Red Arrows shoot for the sky

The world-renowned Red Arrows, the aerobatic team of the British Royal Air Force, thrilled the crowd yesterday with a short flypast around the Marina Bay area.

This was its first performance in Singapore since October 2003.

People from all walks of life braved the heat to catch the pilots in action after the event was postponed twice due to "ongoing inclement weather in the South- east Asian region".

The planes, each a BAe Systems Hawk T. Mark 1, passed Marina Bay in battle formation - a large V-shape - which is one of the team's signature formations.

The Red Arrows' visit to Singapore was part of its Asia-Pacific and Middle East tour, to showcase the best of what Britain has to offer.

Flight Lieutenant Stewart Campbell, 36, who was flying here for the first time, said the performance was a great experience. "We are really glad we managed to arrive and do what we were hoping to do last week. We've given all we can to Singapore."

Nadia Chevroulet

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 19, 2016, with the headline Red Arrows shoot for the sky. Subscribe