Spectacular performance by Red Arrows in Bahrain
Manama : Colouring the Bahrain skies different hues, Britain’s Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, Red Arrows unravelled a spectacular acrobatic performance, enthralling thousands of residents here yesterday. The performance started at 4:00pm and lasted for 20 minutes. Nine BAE Systems Hawk aircrafts performed a series of precision formations and dynamic loops and rolls. Hundreds of people gathered in Reef Island, Karababad beach and Nurana Islands to watch the display.
Speaking to DT News before the performance Squadron Leader David Montenegro said performing in Bahrain was ‘a big deal’ for the team. “We do about 80 to a hundred shows a year, however, the performance here is a big deal for the team because we have not displayed here for so long. I am very lucky to be able to perform in such a beautiful location,” he said.
“One of the key points about the red arrows is that we do not have rehearse at a site. A lot of teams around the world do need to rehearse. We train to be able to deal with different geography, typography, environmental areas. In Bahrain, we have looked in detail about the high rise buildings, we look at satellite images and we template our show to where we are about to display. This means that we can fly many shows because we do not have to arrive at a location two days earlier to practice,” he said.
“History between Bahrain and United Kingdom goes all the way back to 1939. From an aviation point of view the two nations are very close,” he added. He said that the team is currently on a regional tour.
“On this tour we have been throughout the region. Two days ago we were in Karachi, we have also displayed in Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and will be displaying in Saudi Arabia as well,” he said.
The Red Arrows have performed 4800 displays in the span of more than 50 years since their first show in 1965.
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