THE RED ARROWS

CONCORDE

Concorde is named after the British-French supersonic airliner, and is frequently flown as a tribue to that aircraft whenever an anniversary comes around.  Along with Swan, Concorde is the longest formation that the Red Arrows fly, with Reds 8 and 9 a considerable distance away from the leader (four aircraft away).

Typically used in a bend, and never looped, Concorde was rolled for the first time in 2002, much to my personal delight.  This year was a particularly innovative year, with a range of new formations, and the decision to roll the longest and widest formations (the other roll was in Nine Arrow) was very impressive. A well-flown display will include a smooth transition to and from Concorde, with the left and right-hand sides moving in unison.  The Reds usually change to Concorde from one of the tight formations, typically Diamond Nine, as this enables all six of the moving aircraft to move together at the same rate.