‘We didn’t make a complete mess of the landings, but I’m not sure the passengers would be happy’: BA lets Red Arrows pilots land a Boeing 747 in one of its state-of-the-art simulators
- The Red Arrows admitted they’d need extra training before flying passengers
- The team will be flying with a BOAC-liveried BA 747 at Riat on Saturday
- The aircraft will depart Heathrow at 11.10am ready for the 12.15pm fly-past
Red Arrows pilots are among the most skilful in the world.
But when British Airways let three of them have a go at landing a Boeing 747-400 in one of its state-of-the-art simulators, they admitted that they’d need a bit of extra training before flying passengers.
Team Leader, Martin Pert, who is Red 1, said: ‘Given the weight of the aircraft it’s a completely different beast to the hawk so I think we’d need some extra training should we be joining British Airways. We didn’t make a complete mess of the landings, but I don’t think the customers would be too happy.’
Red Arrows pilots are among the most skilful in the world. But when British Airways let three of them have a go at landing a Boeing 747-400 in one of its state-of-the-art simulators, they admitted that they’d need a bit of extra training before flying passengers
The Red Arrows swapped their Hawk T1s for a 250-ton jumbo jet ahead of the formation team joining forces with a specially decorated British Airways 747 at the Royal International Air Tattoo (Riat) on Saturday at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
The special Boeing 747 has been painted in the livery of the airline’s predecessor, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), to mark British Airways’ centenary this year.
Senior First Officer Tom Perrins will be at the controls, while Captain Richard Allen-Williams will be in command of the aircraft and they will be joined on the flight deck by Captain Simon Scholey and Captain Jonny Lutton.
Team Leader, Martin Pert, who is Red 1, said: ‘Given the weight of the aircraft it’s a completely different beast to the hawk’
The Red Arrows swapped their Hawk T1s for a 250-ton jumbo jet ahead of the formation team joining forces with a specially decorated British Airways 747 at the Royal International Air Tattoo (Riat) on Saturday at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire
Team Leader Pert added: ‘Flying alongside British Airways at Riat is going to be a hugely pivotal moment for the Red Arrows. It’s two best of British icons, collaborating together at the biggest air show in the UK’
BA has a long history of displaying in the Air Tattoo and first joined the flying programme in 1985 when Concorde and the Red Arrows flew together in a dramatic display
The 747 that will fly with the Red Arrows (pictured) has been painted in the livery of the airline’s predecessor, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), to mark British Airways’ centenary
The aircraft is set to depart Heathrow at 11.10am, then meet the reds above RAF Norton, before they head to the air show over for the fly-past at 12.15pm.
The pilots have been preparing for the joint fly-past and took to the simulators to finalise their route and profile.
Team Leader Pert added: ‘Flying alongside British Airways at Riat is going to be a hugely pivotal moment for the Red Arrows. It’s two best of British icons, collaborating together at the biggest air show in the UK.’
The airline has a long history of displaying in the Air Tattoo and first joined the flying programme in 1985 when Concorde and the Red Arrows flew together in a dramatic display.
In the early 2000s several British Airways 747s and 777s performed a fly past, and in 2013, the airline performed with the Red Arrows once again, to the delight of the large Air Tattoo crowd.