Earliest Red Arrows display in NI?

[smudge]

I'll open the bidding with the 1981 Ards airshow, per this notification in Flight.

Unfortunately my 'photo' taken from on top of the pigeon-loft in the garden was from the next Ards show in August 1982.

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[Angry Turnip]

That sounds about right Smudge,I remember being up at Scrabo watching and I think 1981 would be correct - I wonder did NI never get the Reds displaying in the Gnats? Must try and find out.

I would expect they would have displayed at RAF Aldergrove at some time in the Gnat.They changed to the Hawk in 1980 I believe.

This clip is from 1982,and the voice over says it`s the 2nd show at Newtownards,so 1981 must have been the first.............https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4V1Y_l2SSk

[smudge]

I'm surprised that there isn't an enthusiasts' website that summarises the Arrows' display dates for each year.  Picking through the Flight archives shows that the data is there but it needs to be collated; that 1982 summary table is an exception.

Can't find anything at all for the Arrows in NI prior to 1981. 

First Arrows display in [Republic of ] Ireland seems to have been Baldonnel Air Spectacular in 1987 but they didn't land for various *mumble* reasons:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciaranchef/13676637903/


Did find display brochures from the Gnat era though:

http://www.airdisplaymuseum.com/Pages/RedArrowsBrochures.aspx

[Angry Turnip]

I have a 10 min Super 8 cine film about the 1978 Red Arrows,I don`t have a projector,but I could maybe get it transferred to DVD.

[pavot]

Arrows at Ards 1981, weather was mince as mentioned in the 1982 film:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuO2lINkdys

Link should be correct now, had to hand-copy it!

Might as well mute the video as no aircraft sound recorded

[Angry Turnip]

Wow! Those head on passes are just as low as they used to do in the Gnat,looks like barely 20ft off the deck,CAA would block the " U " bend if they did that now ! 

[gadwall58]

The Reds displayed with Gnats at Ards in 1971.  This was also the last year for the Sydenham Air Display.

[smudge]

Thanks Steve. 

That was the year they displayed with seven aircraft and no syncro-pair after the Roulette accident in training.

I'll check the newspaper archive next time I'm in Belfast and see if I can find some photos.

[gadwall58]

What a difference weather-wise.  1971 was beautiful and 1981 it poured then brightened in the afternoon thankfully.

[Angry Turnip]

Thanks for the info 

[jasT1981]

Interesting, I have been trying to put together a historical archive of airshows in Northern Ireland and was surprised to see, like said there is no website that details the Red Arrows schedule over the years which is a shame.

[RNASMU]

My Dad worked at Sydenham when it was a Naval and RAF MU, I can remember seeing the Red Arrows on a stop over in the mid 60's, I got all their autographs    Ray Hanna was Red 1.

[gadwall58]

I have 1966 in my mind as the first occasion I saw them here.

[smudge]

Nice!

Ray Hanna was team leader for 1966 to 1968.  For 1969 it changed to Timothy Nelson and then part-way through the season ( 17 June onwards ) back to Ray Hanna.  That might help to pin-down the date?

Ah just saw Steve's latest post.

[gadwall58]

Glad to be of service, happy to help.

[gadwall58]

Not Reds, I know but of interest, I found this on the web relating to the Pitts S1C:

With NX86401 Betty Skelton won the 1949 Feminine International Aerobatic Championship held at the Miami All American Air Maneuvers and she performed at the International Air Pageant in London, and the Royal Air Force Pageant in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

[smudge]

Unfortunately no write-up in the Chronicle newspaper about the Ards display in 1971, but this solitary photo gives some info.

'on Saturday' based on the published date of the paper would put the display on 21 August 1971

But here's the puzzle... the Tiger Moth with the taped-over roundels appears to be G-A_MG. But it can't be G-AMMG because that was exported to New Zealand in 1952!  More head-scratching required.

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[Angry Turnip]

That`s a tough one,I looked at G-INFO but no Mike Golf Tiger Moths listed current.
Also tried possible 2nd letters for G-A?MG such as D,H,I,J,M,N,U,Y didn`t come up as Tiger Moths.

The scheme looks like old RAF Training colours,camo top,yellow underside.The crossed out roundel must be a big clue.

[smudge]

Cheers for checking anyhow!  The original in the paper wasn't any clearer, faded and yellowed with age.  You don't think they perhaps... used a stock photo?  Naughty!

What's also odd is that the preceding week's paper didn't have mention of the display in the 'Things to Do' column.