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AEROBATICS
The RAF's Red Arrows have been here twice before, but their magic never seems to wane

It is like any other day at the Shatti beach, except that you hear the scream of ten jet engines before you see the bright red Hawk aircrafts, trailing plumes of blue, red and white smoke tear across the skies pulling off impossible stunts with élan. Muscat was recently treated, for the third time, to a marvellous display of aerobatics by the Red Arrows of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF).

A day before the actual spectacle, the Red Arrows zipped into Muscat from Goa, in India. The minutes quickly vanished into drops of sweat for the privileged few who had been invited to the military airbase at Seeb, for a sneak preview of one of the world's best-known aerobatic team. A clutch of flaming-red fighters glided down in a diamond formation. Just when you thought they'd touch down, two of the planes took off from that low level. They crossed each other at mind-boggling speeds, releasing red, blue and white smoke – the traditional colours of the RAF. The unexpected display of aerial daredevilry had already won The Reds, as the crack team is affectionately called, the first round.

A few minutes later the Reds touched down at Seeb and the pilots, in their red jumpsuits, trooped out looking like Manchester United footballers. For many, it would have been a scene right out of the Tom Cruise starrer TopGun, except that the vision ahead of us was as real as it could get. Squadron Leader Dicky Patounas, who is on his second and last stint as team leader before moving on to Australia, chuckled when asked about the influence. "We're asked that quite a bit. A lot of us are in our thirties, and yes, we did drool over that as kids."

The big day, May 25 at Shatti al Qurm beach, was choc-a-bloc. The Reds' 22-minute cameo was power packed with no less than 13 formations. In a daredevil manoeuvre, two Red Arrows jousted with each other at more than 800kmph, with just five feet separating them at the closest point! This is the double roll manoeuvre.

"In seven months of training, everything is ironed out. We know exactly what to do, what everyone else is doing, and what we are supposed to do in an emergency," explains Patounas.

Surprisingly, the Red Arrows' engineering team has no contact with the daredevil pilots during a display. Their only connection to the ground is with Flight Lieutenant Andy Robins, who comperes the show. At times, the viewing public was even able to hear Sqn Ldr Patounas' voice on air. Once in the air, the Reds are left to their own devices. The high-risk, high-altitude and low-level flight synchronisation just goes to prove the intensity and nature of their hermetic teamwork, and the bonding of their survival instincts.

"We tire them and push them to the limit during training. That's when their real personalities emerge. We keep them under pressure for extended periods of time. But it's more or less the same group, so they get to gel," explained Sqn Ldr Paula Hunt, the Red Arrows' team manager. By common consensus, the Gypo formations – a collective aerial somersault – are the most difficult to perform.

But do the Reds have any fear? "Fear is a healthy thing," said the squadron leader. "It makes us never take things for granted, constantly prepare, and never leave things to chance."

Absolute classics on May 25 involved the Gypo-Cross and the Vixen Loop formations. In the first manoeuvre, the Reds emerged from the centre of the sky in a diamond formation, climbed a mile up in the air, only to come falling down in a somersault and spread in several directions, leaving coloured petals in the sky. The second one was two aircraft jousting first, then chasing each other, leaving wonderful criss-cross patterns in their wake. A concluding special, which won over the audience completely, was that of a heart pierced by an arrow.

The host of the show, Flt Lt Robins, was easily the most affable face for the team. His running commentary was peppered with doses of what could only be called typical British wit and optimism. "England will win the World Cup, pulp Australia in the Ashes, and I don't remember Arsenal losing," being some of his laughter evoking comments at the event.

The 22 minutes over, the Reds entered the Shatti al Qurm Beach like champions. The sheer number of autograph seekers on the beach trying their luck at getting close to the pilots was more than enough to tell the day's stunning success story that was the Reds.