THE RED ARROWS

ANGEL [OF THE NORTH]

Unique among the Red Arrows' many formations, Angel of the North was suggested and named by a member of the public - a BBC Blue Peter prize-winner, no less. The competition was to design and name a Red Arrows formation, which would be flown by the Red Arrows in their 2000 display. The formation Angel of the North does bear a strong resemblance to the statue in northern England; although it has been seen previously, and since, as Lancaster.

Angel provides an ideal formation for transitioning from the first half of the Red Arrows' display to the second half, where the front five aircraft, known as Enid, split from the rear four, known as Gypo. This is because Red 6 can lead Reds 7, 8 and 9 away from Enid without any chance of them flying near Reds 2 and 3.  As a result, quarter clover splits with Enid and Gypo turning away from each other in the vertical have become very popular with the team.