The Red Arrows Open the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley

The Red Arrows Open the Euro 2020 Finals

The red seats of Wembley were almost full and the skies above them were graced by the mighty Red Arrows.

The best of the best flew over Wembley Stadium as part of the opening ceremony of the Euro 2020 Finals. The team to came in from Bournemouth passing over  the stadium, west to east, at 7.48pm.

The finest aerobatic team in the world first flew as a 9 ship in 1966, the same year England were last in an international final…

• The Red Arrows are made up of 11 Pilots numbered Red 1, 2, 3 and so on
• 9 Pilots take part in the air displays
• The pilot leading the 9-ship is Red 1, currently Sqn Ldr Tom Bould.
• Red 1 must have experience on the team before applying for this role.
• Red 10, currently Adam Collins, is the safety supervisor & commentator
• The 11th Pilot is Officer Commanding, Wg Cdr David Montenegro
• The team design and practice multiple display sequences each season
• All pilots are frontline fast jet pilots in the RAF
• Applicants must have  1500+ flying hours & be assessed as above average
• The Pilots fly the Hawk T1
• Most pilots remain in post for 3 years but some have stayed for as long as 10!
• The Pilots are supported by a team of engineers known as The Circus
• Pilots wear Red flying suits and the Circus wear blue ones
• The Red and Blue suits can only be worn after they achieve PDA each year
• The trade mark red and blue smoke is a mix of dye with diesal
• The smoke is released under the pilots control
• Each aircraft can produce smoke for a maximum of 7 minutes
• The team are currently based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire
• The Red Arrows were formed in 1965 with 7 pilots
• The Red Arrows first flew as a 9-ship in 1966, the same year England were last in a football final…

We didn’t get the result we hoped for but both the England team and the Red Arrows represent the best of British.

The Red Arrows are widely considered the finest aerobatic team in the world and regularly carry out displays in the national interest.

We’ve been lucky enough to visit RAF Scampton and meet the team on several occasions at airshows. We also provide the team with our MOD licensed luggage tags each season.