Red Arrows: The world's most famous display team that almost never was

The Red Arrows are gearing up for their diamond jubilee this year, but some parts of their history remain relatively unknown despite having performed at air shows worldwide for the past 60 years.

Retired Squadron Leader Henry Prince, who was known by the callsign Red 7, was part of the founding team that Lee Jones put together.

He told Forces News: "What a lot of people don't know, even in the British Forces Broadcasting [Service] is that the team was disbanded at the end of '65. That was it."

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Sqn Ldr Prince said the team had been split up because the pilots were posted elsewhere - until one day someone questioned what had happened to the Red Arrows.

From that point, the team were brought back together.

"We reformed in '66. I came back to the team as the deputy leader to Ray [Hanna] and we went from there," he explained.

"Thank goodness they kept it going."

Since then, the Red Arrows have taken part in around 5,000 displays in nearly 60 countries.

They have also revealed where they will be celebrating their special diamond jubilee season - you can find out more here.

There had been several less well known aerobatic display teams in the RAF before the Red Arrows came to the fore, and Sqn Ldr Prince was a display pilot with the Yellowjacks before the creation of the Red Arrows.

While other teams have come and gone, he said he could not believe how the Red Arrows have now been flying for 60 years.

"We thought it was only going to last a couple of years," he said.

He said the members had always hoped the Red Arrows would last forever as a national team, with the idea being formed while watching aerobatic teams from the US, France and Italy performing displays.

In 1965, the Red Arrows displayed for the first time in the Folland Gnat aircraft.

Flight Lieutenant Peter Evans flew with the team in 1966 as Red 4 for three years, and in his last year he was Red 2.

He said: "You were pretty limited by the range of the Gnat. The furthest we went was Jordan at the invitation of the king.

"I did hear that the test pilots looked at the Gnat and they said it was alright for training, but for formation aerobatics it would be impossible – so we disproved the test pilots.

"One year we did 100 shows all around Britain and Europe."

Sergeant Peter Scott was part of the ground crew for the Red Arrows during this period, and said his favourite moments were being able to fly in the spare seat with one of the pilots.

"I think the highlights really were just flying often because as a member of the ground crew you don't normally get a lot of time flying," he said.

"These [the Gnat aircraft] were flying to exotic places and although it was hard work it really was wonderful."

Sgt Scott said he flew passenger with Sqn Ldr Prince and recounts it as being "terrifying" - which the two had a good laugh about.

While the Reds are known now for taking their displays around the world in the Hawk T1 – back then they focused more on displays in Europe.

To mark their 60th anniversary, Red Arrows pilots flew their Hawk T1 alongside a vintage bright yellow Folland Gnat aircraft over the skies of Lincolnshire.

The Gnat was replaced by the bigger Hawk T1 in 1980.