Red Arrows' world-first at The International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight
Get set to witness history being made in Scotland today, as the Red Arrows use a combination of sustainable fuels for the first time at a non-military airshow.
The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team will be powered by a 15 per cent blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at The International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight.
This figure exceeds a 2030 target set by the UK Government's Jet Zero decarbonisation strategy.
The team will also use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a plant-based version of jet fuel and diesel, to produce their distinctive vapour trails.
Together, the switch to these fuels means the extraordinary team will perform their phenomenal display with a significantly reduced carbon footprint over the two-day event and will also be promoting energy-security.
This is an exciting moment in the RAF's history as it's the first time ever worldwide that both SAF and HVO will be used at a non-military event.
With its strong STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) focus, The International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight is the perfect stage to showcase not only the RAF's commitment to embracing new technology but, also, its dedication to reducing its carbon footprint, becoming more energy secure and less reliant on fossil fuels.
South Ayrshire Council's Director of Communities and Transformation, Jane Bradley, said: "We are thrilled to be part of this Scottish and world-first display at a non-military event. The Red Arrows' display is a crowd favourite and we were delighted to have them on this year's line-up. However, to be working alongside our strategic partner, theSKYLAB, to provide a platform to help the RAF make history in this way is huge privilege for the council and the local area."
Chief Executive Officer of theSKYLAB, Dr Geoff Coxon, said: "theSKYLAB has helped create history with the Red Arrows to enable the first ever non-military event featuring a jet display using both sustainable aviation fuel and HVO for the coloured smoke. This is an amazing way to celebrate the positive impact of STEM and will showcase to the world that Scotland and South Ayrshire are ready to deliver the technologies of tomorrow for a sustainable aerospace industry. We are extremely proud to have been able to achieve this for the International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight."
Squadron Leader Andy King, the Red Arrows' Senior Engineering Officer and who has led the pioneering fuels project for the team, said: "It is incredible to mark another world-first milestone in our decarbonisation journey at the International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight. Given the event's strong focus on STEM, the location is a very natural setting to showcase this development and hopefully inspire future generations of innovators, engineers and aviators.
"Having been passionate and involved in our project from its outset earlier this year, it's a privilege to work alongside theSKYLAB and South Ayrshire Council to turn a vision into reality. Alongside the benefits of SAF to emissions, the 100 per cent HVO vapour is our star-of-the-show and we remain the only display team worldwide using a bio-smoke to produce our distinctive, trademark trails.
"This project represents the very best of RAF innovation in STEM, our ability to be agile and to make changes rapidly - better-securing our future energy supplies and representing a fast-growing UK industry."
The project led by Sqn Ldr King, to provide the Red Arrows with the ability to switch to the new fuels, was carried out in less than six months and done entirely with existing resources and people.
These studies culminated in a successful trial flight before being showcased at two public events earlier this year - an RAF flypast for His Majesty The King and at an air tattoo in Gloucestershire, staged at a military airbase.
Displays by the Red Arrows feature on both days of the event at Ayr this year.
The flying follows a week-long event at Prestwick Airport, where S2 school pupils took part in workshops with aerospace companies to discover more about future careers connected to STEM. Many of these firms - and the Red Arrows public relations team - are also exhibiting at the airshow itself, to allow even more interaction.
