European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse To the Raf s arrows Friday september 22, 1967 the stars and stripes daily Magazine by Bob Hoyer staff writer for the past three years Scarlet Jet gnats of the Royal air Force have been streaking the skies of Europe with Fluffy White contrails. Aerial ambassadors in flaming re suits flying flaming red aircraft they have been cheered by thousands where Ever they appeared from Norway to the Premier acrobatic team of the Royal air Force the red arrows that their official name put on 85 demonstrations in 1966 and will do 80 this year. The team is composed of instructor from the Raf Central flying school headed by Squadron Leader Raynham , 38, Auckland new zealand. Climax of the Busy 1968 season Wasa tour of the Mediterranean with shows in Malta and Cyprus and in Jordan atthe personal invitation of King Hussein. From july to the close of the season the team stepped up from seven to nine 1966 the red arrows appeared in 11 nations this year they will Fly Infix. Their most memorable demonstrations at Home were for Battle of Brit Ain Day at Biggin Hill air station Anat the Farnborough air show. Literally millions have watched there arrows from the ground and on television. A lout As Busy As they be been the past two seasons 1968, the 50th anniversary year of the Raf promises to be the Banner season. Through their precise tight formation aerobatics they will demonstrate the tradition and training that have devel oped in a half Century of flight by the team expects to make up to 100 demonstrations in 1968 and May participate in its first shows in Canada and the United we go to North America or not will depend on our requests an scheduling in Europe. In the past we had hoped to make a trip to Nort America but could never quite fit it in the schedule Hanna age of the seven pilots who make up the 1967 team is 32. With the increase from seven to nine planes and the expected departure of several of this year s pilots there will be a number of new faces in the team for next year shows. During the past two years the red arrows have shared aerobatic programs with the . Air Force thunderbird Sand the . Navy s Blue Angels. With our tight schedule and the Typ of flying we do this Job really keeps us hopping said Hanna. Just prior to taking off with his teammates for an Aerial show in Italy. He Hawker Siddeley gnat t Mark i is Well designed for by the Raf As a Trainer it will attain a maximum Speed with under Wing tanks of 600 Mph but will put out 760 Mph in a shallow sea level rate of climb is 9,850 feet a minute top Altitude 48,000 Range is 750 Miles the Maxi mum 1,180 Long before the gnat the Raf s Central flying school oldest military flying unit in the world has been associated with aerobatic from the school flow at i to an Nual Hendon pageant from 1920 until the show was discontinued in 1937. After the War Raf fighter command took up the aerobatic tradition and in 1964, the Baton was passed Back to Cen trial flying school with formation of the red red arrows entered the Pic lure a year later. Page
