V formation over the castle with coloured smoke trails behind them, and observed by a father and son silhouetted at the top of the steps, are the RAF’s flight display team, the Red Arrows.

So this is a picture of a carpark, a castle, and some jets flying in formation. All three subjects are aligned as if they’d somehow intended it to be viewed this way but, as far as I know, I’m the first person to try to capture this particular alignment.

And I’m pleased about that because this is a city in which there are a lot of very popular views. People have written several guides to the most ‘Instagrammable’ spots in Edinburgh and, because I’m a terrible snob, I find it very amusing to pass, say, Circus Lane or The Vennel,  or the Water Of Leith as it goes past Well Court Hall, and roll my eyes at the small crowds of people all taking the same shots. I can’t disagree with the idea that the views are nice, but somehow I have very little interest in trying to capture a particular view when so many others have probably already done it better. I’m by no means immune to the temptations of capturing a pretty view, but I clearly value a degree of novelty or personal interest on top of that. Why is that? Perhaps it’s something to ask my therapist.

Anyway, the Red Arrows turn up basically every year at some point in this town, and I’ve tried to photograph them several times, now. They tend to come in from the East over the flat bit of Holyrood Park near my home, fly straight up the axis of the Royal Mile, and over the Esplanade in front of the castle as part of the Royal Tattoo, a sort of military show that takes place every August. Early attempts in my photographing them would involve my neighbour telling me they’d be flying over later in the day, so we’d go up to the roof and I’d put the Big Lens on.

Fair enough, but I soon realised that shots of the jets alone in the sky didn’t actually interest me that much. The fact that they’re flying over a place as visually beautiful as Edinburgh is a bit more interesting to me, though, so I soon started trying to capture some of that context, too. The next year we were out in the park, and I tried to not focus just on the planes but on the enjoyment of the families over whom they were flying. The year after that I picked a viewpoint to show some of Holyrood Park, and this year I was seeking another new viewpoint.

One thing you can be sure about the Red Arrows is that they’re skilled pilots and they know how to follow a flight plan. Their paths are mapped out in advance so it’s possible to have a good look at it and think about where might be a good vantage point.

Several people have photographed them as they fly up the Royal Mile and it gets pretty busy up there in August so I opted to avoid that, and many others have taken shots which look up at them as they emerge over the Castle, most likely from the top deck of the adjacent Castle Terrace carpark. That’s quite a fun shot, but I didn’t want to just repeat it. Was there anything else in that area which might provide an interesting viewpoint with an interesting context? I opted to go exploring. Looking closer at the map, I couldn’t help noticing that right under their intended flight path was a particular feature of the Castle Terrace carpark that I’ve long appreciated on its own merits: the central staircase.

Look at that thing! Honestly, we don’t build ’em like we used to, do we? It might be covered in signage and drip stains and exhaust grime and yellow paint and all the rest, but I swear that little space makes me think of Escher or Piranesi, every time. As an architectural typology, late 20th century carparks are under-appreciated. There, I’ve said it.

And it’s not like this particular carpark is architecturally insignificant, either. It’s listed. It was the first multi-storey carpark built in Scotland. It’s used in T2: Trainspotting. Don’t just take my word for it: Historic Environment Scotland (who also operate the castle towering over this carpark) thinks it’s worthy of respect, too.

Scoping

Anyway, with the visual temptation of a nice grimy concrete carpark to look forward to, I set off to scope an interesting angle. Early on Saturday morning, as the farmers market stalls were being set up around me, I strolled around the carpark, scoping some angles. I’d tried the bridge over the Western Approach road but I didn’t think it was quite interesting enough. I’d strolled around the weird lifeless hinterland of the Sheraton and Conference Centre complexes. All potentially interesting (I enjoy the aesthetics of a cold lifeless hinterland almost as much as a dank carpark) but the thought of that staircase wouldn’t let me go.

The difficulty is that Edinburgh Castle really does sit very high up on its rock. to get the staircase in the foreground and the castle requires a pretty alarmingly wide angle lens. To get the jets in frame too – even if you were in the right place and took your shot at exactly the right time – would be some very awkward framing!

I’d been talking about it with a friend of mine, Iain, and he’d wondered if going down the stairs might offer an opportunity for framing the view, so I had a look. Honestly it’s almost even trickier: if you stand on the stairs you can’t see the castle. If you stand on the parking deck you can’t see enough sky. And no matter where you stand there’s only a very tiny frame of the sky visible – you’d have to hope that the Red Arrows are going to fly over exactly that bit of the castle and that you capture them in exactly the right split second. If I could somehow get the camera down low enough from the parking deck, maybe poke the tripod through the railing… If I used my widest-angle lens, could I get enough of the carpark and the castle and the sky and the jets all in frame at just the right moment?

Well, it all seemed incredibly unlikely so I thought I needed to at least try…

Setup

The flyby was scheduled for 18:15, so at 17:40 I set off on my bike with my camera and my tripod cases slung over my back. At about 17:50, as I cycled past the balmoral hotel, I realised with horror that I’d left my phone at home. How was I going to keep an eye on the time? I already knew there’d only be about one second available to capture the action, and those jets move quickly – you can easily miss seeing them and only notice the sound after they’ve already flown over! Oh well. I’d just have to pay really close attention to what other people were doing…

At (I guess) about 18:00 I parked up my bike and noticed quite a lot of photographers milling around on top of the carpark, chatting, clearly having scoped their own particular angles in advance. I hopped merrily down the staircase and was pleased to see that nobody had yet claimed my intended viewpoint. Some might say that I shouldn’t be surprised: bent double, camera poked through a railing, wedged tight behind a parked car and leaning on a grimy concrete wall in what is basically an undergound carpark is probably not the most obvious place to photograph either a castle or jet aircraft flying in formation. Well, I had a (very silly) plan, and I was going to try it anyway!

Because I’d forgotten my phone, I couldn’t capture my exact setup on the day, but I went back and revisited it for the sake of this blog post. It looked something like this:

…In this position I could barely see the camera screen. I certainly couldn’t get my head down there to get a decent look through the viewfinder. If I was better prepared I might have tried shooting tethered to my laptop or controlled over wifi with a tablet, but I didn’t even have my phone with  me that day, and I was frankly relieved that NCP security staff hadn’t tried to stop me from wandering around looking suspicious with a tripod. Shooting in carparks is not always as easy as I’d like.

Crunch time

Anyway I’d managed to set up the camera in a way I’d hope might work. Now all I had to do was wait for the planes, pray that they were flying exactly where I wanted them, and hope I capture them at the right moment! At (maybe) about 18:12, a father and son came running up the stairs and plonked themselves at the top, eagerly looking up at the sky in anticipation. THEY had phones, so if I kept an eye on them, maybe I could spot when the planes were coming! Once they raised their phones, I started shooting. About a dozen exposures and then I noticed I could hear a cheer from the crowd up at the castle (who had a better view to the east than any of us down below) and at that point I just held down the button on my cable release. Sure enough, about a second later, the red arrows emerged over the castle, flew right over the staircase, and disappeared off out of view! I could barely see it, but I got a few shots in as they passed, and I hoped the camera had a better view than me!

As the father and son came back down the stairs, we chatted briefly about the flyby, and I thanked them for (unknowingly) being my advance warning that the critical moment was approaching. I really like that they’re in my shot – they give a sense of human scale and spectacle to it, and their own focus helps direct your eye towards the castle and the planes.

I eventually got home and was able to see if my gamble had paid off, and was pleased to see I’d captured almost exactly what I’d aimed at. Now I just need to think of another new angle for next year!

Postscript

They filled in some residential gardens to build this carpark. I can’t pretend I’d like the idea if they proposed it today. But I also think there’s something of real aesthetic and architectural value to it, even in its current rather grimy state.

The Red Arrows are a part of an exceptionally well trained military air force able and ready to execute some pretty nasty jobs, but their formation flying is undeniably visually striking. The castle looks the way it does and is positioned dramatically atop that rock because of its defensive qualities, but there’s no denying it looks impressive, too. And this carpark is doing an exceptionally pragmatic and unromantic task, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t aesthetic qualities to enjoy about it.

Perhaps one day this staircase will end up on one of those lists of Edinburgh’s most Instagrammable spots? I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it from time to time, while I look for the next new angle.

#Architecture #carpark #castle #Edinburgh #europe #Photography #redArrows #scotland #travel