Britain’s Royal Air Force display team, the Red Arrows, is currently on a summer tour to North America. This week, the Red Arrows are in Washington, D.C.
As the grandson of a U.S. Marine-Army veteran and an RAF veteran, I view the tour as a perfect illustration of the special relationship between our two countries. Fortunately, I had a chance to speak with one of the team pilots, Flight Lieutenant Toby Keeley. Call sign “Red Six,” Keeley is a 16-year veteran of the RAF and currently takes on the Red Arrows’ “synchro-lead” role. In that responsibility, Keeley conducts daring opposition flights in close proximity to another team member. Here’s how he answered a few of my questions:
1) What is the dividing line between air safety and entertainment?
Air safety is our top priority and that comes before entertainment. We fly to very strict rules and procedures and also have a very experienced supervisory chain to ensure our flying is as safe as possible. At the beginning of the brief of every sortie our first topic of conversation is safety critical aspects of the show.
2) How would you describe the RAF’s relationship with the U.S. Air Force?
We have very close ties with the U.S. Air Force. On a personal level, I have participated in numerous joint exercises in the United States and have served alongside our American brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, helping to protect our forces on the ground during close air support missions.
3) How important is the legacy of the RAF to the personnel who serve in it today?
The history and legacy of the Royal Air Force is extremely important to myself as a serving Royal Air Force Officer. It’s important to uphold the standards and traditions that have been set before us and to learn from the experiences and lessons of the past to ensure we continue to develop, continue to strive for excellence, and deliver world class air power.
Here’s a video of the Red Arrows in action!
