Nice one, RAFAT!

[BEagle]

Congratulations on such a good flypast over the Palace in such appalling weather!

Very well done!

[Barksdale Boy]

Congratulations on such a good flypast ove the Palace in such appalling weather!

Very well done!
Add me to that!

[MPN11]

Concur completely. Not the ideal conditions for that exercise.

And congratulations to all the Troops taking part on the ground. An excellent parade in all respects.

God Save King Charles.

[Stitchbitch]

Brilliant effort by the Helicopter crews of all 3 services who did an excellent job in challenging conditions.

[charliegolf]

Spectacular military participation- what a surprise lol. Pleasure to watch.

Question: Why was the Royal salute on the grass made without weapons? Meaning, what's the tradition there?

CG

[ETOPS]

You would need three hands to remove headdress and keep hold of your weapon?

[charliegolf]

You would need three hands to remove headdress and keep hold of your weapon?

Ding! Light on above head.:ok:

CG

[falcon900]

At the risk of striking a contrary note, the helicopters were all over the place, and what happened to our all weather fighters?
if RAFAT can fly as closely as they did ( for which well done) could we not have managed to put some more over the crowds?

[Top West 50]

Could someone please enlighten me as to the protocol for drawing swords when on parade for a Royal Salute?

[ORAC]

:cool::cool:

https://twitter.com/raf_luton/status/1654840895190048779?s=61&t=rmEeUn68HhlFHGKbTPQr_A
​​​​​​​

[ahwalk01]

Youve heard of MVFR right

[Asturias56]

Saw the helicopters east and west bound in S Oxon - it was extremely marginal - in fact outbound it looked extremely dangerous.

[dctyke]

You would need three hands to remove headdress and keep hold of your weapon?

There used to be a drill movement where you dropped on one knee and placed weapon on the ground to be able to do things like removing headdress for three cheers etc.

[charliegolf]

There used to be a drill movement where you dropped on one knee and placed weapon on the ground to be able to do things like removing headdress for three cheers etc.
As they did today...

CG

[Ken Scott]

At the risk of striking a contrary note, the helicopters were all over the place, and what happened to our all weather fighters?
if RAFAT can fly as closely as they did ( for which well done) could we not have managed to put some more over the crowds?

I believe there’s a difference between penetrating bad weather in order to prosecute the enemy and required limits for a fly past over a major populated city.

I was looking closely at the weather as 1430 approached and saw most of the ac holding over the North Sea RTB so I was frankly a bit surprised to see anything fly over Buck House. Those that did did very well.

[snapper41]

Kirsty Young called them the RAF ‘Acrobatic’ Team - I’d like to see that…

[Arfur Dent]

Well done to the Reds. Lovely flypast in horrible weather.

[Geriaviator]

Kirsty Young called them the RAF ‘Acrobatic’ Team - I’d like to see that…
I thought disciplinary action had been taken to end such (alleged) manoeuvres?

Excellent flypast despite poor vis and low ceilings, congratulations to all concerned.

[Easy Street]

Multi-element flypasts have the successive formations stacked up and down by a couple of hundred feet to minimise wake turbulence issues and to provide a margin of safety in case of timing errors or loss of visual contact. When the cloud is as low as it was today, the number of available flypast levels between the minimum safe (dictated by the City skyscrapers, which are close to the flypast line) and the maximum legal (dictated by whatever margin from the cloudbase has been agreed between the various authorities) is reduced to the extent that aircraft have to be removed from the flypast in order to avoid stretching it out into an over-long snoozefest with IFR separation between elements sharing a single level. It's nothing to do with the all-weather capability of the individual aircraft involved; any of them could have flown through at the level used by RAFAT.

[NutLoose]

Not watched it, but was impressed with the transport for the trainees that were there for the parade etc, looks like they were put in first class and I heartily approve of that.

https://twitter.com/RoyalAirForce/status/1654773862830166019/photo/1

https://twitter.com/RoyalAirForce/status/1654773862830166019/photo/1


Not impressed with the hat on the spokesman for the training command even a few comments about it on the web, he looked ermmmm….

[57mm]

Well done the Red Arrows, good to see a 9 ship.

[Marly Lite]

At the risk of striking a contrary note, the helicopters were all over the place, and what happened to our all weather fighters?
if RAFAT can fly as closely as they did ( for which well done) could we not have managed to put some more over the crowds?
Hang your head in shame. The crews gave their weekend to fight the weather and get through whilst this armchair pilot sits and criticises.

[Diff Tail Shim]

Hang your head in shame. The crews gave their weekend to fight the weather and get through whilst this armchair pilot sits and criticises.
Concur. Weather was rubbish and us in the veterans stand got a good soaking. Obvious the weather was not happening with the top of the Shard hiding in the cloudbase.

[WHBM]

Here at London City the weather was Broken at 1,600 ft and pouring with rain. My garden path is flooded. As stated above, the top of The Shard (1,000 ft) was in it. All credit to the formation crews for getting done what they did, it's not just the palace pass, they had to let down and formate in it. The distortion of the Red Arrows coloured smoke behind them showed the turbulence they were in.

[ancientaviator62]

Having been involved in a cancelled London flypast I can sympathise with the crews who could not take part due to the weather. All the planning and practice come to naught.
I thought that those who did participate did a very good job in marginal conditions.
It would have been the easy option for the authorising officer to cancel the whole flypast. That it was not done reflects credit on whoever was responsible.
I wonder how many of the armchair critics have ever had any involvement in any capacity in organising or flying in these very public events.

[Diff Tail Shim]

Was there. Weather was rubbish and cloud base was less than 1000 feet. However priceless to watch it with own eyes and not a LED screen.

[ewe.lander]

At the risk of striking a contrary note, the helicopters were all over the place, and what happened to our all weather fighters?
if RAFAT can fly as closely as they did ( for which well done) could we not have managed to put some more over the crowds?

Shame on you, as a fellow Falcon pilot and long time Military Aviator you are bang out of order.
Well done the Heli Crews and RAFAT for a job well done in clearly marginal weather.

[langleybaston]

Having been involved in a cancelled London flypast I can sympathise with the crews who could not take part due to the weather. All the planning and practice come to naught.
I thought that those who did participate did a very good job in marginal conditions.
It would have been the easy option for the authorising officer to cancel the whole flypast. That it was not done reflects credit on whoever was responsible.
I wonder how many of the armchair critics have ever had any involvement in any capacity in organising or flying in these very public events.

Not a critic but a very nervous weather forecaster. And not only public events, but very potentially dangerous: para drops and the movement of special weapons. In retrospect we were amazingly well taught in our college: Met theory was developing as a result of WW II jet stream experience, but so much was empirical. It helped greatly that pilots and navs received a great deal [40 hours?] of Met instruction before wings and on refreshers, so they understood our weaknesses, and usually cut us some slack. Looking back I wonder at our temerity. One trick was to take leave in October: the combination of summer moisture and winter night minima pushed up fog and status risk ........ better to be somewhere very warm or very cold and leave others to get it wrong, again and again.

[Low average]

I do find it a bit strange that a Hawk 9-ship was allowed to fly through London, but all other FJ were cancelled. Beyond their capabilities? They do still routinely fly at 250 feet right? Would it have been so dangerous that only a red arrow could handle it?

[Low average]

https://twitter.com/rafredarrows/status/1654877303065698305?t=bd6QJZEggw9NfPhZuOv-sQ&s=19

[Ninthace]

I do find it a bit strange that a Hawk 9-ship was allowed to fly through London, but all other FJ were cancelled. Beyond their capabilities? They do still routinely fly at 250 feet right? Would it have been so dangerous that only a red arrow could handle it?
Would you sign off an improvised multi aircraft flypast at low altitude in marginal weather over a major city that had not been practised and without the option to stagger formations in height and with buildings actually penetrating the cloud base? :ugh:

[Video Mixdown]

I think that video says it all about the conditions - essentially flying through a slot only a few hundred feet high. They did well to pull that off.

[ORAC]

https://twitter.com/kensingtonroyal/status/1654901611402018817?s=61&t=rmEeUn68HhlFHGKbTPQr_A


The Prince & Princess of Wales, & Kensington Royal.:

Noted the rotary crews did the heavy lifting… perfect flying conditions if you ask me! 😉

A big thank you to everyone for making today happen.

W

[Professor Plum]

I do find it a bit strange that a Hawk 9-ship was allowed to fly through London, but all other FJ were cancelled. Beyond their capabilities? They do still routinely fly at 250 feet right? Would it have been so dangerous that only a red arrow could handle it?

Oh Jesus.

God I love armchair QFIs.

Ninthace has hit the nail on the head.

Bravo to all those FW colleagues who were scuppered by the weather. I’m very mindful of the ENORMOUS effort and practice it will have taken to reach this day.

[m0nkfish]

I do find it a bit strange that a Hawk 9-ship was allowed to fly through London, but all other FJ were cancelled. Beyond their capabilities? They do still routinely fly at 250 feet right? Would it have been so dangerous that only a red arrow could handle it?

Can’t imagine many other air forces would have tried a flypast in the weather conditions. I reckon the guys and girls did a great job and it was a textbook decision from whoever was calling the shots.

[NutLoose]

Surprised to see the Reds all appear to have a back seater in them on that film, I do hope it was the Blues.

[finestkind]

An honest question on why the fly-past was as it was is I think quite acceptable. But criticism from what can only be concluded as either non-aviators or non-formation flyers just displays a lack of knowledge and aviation intelligence. Well done to all in difficult conditions.

[Asturias56]

And of course no-one wanted an accident or even an incident to spoil the great day

the fly past was a nice to have but the important thing was that the actual Coronation went off without a problem

[pasta]

As others have said, the cockpit footage shows just how good a job they did.

If conditions were only suitable for a single formation of fast jets, RAFAT was the right choice. More familiar to the public, more closely associated with pageantry, and (most crucially) a lot easier to see against a murky grey background.

[treadigraph]

I wandered up to the Croydon Airport site (Roundshaw Downs) as the weather seemed to have lifted a little and arrived just after 2pm just as the next band of clag and drizzle/rain blew through - normally get quite a good view of London west of Westminster from maybe 300'. Couldn't actually see much clearly beyond the NW corner of the common, probably less than a mile. Looked at ADSB and saw the formations skedaddling back to their bases across Norfolk - good decision - and decided to head home myself! Actually vaguely saw the sun for a brief moment just before I got back.

Oh well.

[Low average]

As others have said, the cockpit footage shows just how good a job they did.

If conditions were only suitable for a single formation of fast jets, RAFAT was the right choice. More familiar to the public, more closely associated with pageantry, and (most crucially) a lot easier to see against a murky grey background.

I agree pasta. If there was no plan workable for more than one formation of FJ , the right choice for this occasion for the pageantry and visibility aspect.

Would have been awkward if the Typhoons or F35 got through, but the Reds aborted...

[chevvron]

Wasn't watching TV at the time but I was at home NW of Woking when I heard them (distinctive noise compared to civil flights) departing from the Heathrow CTR; didn't see them as they must have been in cloud but a look on FR24 about a minute later showed they were just south of me turning west indicating 2,000ft so somehow they got from Buck Palace to somewhere near Fairoaks climbing into IMC.

[Mogwi]

The weather shown in the cockpit video was not, in itself, a problem. 10k+ visibility and a well-defined cloudbase meant that it was probably a pretty routine run-in. What had to be considered was the possibility of a screw-up with a lot of mis-matched formations and little chance of a vertical-plane abort. I am glad that the Arrows got through and I think the decision was correct, albeit disappointing. Better to have a reduced fly-past than to generate noise complaints caused by falling metal.

And no, I have never been an Arrow (of any colour) or even flown the Hawk but I have displayed most things from helicopters to fast-jet, pistons and vintage for nigh on 50 years.

Vivat Rex!

Mog

[teeteringhead]

Used to have a guy work for me in the late 80s - before he retired at 58 - who had flown a Meteor in the 1953 flypast.

Over 600 aircraft were involved (!!!) and all from the UK.

He said the biggest problem was the Sabres, quite a few of whom flamed out, left the formation, relit and rejoined!

Can you imagine the R/T?

Red 437 - Mayday - flameout - leaving formation.

Red 437 - cancel Mayday - successful relight - rejoining.

O tempora o mores.......

[Barksdale Boy]

The weather shown in the cockpit video was not, in itself, a problem. 10k+ visibility and a well-defined cloudbase meant that it was probably a pretty routine run-in. What had to be considered was the possibility of a screw-up with a lot of mis-matched formations and little chance of a vertical-plane abort. I am glad that the Arrows got through and I think the decision was correct, albeit disappointing. Better to have a reduced fly-past than to generate noise complaints caused by falling metal.

And no, I have never been an Arrow (of any colour) or even flown the Hawk but I have displayed most things from helicopters to fast-jet, pistons and vintage for nigh on 50 years.

Vivat Rex!

Mog
Mogwi - good to see that you still call them the Arrows. Can anyone give a year (roughly) when this nickname gave way to the Reds?

[falcon900]

Multi-element flypasts have the successive formations stacked up and down by a couple of hundred feet to minimise wake turbulence issues and to provide a margin of safety in case of timing errors or loss of visual contact. When the cloud is as low as it was today, the number of available flypast levels between the minimum safe (dictated by the City skyscrapers, which are close to the flypast line) and the maximum legal (dictated by whatever margin from the cloudbase has been agreed between the various authorities) is reduced to the extent that aircraft have to be removed from the flypast in order to avoid stretching it out into an over-long snoozefest with IFR separation between elements sharing a single level. It's nothing to do with the all-weather capability of the individual aircraft involved; any of them could have flown through at the level used by RAFAT.
Thank you for this reasoned and rational reply .

[Wycombe]

Great job RAFAT, was the drop into Brize after the flypast planned, or a wx diversion?

[Fitter2]

We had a nice loose formation low-level rotary flypast view from my front window as they returned to Benson. Full marks for decision making on the part of whoever had the unenviable job, and the impeccable timing. I think Prince George has decided which service to join.

[Wokkafans]

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1654904006299332612?s=20

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1654901611402018817?s=20



https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1654904006299332612?s=20

​​​​​​​https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1654901611402018817?s=20

[aw ditor]

ISTR the Flypast in 1953 (all 600!) was across The Mall rather than down/up it'. Good positive clearance' of weather too, post Cold Front? Suspect it was a coldish Warm Sector 'for most of the morning and early afternoon but, perhaps our resident Met Man could do an aftercast' please? All recalled distantly from the memory of a 16 year old Programme Seller' at the time.

AD.

[H Peacock]

I think that video says it all about the conditions - essentially flying through a slot only a few hundred feet high. They did well to pull that off.

Indeed, but as could any of the other elements.

Ive always believed there’s a time and a place, and I know its not an airshow, but there is definitely scope for everyone to run through a tad lower!

[ancientaviator62]

Just found my pic of us on the way to the assembly area for our GW1 flypast. The weather does not look too promising and the VC10 and the Tristar are just visible down in the weeds'
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x683/hercules_tristar_vc10_08647be2b06d39ac030ddbc17e5dc30aba219e e6.jpg

[goldox]

Apache formation callsign Hunter 1, 2 and3 over Didcot near Benson this morning. 800ft according to FR24.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/848x461/hunter_123_over_didcot_7_may_2023_cedeabb3318807f18dcc5abfe2 7b4dc22f036dec.jpg

[chevvron]

Mogwi - good to see that you still call them the Arrows. Can anyone give a year (roughly) when this nickname gave way to the Reds?
You wouldn't believe what we used to call them at Farnborough after I'd done 18 airshows there plus other 'events' associated with them.

[DaveReidUK]

Great job RAFAT, was the drop into Brize after the flypast planned, or a wx diversion?

The original plan was to transit to Bournemouth and do a flypast there before landing at Hurn.

But an announcement was made during the morning that this was cancelled, so I assume that the destination was changed to Brize Norton at that stage.

[langleybaston]

ISTR the Flypast in 1953 (all 600!) was across The Mall rather than down/up it'. Good positive clearance' of weather too, post Cold Front? Suspect it was a coldish Warm Sector 'for most of the morning and early afternoon but, perhaps our resident Met Man could do an aftercast' please? All recalled distantly from the memory of a 16 year old Programme Seller' at the time.

AD.

It should be do-able, after all I recently sorted the weather for the battle of Loos, 1915, to research Kipling's son.
Will PM if I succeed but not until next weekend.

[pr00ne]

Mogwi - good to see that you still call them the Arrows. Can anyone give a year (roughly) when this nickname gave way to the Reds?

I do recall regular air show goers of the 70’s calling them the IRA.
The ‘inevitable Red Arrows!”

[Diff Tail Shim]

Surprised to see the Reds all appear to have a back seater in them on that film, I do hope it was the Blues.
it was the circus.

[oldmansquipper]

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1713x687/91e9fefb_acaa_4df1_984d_c64c364adf79_3efd6ad5ebcffd5e1428fe6 4566b270e1125124e.jpeg
VMC Redefined? 😉 Well done. 🫡👍🏼🇬🇧

[Video Mixdown]

The weather shown in the cockpit video was not, in itself, a problem. 10k+ visibility and a well-defined cloudbase meant that it was probably a pretty routine run-in. What had to be considered was the possibility of a screw-up with a lot of mis-matched formations and little chance of a vertical-plane abort. I am glad that the Arrows got through and I think the decision was correct, albeit disappointing. Better to have a reduced fly-past than to generate noise complaints caused by falling metal.
And no, I have never been an Arrow (of any colour) or even flown the Hawk but I have displayed most things from helicopters to fast-jet, pistons and vintage for nigh on 50 years.
Vivat Rex!
Mog
As a matter of interest, what would SOP be for a vertical abort in those conditions? Turn onto divergent tracks and join up again when on top?

[Mogwi]

As a matter of interest, what would SOP be for a vertical abort in those conditions? Turn onto divergent tracks and join up again when on top?

Not under the LHR approach!

Mog

[CAEBr]

Surprised to see the Reds all appear to have a back seater in them on that film, I do hope it was the Blues.

Not a navigator then :}

[Geezers of Nazareth]

Just found my pic of us on the way to the assembly area for our GW1 flypast. The weather does not look too promising and the VC10 and the Tristar are just visible down in the weeds'
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x683/hercules_tristar_vc10_08647be2b06d39ac030ddbc17e5dc30aba219e e6.jpg
Hang on a minute ... I think I was on that one! Flew in a 4-ship of C130s from Lyneham to Wattisham where they desperately tried to get the 4th one into the flypast, but 'no go'. Launch from Wattisham into the hold area to join-up with everything else, but the vis was not good enough, so went to 'plan B' (which didn't involve the C130s, booo!), so the C130s returned home. The only fixed-wings which made it into London were a TriStar and two Nimrods. Happy days. Despite all the bouncing around at low-ish level the only person who was sick was the RAF PRO guy!

[diginagain]

Just found my pic of us on the way to the assembly area for our GW1 flypast. The weather does not look too promising and the VC10 and the Tristar are just visible down in the weeds'
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x683/hercules_tristar_vc10_08647be2b06d39ac030ddbc17e5dc30aba219e e6.jpg
I was in the rotary element, and TBH at the time I'd rather have been anywhere other than grobbling around trying to keep tabs on the section somewhere ahead of us.

[Diff Tail Shim]

Hang on a minute ... I think I was on that one! Flew in a 4-ship of C130s from Lyneham to Wattisham where they desperately tried to get the 4th one into the flypast, but 'no go'. Launch from Wattisham into the hold area to join-up with everything else, but the vis was not good enough, so went to 'plan B' (which didn't involve the C130s, booo!), so the C130s returned home. The only fixed-wings which made it into London were a TriStar and two Nimrods. Happy days. Despite all the bouncing around at low-ish level the only person who was sick was the RAF PRO guy!
You can see sunshine. You couldn't see sod all above the base on Saturday. I know, cos the rain falling from it was soaking me.

[Diff Tail Shim]

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1713x687/91e9fefb_acaa_4df1_984d_c64c364adf79_3efd6ad5ebcffd5e1428fe6 4566b270e1125124e.jpeg
VMC Redefined? 😉 Well done. 🫡👍🏼🇬🇧
The tail up from Red 6 is my mate. His first public display. Honoured to see him fly from below. Bombing the F out of something, take risks. Flying over mates with any flying safety risks in peace time? Wise men do not take risk. End of argument. Its Green Park, not Goose Green.

[ancientaviator62]

Geezers,
I did all the flypast flights with W/C P.B in XV 205 .

[Asturias56]

"You can see sunshine. You couldn't see sod all above the base on Saturday. I know, cos the rain falling from it was soaking me"

In S Oxon you couldn't even see the base when the helicopters went east - it was completely obscured - viz was less than a mile in mist and rain - hairy stuff

[42go]

Not under the LHR approach! Unless your name is Andy Penswick, of course................. :ok:

[Top West 50]

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1260x2000/screenshot_20230508_090857_the_telegraph_f69e1ed280fd71971a1 2d0847c6e64177aec3039.jpg
A brilliant photo - well done Cpl Dye!

[chopper2004]

I was stood at Fairlop Water to see the rotary wing element fly first then good to see then Reds (awful weather an dplayed havoc on my sensor)

https://scontent-lcy1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/345447279_788724316104413_6382500782134328805_n.jpg?_nc_cat= 106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=EHKqoR6yM6wAX_Vob1o&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-2.xx&oh=00_AfDRaIUyk2qzO8CVngfFn7SGbZj6hlq_UsNvyn1kTzwwiQ&oe=645E7BF3

https://scontent-lcy1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/345448964_205679652234013_1692626748952377246_n.jpg?_nc_cat= 100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=e9PIg8IcznoAX9YSHAV&_nc_oc=AQkKaDi6VEre1GnkVVUQTWa7FWpNmAuanNh-DQBRbwb-ysGhuSHqL3HevX6BuCfXz0s&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.xx&oh=00_AfCreziQ8ADvShxJCqWtv5paeGR6POPCEMTdMqcl388aaA&oe=645D17C1
Well done Reds...

and Long Live The King

cheers

[Video Mixdown]

Not under the LHR approach!
Mog
Understood in general, but LHR seem to have knitted a 20 minute hole into arrivals and departures at the planned flypast time. There was nothing there to hit.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

Geezers,
I did all the flypast flights with W/C P.B in XV 205 .
I was in XV195. As far as I can remember, '205 was the lead aircraft in the C130 formation, followed by '195 and '306.

[Specaircrew]

As a matter of interest, what would SOP be for a vertical abort in those conditions? Turn onto divergent tracks and join up again when on top?
Casting my mind back to a Flypast Wx abort over London during RMT 2000 (with 2 F3s on my wing) we climbed to a sanctuary level squawking emergency and got vectored East! Fortunately the 4 other flypasts that week went without a hitch, the biggest problem being my overtake speed on the Lancaster as we on topped Horseguards!

[beamer]

Putting aside the fly past……what about the 3 cheers for the King and Queen on the Palace lawn…..fantastic !

[ancientaviator62]

Geezer,
yes we were the lead a/c with PB who was the boss of 242 OCU at the time if memory serves. I was the ALM Leader on 30 at the time but I have no idea why I ended up crewing with what presumably was an otherwise all OCU crew !

[ancientaviator62]

42togo,
I assume you are referring to the 'lower and lower' flypast which Andy decided was not a good thing so lit thee burners and RTB ASAP !

[Krystal n chips]

Unless your name is Andy Penswick, of course................. :ok:

You would have thought demonstrating a Lightnings climb would have been....appreciated. Knew him at 4C's btw

[langleybaston]

ISTR the Flypast in 1953 (all 600!) was across The Mall rather than down/up it'. Good positive clearance' of weather too, post Cold Front? Suspect it was a coldish Warm Sector 'for most of the morning and early afternoon but, perhaps our resident Met Man could do an aftercast' please? All recalled distantly from the memory of a 16 year old Programme Seller' at the time.

AD.

There was a nasty cold trough giving a nagging northerly flow down east side of UK, and a polar low slow moving in the unstable air near the Frisian Islands, so a succession of showery troughlets spinning around just in the right place to hit Kent, Essex E Anglia and London.

I hated polar lows, but weather satellites eventually helped identify and track the blighters as they wandered southwards down the N Sea. Very few surface obs to detect them in those days ....... ships, rigs etc.

One Christmas c 1981 I helped my battered reputation no end by being about the only forecaster in NATO to go for a major snow event getting as far inland as the Clutch ............ a satellite pass picked up a developing Polar Low miles from any obs. A foot of snow at Rheindahlen.

Bound to get one right every now and then!

Your PM box appears to be full

[Mogwi]

One Christmas c 1981 I helped my battered reputation no end by being about the only forecaster in NATO to go for a major snow event getting as far inland as the Clutch ............ a satellite pass picked up a developing Polar Low miles from any obs. A foot of snow at Rheindahlen.l

Ah yes, I remember it well! I drove back from Güt on Christmas Eve 1981, with my family and worldly goods, in 2 cars, through fog followed by snow, to the channel ports. Caught the ferry by the skin of my teeth and arrived in Folkestone in a complete white-out but just made it to Epsom before the roads finally closed.

Mog

[aw ditor]

Thanks for the aftercast', it was certainly b***dy cold for June. PM box cleared out'.

[son of brommers]

Well done to the flypast crews that were allowed to actually fly over London and commiserations to those that weren't. It did however make me think that had the coronation of 1953 experienced the same weather conditions as per this weekend, would the outcome have been the same i.e. a vastly reduced flypast or have things changed since 1953 such as 'elf & safety, standards/rules etc. Happy to discount vastly reduced fleet sizes and the topography of London.

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Well done to the flypast crews that were allowed to actually fly over London and commiserations to those that weren't. It did however make me think that had the coronation of 1953 experienced the same weather conditions as per this weekend, would the outcome have been the same i.e. a vastly reduced flypast or have things changed since 1953 such as 'elf & safety, standards/rules etc. Happy to discount vastly reduced fleet sizes and the topography of London.

Some things have definitely changed... Especially the accident rate! Search for the meteor thread to give an idea of how many aircraft we were losing *each week* in the 50's.

[CharlieMike]

Well done to the flypast crews that were allowed to actually fly over London and commiserations to those that weren't. It did however make me think that had the coronation of 1953 experienced the same weather conditions as per this weekend, would the outcome have been the same i.e. a vastly reduced flypast or have things changed since 1953 such as 'elf & safety, standards/rules etc. Happy to discount vastly reduced fleet sizes and the topography of London.

I think the topography of London plays a big part. Back in the 1950s, the tallest building was St Pauls Cathedral at 360ft and we now have the Shard at over 1000ft plus 35 buildings over 500ft tall. The flypast is carried out at 1200ft(?) I think with elements alternating by 100ft to increase separation. I'm not sure what the actual was but when I looked on my app the TAF on Saturday was OVC at 800ft at LHR. I think to answer this question, you'd have to think would they still press on with that weather and the number of buildings we see today. I'm not sure they would.

[Tarnished]

9 single engine jets over a highly populated area. I recall the mass briefing for the 163 ship 50th BoB flypast which included 32+9 Hawks being told in no uncertain terms by BW that "all you chaps in SE jets, if you lose the donk, you ARE TO aim for anyone of the available wet bits and you ARE TO stick with it until the very last possible moment when you are sure the jet is going to become a torpedo". I wonder if the same briefing was given to the Reds this weekend (or any time we see them over London town)

[Diff Tail Shim]

I was stood at Fairlop Water to see the rotary wing element fly first then good to see then Reds (awful weather an dplayed havoc on my sensor)

https://scontent-lcy1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/345447279_788724316104413_6382500782134328805_n.jpg?_nc_cat= 106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=EHKqoR6yM6wAX_Vob1o&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-2.xx&oh=00_AfDRaIUyk2qzO8CVngfFn7SGbZj6hlq_UsNvyn1kTzwwiQ&oe=645E7BF3

https://scontent-lcy1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/345448964_205679652234013_1692626748952377246_n.jpg?_nc_cat= 100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=e9PIg8IcznoAX9YSHAV&_nc_oc=AQkKaDi6VEre1GnkVVUQTWa7FWpNmAuanNh-DQBRbwb-ysGhuSHqL3HevX6BuCfXz0s&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.xx&oh=00_AfCreziQ8ADvShxJCqWtv5paeGR6POPCEMTdMqcl388aaA&oe=645D17C1
Well done Reds...

and Long Live The King

cheers
spoke to our of our first officers whom is ex navy merlin driver and had mates flying the helo element. Said they had to go to tree top height on some of the route to stay in VMC and hold formation.

[mmitch]

Was that the C130s last chance flypast or is there another at the Trooping the Colour? Still Sudan was a fine finish to an fabulous RAF career.
mmitch.

[Paying Guest]

I drove back from Güt on Christmas Eve 1981, with my family and worldly goods, in 2 cars, through fog followed by snow, to the channel ports. Caught the ferry by the skin of my teeth and arrived in Folkestone in a complete white-out but just made it to Epsom before the roads finally closed.

Mog

Ditto same day from Rheindahlen via Zeebrugge/Felixstowe heading for Cambridge. Took wife's Golf for better traction and got as far as the Newmarket bypass before the underpan demonstrated how like a toboggan it was and suspended the driving wheels above the road surface. Dug out our car and the grossly ill prepared one behind then shot into Newmarket to grab the last available room. Wife and I were relaxing in front of the roaring fire with glass of decent malt when the characters from the car behind arrived to be told there was no room in the inn but the village hall was being opened for waifs and strays!

[Biggus]

I was out walking today at Carsington Water in Derbyshire (close to the Trent (TNT) VOR/DME) when at about 3pm the RAFAT team flew overhead at low level in a westerly direction.

There were only 5 of them in one formation. No second wave displaced in either time or distance.

Is that all they're able to put up at the moment?

[Video Mixdown]

I was out walking today at Carsington Water in Derbyshire (close to the Trent (TNT) VOR/DME) when at about 3pm the RAFAT team flew overhead at low level in a westerly direction.
There were only 5 of them in one formation. No second wave displaced in either time or distance.
Is that all they're able to put up at the moment?
The Red Arrows are performing with eight aircraft this season, planning to be back to nine next year. They put on a very nice display at the Midland Air Festival last weekend. If you'd let them know you were going for a walk I'm sure they would have assembled the whole team just for you.

[Jobza Guddun]

Having a bad day, VM?

[Biggus]

Having been a member of prune for over 20 years, I gave up visiting/posting regularly about 5 years ago.

Thanks VM for reminding me of why I made that decision.

[chevvron]

Was that the C130s last chance flypast or is there another at the Trooping the Colour? Still Sudan was a fine finish to an fabulous RAF career.
mmitch.
C130J will be in the Kings Birthday Flypast on 17 Jun followed by final retirement on 30 Jun.

[typerated]

I'd have thought the Ukrainian Air Force would be happy enough to gets blokes trained in steam driven Hawk T1s.
Wouldn't care if they are painted Red too.
Better use of the Sqn in my opinion.

[Runaway Gun]

I’d have thought to get the Reds displaying more to increase interest in young’uns to join the RAF.

[cliver029]

Runaway Gun then can I refer you to my post on the “wiggy thread” yesterday!
The right sort of young’n is looking for more than slick aero displays in that context.

cdr

[Runaway Gun]

I understand your point. Personally I was influenced to join the RAF from a very young age by watching formation demonstration teams on the TV. Luckily I was old enough to understand that most airforce flying jobs did not involve multi-coloured smoke, but it still stood out to inspire me to succeed.
They may not float everybody’s boat - however at almost every British Airshow I attended or worked at, kids were always asking when the Red Arrows were flying.

[Herod]

The Reds were at Cosford yesterday. A good display, with some new elements in it. Last year was very disappointing, for the obvious reasons, but they are back up to standard. Nine aircraft next year, I believe.