Shuttleworth's Premiere Airshow included the 2016 public debut of the RAF's Red Arrows display Red Arrows had to halt their display at one point due to a Gazelle helicopter piloted by Andrew Kane getting too close for safety
The Red Arrows' first display of the season took place at Shuttleworth, Old Warden, but was interrupted by an "intruder" - a helicopter that wandered past, to the east of the airfield. Several minutes of their display were lost. 'Performing a Red Arrows display is physically and mentally demanding and requires absolute concentration from the 9 pilot team to ensure each others’ safety and the safety of the public. During a display we reach speeds of up to 600mph, with the Synchro Pair closing in on each other at 850mph in a series of formation and opposition manoeuvres. This means that the pilots are constantly looking out for each other to position correctly and safely. The need to look out for other potential aircraft in addition would pose too great an increased safety hazard. Getting 9 aircraft back together into formation after they have performed a split or break requires a lot of geographical positioning and, at the speeds we fly, a lot of airspace. It is because of this that we must establish a Temporary Airspace Restriction or RA(T), which for our displays has a radius of 6nm, extending from ground level to 8000ft. The timing of this RA(T) begins 5 minutes before our scheduled display start time and lasts for 35 minutes. The last few years have seen a number of infringements with varying degrees of severity and outcome. In some cases the display had to be cancelled or cut short – any delay due to infringement affects our fuel available to display. UPDATE:A pilot has pleaded guilty to flying his helicopter through a Red Arrows display, causing the world famous aerobatic team to abandon their routine. Luton Magistrates' Court heard Andrew Kane (62) from Leighton Buzzard, flew his Gazelle helicopter into restricted airspace, put in place to protect the Red Arrows' display, at an air show at Old Warden aerodrome in Bedfordshire in May this year.
Size: 4928px × 3264px
Location: Old Warden Aerodrome, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 2016, aerobatic, aerospace, air, airmen, airshow, airspace, andrew, arrows, aviation, britain, british, copyspace, dangerous, display, england, flying, gazelle, gb, great, helicopter, impede, infringe, infringement, intruder, issue, kane, kingdom, license, military, notam, notice, performing, red, restriction, safety, show, suspended, team, temporary, uk, united
