THE children at Copplestone Primary School were very privileged to have a talk by Former Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team ‘Red Arrow’ pilot Flight Lieutenant Joe Hourston and Wing Commander Robert Johnstone on May 22.

The presentation began with a short film which showed some of the acrobatic manoeuvres the Red Arrows team are able to perform with video taken from another plane.

Many of the children where amazed and audible gasps and wows could be heard across the school’s large main hall.

Following the film, Joe asked the children what sort of skills they thought you would need to become a pilot and what qualifications did they think it would take.

He went on to explain that good Maths and English are the essential qualifications and two A-levels or a degree of any kind would enable you to join the RAF as a pilot .

Noting that it takes a team of 120 people to run the Red Arrows Joe explained that there are many jobs in the RAF, not just pilots. These jobs include technicians, media and also admin roles so there is something for everyone.

He described what it was like going upside down and said that it was a bit like going on a rollercoaster, “The first time makes you feel ill, the second time a bit better and after the third time you begin to get used to it.”

He said there were many advantages to joining the RAF including travelling to many countries.

Recently the team flew to Asia including Pakistan, Vietnam and China, where the Red Arrows put on their displays, showcasing RAF capability.

He asked the children why the smoke from the back of the planes is always red, white and blue, they guessed correctly that it’s because of the Union flag.

He explained that the smoke is a combination of diesel fuel and a simple colorant.

When flying to different countries, the Hawk planes that the Red Arrows use can only fly up to about 500 miles before needing to refuel. During the whole 500 miles in flight the team have to stay in formation, with just 1.5 metres between wing tips.

He added that doing this requires absolute trust between the pilots on the team.

Joe also said that sometimes they get to meet famous people too, including F1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton and even the Queen, for whom they do a fly past Buckingham Palace on her official birthday every year.

After another short film, the children were invited to ask questions, many of which concerned the ejector seat and children learned that the canopy explodes before the seat is ejected and the seat can be fired even when the plane is upside down and it will “auto-correct” itself, also that before ejecting, the pilot would always try to face the plane towards a ‘safe place to crash’.

When asked where do you land after ejecting? Joe replied: “Wherever the wind takes you!”.

Joe and Robert also presented to Sandford School the same morning; needless to say the Sandford audience was similarly excited by the videos and had some excellent questions for Joe.

The aim of their talks was to support both schools’ Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) weeks by highlighting the importance of maths and sciences across a variety of career opportunities in the Royal Air Force by looking at different roles within the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.

Joe has been in the RAF for 16 years, 15 flying and three in the Red Arrows.

He was Red 9 in the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (the Red Arrows) up until the end of last year.

He asked the children to recall what skills he had said you need to join the RAF including responsibility, qualifications, trust and most importantly team work.

The next time the Red Arrows will be putting on a display will be during the Torbay Air Show, June 3 and 4, from 3pm to 4pm.

Sean Constable