New Pilots Join Red Arrows Ahead Of 2020 Display Season

The trio join the aerobatic team after four pilots stepped down following a combined 17 display seasons of service.

The Red Arrows has welcomed three new pilots to the team ahead of the 2020 display season.

Flight Lieutenant Will Cambridge, Flight Lieutenant Nick Critchell and Flight Lieutenant James Turner will spend the next three years with the aerobatic team.

They arrive with a wealth of experience in the Royal Air Force behind them, having all previously flown Typhoon aircraft operationally.

Flight Lieutenant Cambridge, who will fly as Red 2 in 2020, said: "It is a huge privilege to be selected for the Red Arrows.

"The Red Arrows are an iconic team and being part of it, even for only a short, three-year period, will be the highlight of my flying career."

Flight Lieutenant Critchell described it as a "real honour", while Flight Lieutenant Turner said he was "very excited".

Meanwhile, Flight Lieutenant David Simmonds has returned to the team as Red 5 after a football injury forced him out of last year's display season.

The team is now training for the 2020 season at the Red Arrows' home base of RAF Scampton.

Pilots are flying three times a day, starting with small formations of only a few aircraft before gradually building up to the trademark, full nine-ship formation.

In around April, the team will move overseas for a period of focused training in a location with more settled weather.

The trio join the team after four pilots stepped down following a combined 17 display seasons of service.

The Red Arrows arrived back in the UK in October after a historic 11-week tour of North America.

Cover image: Red Arrows.