Training begins for two new Red Arrows pilots
Two new Red Arrows pilots have begun training for the 2025 display season.
Flight Lieutenants Rob Thomas and Andrew McEwen have joined the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team with years of experience operating on the frontline, including with the Typhoon and F-35B aircraft.
They will now combine this background with developing precise, formation flying skills as two of the Red Arrows' nine display pilots for next season.
Training is already underway at the team's home base of RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.
Flt Lt Thomas, who is originally from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, will fly in the Red 2 position for 2025.
He said: "When I found out I'd been selected to be part of the team I was so incredibly pleased and I couldn't wait to share the news with my family. I am still buzzing!
"I am looking forward to many aspects of my new role in the team. The flying element will be challenging but also rewarding and I'm really excited at the prospect of meeting so many people at airshows across the UK.
"The team inspired me to join the RAF and I would love to be part of inspiring the next generation too, through our displays and ground events."
Flt Lt Thomas previously flew the RAF's Typhoon aircraft on operations and exercises around the globe, including providing Quick Reaction Alert to safeguard the skies in the UK and the Falkland Islands.
He described how the new role, at the controls of the Red Arrows' BAE Systems Hawk T1, will compare with this previous type of flying.
Flt Lt Thomas said: "The skill set of close formation flying is used regularly on the frontline and is a vital tool to be able to employ in various situations.
"My experience will help to some degree but the precision, teamwork and trust required to fly in large, dynamic formations close to the ground is a totally new skill, almost like learning to fly again."
Up to three new pilots join the Red Arrows each year, succeeding those who leave following completion of their tours at the end of a display season.
New team members are selected following interviews, tests and other assessments.
To be eligible to apply, they must have 1,500 fast-jet flying hours, be assessed as "above average" in their flying roles and completed at least one frontline tour of duty.
Flt Lt McEwen is the first former F-35B Lightning II pilot to join the Red Arrows - the RAF's fifth-generation multi-role aircraft.
He said: "The F-35B has the wonder of modern technology, auto pilot and superior situational awareness.
"The Hawk T1 has none of that and, in many ways, is a true pilots' machine that involves raw flying - not to mention, when part of the Red Arrows, flown as part of one of the largest aerobatic formations in the world. This requires a new type of focus, concentration and trust."
Born in Wexham, Berkshire, Flt Lt McEwen, said his passion for aviation came at an early age, fuelled by a sight of the Red Arrows.
He said: "I first saw the Red Arrows flying on the wing of a Concorde above my house when I was about five-years-old. I remember it vividly - from that moment the goal of becoming a Red Arrow and thus RAF pilot was born and it influenced my entire adolescent journey!
"As an adult and pilot, my desire to become a Red Arrows team member was still sentimental but also developed a professional foundation.
"The pinnacle of professionalism and perfection in the air really appealed to me, as well as the shear fun it looked.
"Finally, I wanted to join the Red Arrows so I could inspire future generations to join the RAF, just as I was - a chance to give back."
The former 617 Squadron - the "Dambusters" - pilot will fly as Red 3 in 2025.
He said: "It was the happiest moment in my career when I learned I'd got the job. The news was given to me by my boss at the time - Officer Commanding, 617 Sqn, Wing Commander Stew Campbell.
"Having invited me to his office, it was a delightful shock to discover why. As a personal mentor and an ex-Red Arrows pilot himself, it was a wonderful moment to share with him.
"I then phoned my father immediately whose words were 'no way!' - I think he was more shocked than me!"
Both pilots are now training in preparation for the new season, which usually gets underway around May.
A building block approach is used and pilots fly up to three times a day, with small formations of aircraft at first before more are added - increasing the complexity - all the way up to the team's trademark Diamond Nine.
This requires a coordinated effort by not just the pilots but the Red Arrows engineering, technical and support teams - known as the Blues.
Flt Lt McEwen said: "The intense flying schedule is exactly what allows the team to hone-in on their errors and refine every manoeuvre to as close to perfection as possible.
"The development won't always be linear day-to-day - we all have off days - but week-to-week and month-to-month the improvement will be a testament to the hard work by everyone on the team, both air and ground crew.
"Shadowing the previous team and learning of their individual growth as professional display pilots has taught me exactly that."
Details of where the Red Arrows will perform during a new season are usually released before the spring.
Meet the 2025 season Red Arrows pilots by visiting the Team page.
• Red Arrows News (raf.mod.uk).