Three new pilots join Red Arrows lineup for 2023

The Red Arrows will have three new faces on its pilot lineup, as preparations for the upcoming 2023 season continue to take shape.

Flight Lieutenants Rich Walker, Tom Hansford and Ollie Suckling will join the Red Arrows for the 2023 season, flying Reds 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

The new pilots are replacing Squadron Leaders Jon Bond and Gregor Ogston, whose time came to a scheduled end in December.

Jon Bond initially retired after the 2021 season, but came back to the team in 2022 for his fifth and final year with the Red Arrows.

As for Gregor Ogston, his Red Arrows career ended with a Green Endorsement – the highest accolade given by the Royal Air Force Safety Centre.

This was earned after he successfully and safely navigated his jet to safety, following a scary incident which saw a bird fly through the cockpit glass during a flypast.

It means that the Red Arrows display team will perform major flypasts with nine aircraft, and aerobatic displays will be carried out using an eight-jet formation.

Red 2 will be flown by Flight Lieutenant Richard Walker, who was born in Oxford and flew the Harrier and Typhoon earlier in his RAF career.

He said: “Seeing the Red Arrows display is one of my earliest memories of deciding I needed to fly and join the RAF.

“After a varied and challenging operational and training career, I wanted to take the opportunity to fly probably the most demanding military pure flying discipline and hopefully inspire other young people to consider a future in the RAF.

“I am really excited to showcase the RAF and the UK’s skills and capabilities to large audiences at home and abroad, working as part of small, highly-motivated team.”

Red 3 will be occupied by Inverness-born Tom Hansford, a qualified weapons instructor and former operational Typhoon pilot who says he looks forward to representing the Red Arrows.

“The formation display flying will be exciting and rewarding and the nature of Red Arrows deployments in the Hawk T1 will involve many stops in places that are new to me.

“As a team pilot, the opportunity to meet and engage with a wide variety of different and inspiring people will be fantastic.

“All of this is only possible as part of a strong team involving many different ranks, trades and specialisations and I look forward to playing my part in this.”

Last but not least is Ollie Suckling, who will be in Red 4 for 2023.

Ollie joined the RAF in 2007, flying the Tornado GR4 during numerous overseas tours, such as Afghanistan.

He said: “Having been interested in aviation since a very early age I spent my childhood going to museums and airshows and met the Red Arrows on occasion, which only fuelled my interest in the RAF.

“Obviously, the flying of the display is going to be amazing but I think being able to give something back will be the greatest reward of all.”

Pre-season training is being carried out, initially from the Reds’ new RAF Waddington home, to prepare the pilots for another year of busy schedules and large flypasts.

Squadron Leader Tom Bould, Team Leader and Red 1, choreographs the show and coordinates the training programme.

He said: “It will be great to bring the latest display to dozens of locations this summer, many of which attract hundreds of thousands of people – which we’re always thrilled and humbled to see.

“I’m hoping we get to meet many of these families and young people at the events, especially at some of those which feature the ever-popular RAF Experience areas on-the-ground, where visitors can learn more about the Service.

“Knowing there is this outstanding interest is a massive motivation for everyone in our new team and demonstrates the unrivalled, fantastic platform provided by airshows and similar events to bring communities together, support local economies and – above all else – be a source of inspiration through aviation.”

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