26th September, 2016
The Red Arrows 2016
By Jane Patterson
The First Thursday each September is an exciting day in Jersey as it is the annual Jersey International Air display. The annual display first started in 1952 and was called the Battle of Britain Air Display. In 1997 the event was renamed the ‘Jersey International Air Display’, reflecting a move by the organisers to include a number of international aircraft alongside its traditional RAF participants.
The highlight of the day without doubt is the display by The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows.
For those not familiar with the Red Arrows, they are considered to be one of the world’s premier aerobatic display teams.
“Representing the speed, agility and precision of the RAF, the team is the public face of the service. They assist in recruiting to the Armed Forces, act as ambassadors for the United Kingdom and promote the best of British. Flying distinctive Hawk jets, the team is made up of pilots, engineers and essential support staff with frontline, operational experience.”
Since flying the first time in 1965, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team has performed more than 4,660 times across the globe.
The Jersey International Air Display is also a particularly exciting time for St Brelade’s Bay Hotel as we are the hosts of the Red Arrows Team. The lobby of the hotel is abuzz on show day with the pilots and support team getting ready to depart and guests managing to get a few sneaky “selfies” in with the always obliging team.
We look forward to hosting the team again in 2017!