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Chaleur extrême et impacts d'oiseaux menacent la mission ! | Red Arrows : Les Rois du Ciel | Épis...
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00:00Niagara Falls attracts millions of tourists every year
00:04and up to 2 million litres of water cascade over them every second.
00:09Now the Reds will be trailing their red, white and blue smoke directly over them.
00:14Niagara Falls sits in a national park that is on the border of Canada and US
00:18so when you're trying to coordinate air traffic control
00:20it's not one country you're dealing with now but it's two
00:23with different procedures and different expectations.
00:27And it's first year pilot Greg Rogston who's responsible for planning the flypast.
00:33Niagara Falls was always going to be a high point I think for any of us on the team.
00:36For me personally that was one of the sorties I was required to plan
00:40and navigate on behalf of the team leaders so I'd had my eye on that for quite some time
00:45even before we'd left the UK. Certainly I was feeling under pressure
00:48because I knew the importance of achieving that flypast.
00:53It won't just be the pilots who get to enjoy this flight.
00:57Their circus engineers will be travelling in the back during the flypast too.
01:02Niagara Falls is going to be a great thing to be a part of.
01:06I've never seen it in person so to be able to fly over it in a Red Hawk
01:09could be a fantastic opportunity.
01:11They probably get a better view than most of the pilots.
01:14they can really revel in some of the enjoyment of the sortie
01:17which just adds to the experience of flying in the back of a fast jet over the US and Canada.
01:23The pilots need to arrive with precision, putting on their smoke at exactly the right time.
01:29It's down to Gregor to monitor the weather and several layers of cloud threaten their approach.
01:35Just seeing that water leading into Niagara Falls appear, sudden relief from my point of view
01:40that we were going to be able to get down, get underneath the clouds and over the top of the falls themselves.
01:45It's a perfect backdrop for a flypast and we managed to put on the red, white and blue at exactly the right time.
02:06The execution of it went really well, mainly thanks to the help of all the air traffic people we've coordinated with.
02:27The Niagara flypast has gone exactly to plan, but the journey isn't over yet.
02:33Gregor must now navigate a landing into Canada's busiest airport, Pearson International, which handles over a thousand flights a day.
02:44When you operate out of a huge airport like Toronto Pearson, because it's a commercial airport,
02:48they're doing us a favour by allowing us to land there, so we need to be slick.
02:52The Reds join a landing flight path used by giant passenger jets, more than 20 times their size.
02:59It has to be coordinated with precision. They get clearance to land, carefully line up and touch down on schedule.
03:08That was pretty epic. I mean, Matt was obviously being able to look out the window, I'm just looking at the boss, but you seemed pretty happy with it, didn't you?
03:27Yeah, it was incredible. Like, one of the best experiences of my life, flying over there. Absolutely amazing.
03:33Really honoured to be part of that and just to be a little bit part of history, really.
03:41They're on a high, but they still need a debrief.
03:45In for the routes itself, seem to work very well.
03:49The big thing for me though, other than personal learning, is the cohort for that one. It was quite a lot of work to coordinate it all.
03:55I thought it was well handled, a lot of injects there, so good effort. We're fairly squeaky today, we just need to make sure we are for the rest of the week.
04:02Toronto, Canada's largest city, sits on the shore of Lake Ontario. It's a metropolis of soaring skyscrapers, including one of the world's tallest structures, the CN Tower.
04:19In less than 24 hours, the Reds will stage a fly-pass and practice their display over this distinctive shoreline.
04:27The CN Tower, which whilst it will make for some great shots, does come with challenges of how you're allowed to fly around it.
04:36But the pressure doesn't end there. Another world-class aerobatic team will be joining them.
04:42And in a big break with tradition, they'll have a passenger on board.
04:46A man who's flown further, faster and higher than almost any other pilot in history.
04:52We don't take anyone flying with us lightly. It just isn't done unless there's a very good reason for it.
04:58It was quite clear that this was a very important person.
05:02There's a lot at stake.
05:07The Red Arrows are taking America. Now four weeks into their mammoth tour, they're about to fly over Toronto with a special guest on board.
05:16Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield became world famous after his stint as commander of the International Space Station.
05:25He's now preparing for a very different type of flight, in the backseat of a Red Arrows Hawkjet.
05:31And it's making the news.
05:33...participating in this year's show, Mr. Chris Hadfield. Hello, sir. It's a pleasure to see you.
05:37It's a delight to be here and a wonderful treat to be able to fly with the Red Arrows. What a dream comes through.
05:42It's got to be an honour for you guys to fly with a gentleman like this who's got such a distinguished career in aviation.
05:48It absolutely is. It's an incredible honour. We're so pleased that we could do this. It doesn't get more inspirational than this.
05:54When we met Chris Hadfield, the fighter pilot who became an astronaut for over 20 years, instantly the pressure's on. We want to show him what we can do.
06:02He might have walked in space, but he still has to go through all the safety checks before he's allowed to fly in the backseat.
06:12Relatively healthy today. Should be all right.
06:14First, he needs to get kitted up in essential survival gear. A protective helmet and oxygen mask.
06:24This is real work now. It's a little impersonal bit, man. That's all right. We just met.
06:30And a special G-suit to stop him blacking out during high-speed manoeuvres.
06:35To meet somebody who's been to space is just absolutely out of this world.
06:38I suppose it's quite a personal thing fitting up somebody. We always have a bit of chat with them.
06:42You're looking around a mess with all this stuff.
06:47And despite getting a NASA check-up every year, he still needs an assessment by the Red's medical team.
06:54So all we need to do is just check your measurements.
06:56Put your arms out straight with your nose closed. That'll be great.
07:01Before a final safety briefing.
07:04I don't know what the handles look like in this ejection seat.
07:07They'll show me what they do. They'll show you. Yeah, so it's yellow and black.
07:10It's just a centre? Yeah, exactly.
07:13One of the biggest raison d'etre's for our team is to inspire a younger generation.
07:19And you don't get more inspiring, I think, than an astronaut.
07:25And it's going to get even better.
07:27Chris and the Red Arrows are going to be joined by their Canadian Air Force counterparts,
07:32the Snowbirds, in an extraordinary 18-jet formation.
07:37Quite a monumental task to undertake. Two military formation display teams flying 18 jets over Toronto.
07:46Like the Reds, they fly nine jets and all are elite pilots with frontline military experience.
07:52I've met a couple of the guys I've worked in operations with and met overseas.
07:57And then just through training, working with the people from the UK, it's awesome.
08:02They're a great ally and we're very proud to be associated with that.
08:06This is the first time the two teams will have flown together for 17 years.
08:11I think there's a little friendly rivalry and we want to perform in front of our buddies and then show them what we can do.
08:17And we push ourselves to perform our best.
08:20I'd have to say I'm a little green with envy on their smoke plan.
08:23Seeing the different colours that they're able to put out, we'd really like to see something like that behind our planes some days.
08:28Before taking to the skies, Chris Hadfield joins the Reds for a detailed pre-flight briefing.
08:35Let's talk through hazards. Clearly the big one on everyone's mind is the buildings.
08:45With nine extra jets joining their formation and an astronaut on board, there's even more to talk through.
08:52We've briefed the snowbirds, mixed formation, any questions on the colours of the smoke, fine.
08:59So the maple colours for the big battle, Serial 1, white Concorde smokes for Serial 2.
09:05All 18 jets have been given the all-clear for take-off.
09:09It's time for Chris to strap in and buckle up for the ride.
09:17The last time he took a photo of the snowbirds was in 2013.
09:21from on board the International Space Station, 370 kilometres above Earth.
09:28Today, he gets a much closer view.
09:31A joint flight pass with two display teams doesn't just happen.
09:35I talk to the formation leader.
09:37He's putting his trust in me that we're going to be in the right place at the right time.
09:41Both teams complete an epic formation flight over Lake Ontario.
09:53The snowbirds return to land, clearing the airspace.
09:59Now, Chris gets the extremely rare opportunity to stay in the jet as the Reds practice their routine.
10:06And three.
10:10Off.
10:11Off the brakes.
10:13Go.
10:14And pull it.
10:16Go.
10:17Go.
10:18You've got an astronaut in your backseat over the skyscrapers of Toronto on Lake Ontario shorefront.
10:24It was a magical moment.
10:25That was fun.
10:26You've got to ride.
10:27Did you enjoy that?
10:28Yeah, it was fun.
10:29You guys were real tight.
10:30You were probably the tightest.
10:31That was awesome.
10:32The other formation team that we saw.
10:33It was awesome.
10:34But never have I been inside one big formation, tucked in an X, 18 planes all beautifully together.
10:48You just look around and wonder if I didn't have so much gear on it would have pinched myself
10:53to even know that I was there.
10:54There was a real buzz when we landed from that fly pass and us just sitting down the back
10:59in our in our trademark battle formation with the Toronto backdrop was stunning.
11:04Phenomenal display for us and one that will live long in the memory.
11:09It's Saturday morning.
11:11And after an epic Friday with Chris Hadfield, it's back to the real business.
11:16The Reds will be displaying at the Canadian International Air Show ahead of the Snowbirds,
11:21who will be the closing act.
11:23So the pressure is on for the Brits.
11:25The Snowbirds fly nine aircraft in formation.
11:28Their aircraft is a training aircraft of a certain vintage.
11:31And just their whole method of operations is exactly the same as the Red Arrows.
11:37The Reds will have to pull out all the stops to stand out.
11:41When you've got two jet teams displaying at an air show, there's always going to be comparisons.
11:46Obviously you always want to go and do the best display and you want to do the best display that day
11:49in front of the public so everyone goes away and says the Red Arrows are the best in the world.
11:53The pilots seize their gap for take-off from Canada's busiest airport.
12:00They head towards the skyline of Toronto and the lakeside display site.
12:05It's an overcast day, but that helps their red, white and blue smoke stand out better than ever.
12:23Their journey back takes them over the Toronto skyline past the 1800 foot tall CN Tower.
12:44And they land in high spirits.
12:51That was an incredible shade for us. Everyone was really pumped up for it.
12:54And it just helped as well that we had perfect conditions.
12:57With the clouds, the smoke colour looked absolutely brilliant across the sky.
13:01So it had really deep red and really vibrant blue and just really stood out.
13:05From down here, it's just overwhelming. It's very amazing.
13:08I took so many videos and pictures.
13:11They were better than our snowbirds maybe. Maybe now, I don't know yet.
13:16The Red Arrows have set the bar high.
13:19But now, it's the turn of the snowbirds.
13:22With the Reds watching from below.
13:26That's very clear. That's very good.
13:46It pains you to say how good they are.
13:48Some of their shapes and how well they hold it and how well they fly it.
13:51It's genuinely really, really impressive.
13:53So we'd doff our caps. I was like, guess what we'd say.
13:59It's really great to see someone from another country doing a really similar job to you.
14:02And just see how they do it. So you can kind of compare notes.
14:05I think we'll be making maybe a couple of their maneuvers maybe for next year.
14:08It was just a brilliant moment for me.
14:10Just to be able to pause, watch the snowbirds do what they do.
14:14And just take a bit of inspiration.
14:16There's plenty of respect. And the feeling is mutual.
14:20When the two teams get to spend some time together at a reception that night.
14:25It's an honour to share the skies. What a great experience it's been.
14:29We got a snowbird hockey puck.
14:31So...
14:33But you can't have a hockey puck without wearing one of these around the UK.
14:37There we go.
14:39Canada has been a success. But now the heat is on. Literally. As the team head south to St. Louis, Missouri.
14:51It's the next stage of their tour, flying the flag for Britain. And they arrive in style. Roaring past the 630 foot high St. Louis arch.
15:02But the temperatures are going to push the team and their jets to the limit.
15:21Yeah, this is definitely the hardest place we've been so far. I'm pretty drenched right now in sweat.
15:30But yeah, it's definitely the most humid we've been to as well. I think that's probably going to be a theme to come now.
15:35I think it's only going to get hotter.
15:37It's 33 degrees Celsius on the tarmac. That's 91 Fahrenheit. And in 70% humidity, it feels even hotter.
15:47For the engineers maintaining the aircraft, it's getting really difficult.
15:52We started off obviously in Canada and then worked our way down. So it's been gradual. This is the hottest we've had it all.
15:57I'm from Manchester. This is killing me.
15:59Medic Andy is on hand in case of emergency.
16:06There you go.
16:08It's all right. Is you just on your own? Do you want another one?
16:10I'm just on one.
16:11It's all right, OK. Sweet. All right, no worries. See you in a little while.
16:14Cheers.
16:15I need to keep an eye on everyone because everyone will be focused on their main jobs, their primary roles.
16:19So I need to make sure that they're kept out of the heat as much as possible.
16:23A little bit difficult here. Make sure they're hydrated and there's no signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, etc.
16:29Lack of concentration.
16:31And it's even worse for the dieting, wrapped up in their protective suits.
16:36I've been in it for about five minutes and I am very hot.
16:41We'll probably stop. We'll do half the jets and then we'll stop, take them off, have a bit of a breather.
16:47Reds on!
16:49Nothing gets in, nothing gets out. So it's very hot in here.
16:54The pilots are also bracing themselves for the temperatures because it could affect how their jets perform.
17:02In high humidity and in high temperatures, the jet is simply not going to perform as well just like a car.
17:08The higher the temperature, the less performance you have.
17:10We have to be really careful when we go into our manoeuvres to allow just that extra bit of safety margin so that we cater for that heat.
17:18And there's another element of tomorrow's display that requires special planning.
17:25Flying alongside the Reds will be a World War II Spitfire.
17:30A little bit of British aviation history together with the Reds and the Spitfire.
17:34So that should be a real spectacle.
17:36We're doing that just before we display so it should be pretty action packed to start the weekend.
17:41The iconic aircraft was among hundreds of Spitfires which provided air support during the D-Day landings.
17:48It's now proudly on show at the Dakota Territory Air Museum.
17:53And pilot Warren Peach gets the honour of flying it.
17:56It was built in March of 1944. It flew 74 missions in World War II.
18:01It's iconic. It's the pride of a nation.
18:05United Kingdom's still very proud of the Spitfire. They should be.
18:08The Spitfire will join the Reds at the start of their show.
18:12Timing will be everything.
18:14When you've got another new pilot there flying a Spitfire,
18:18the planning required just takes on an exponential stage.
18:22We need to talk about speeds. It's slow. We need to slow down.
18:26And we need to think about what we're going to do if he can't rejoin us.
18:29Hope I don't screw up. You know, I don't want to make a mistake.
18:32The day of the air show has arrived.
18:37The pilots climb into their jets at the last possible minute.
18:41As you shut the canopy, you're pretty much in a greenhouse until the engine's up at full power.
18:45Until you're in the air and the conditioning's not getting you cool,
18:48you're then getting hotter and hotter.
18:50In scorching heat, they're about to perform their first ever display in the skies of St. Louis.
18:57Really high temperatures and the humidity just makes everyone tired.
19:01And with a vintage plane alongside them, there's no room for error.
19:09As the Red Arrow's North American tour takes them further south, the temperature is rising.
19:15They're facing sweltering conditions during their first ever appearance at the Spirit of St. Louis air show.
19:22In high humidity and extreme heat, the pilots are preparing to take off.
19:28The heat definitely affected me.
19:30I'm a Yorkshire burner. You can see by my complexion. I'm not made for the heat. I prefer to be really cold.
19:35Once in the air, they prepare for a special opening formation, joined by the World War II Spitfire.
19:44The Reds get into position. They need to keep a close eye on their speed to allow the 75-year-old fighter to keep up.
19:53That brings with it a level of complexity. The speed differences, a Spitfire doing 180 knots of ISR, 300 knots, and a pilot that we've never flown with before.
20:14I mean, what a brilliant way to start an air show. But then, you know, once the Spitfire is spit off, we have to go and then do our thing and show what we could do.
20:22... we could do.
20:24Eats down nine, rule, go!
20:26...
20:28...
20:30...
20:32...
20:34...
20:35...
20:36...
20:37...
20:38...
20:39...
20:40...
20:42...
20:43...
20:47...
20:48Les Reds ont batté l'eau et l'humidité, et ont pris un bon display.
21:02Ils n'ont jamais eu de Spitfire ici à Saint-Louis, et ils n'ont jamais eu de Red Arrows.
21:06C'était très iconique pour eux, et la réaction était phénoménale.
21:10Il y a juste temps pour un petit débrief.
21:13Et finalement, ils peuvent prendre des respites du soleil.
21:25Je ne peux pas changer de t-shirt, je ne peux pas changer d'appliance.
21:28C'est incroyable, c'est incroyable.
21:31Un des plus grands et plus ambitieux dans leur 55-year-histoire,
21:36les images capturés durant cette tour seront souvenirs pour des années à venir.
21:41Et team photographer Adam Fletcher, known as Fletch,
21:44a été tasked avec d'avoir un peu plus de 100 personnes ensemble pour la photo.
21:50C'est génial, c'est long qu'on peut gulp dans une straighte ligne.
21:53Je pense qu'on a crossé un petit peu.
22:01Oh !
22:02Oh, c'est un peu plus tilté que j'avais imaginé.
22:05C'est ce qui se fait.
22:07C'est ce qui se fait.
22:08C'est ce qui se fait.
22:09C'est ce qu'on a fait.
22:10C'est ce qu'on a fait.
22:11C'est ce qu'on a fait.
22:14C'est ce qu'on a fait, si on a ce niveau.
22:16Et maintenant, il y a un autre problème.
22:18Oh no !
22:19All ce de la smoking va affecter mon photo.
22:22C'est ce qu'il faut que j'ai pu faire de l'air.
22:24C'est ce qu'il faut faire de l'air.
22:26et obtenir le tour de la tour n'est pas facile.
22:30On va essayer, c'est comme les cats.
22:36Finalement, c'est le travail d'une.
22:48Le tour de la tour a été relentless
22:51et ils sont bientôt sur le tour,
22:54sur le tour de Houston à Fort Worth en Texas,
22:58et enfin, une chance pour un peu d'outime.
23:01Fort Worth est à l'heure du mid-point de la tour
23:04et je pense que les gens ont commencé à être un peu tired.
23:07Nous avons été on le go, et je pense que les gens sont vraiment prêts pour un rest.
23:12Avec un deux-day-gap dans leur schedule,
23:14c'est une chance de s'assurer que les collègues de l'eau,
23:17et d'avoir un peu de team-bonding sur le terrain.
23:20Donc, en temperatures maintenant dans les 30s,
23:23ils sont en train d'une authentique Texas rodeo.
23:27Je ne peux pas venir à un rodeo sans un cow-boy.
23:29C'est vraiment important,
23:31c'est juste quelque chose qui peut complètement déstressant.
23:33C'est très difficile de se faire.
23:34C'est très difficile de se faire.
23:35C'est la seule façon de se déficit d'un côté
23:37d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté.
23:39C'est très difficile de se déficit d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté.
23:43Je ne vais pas pas voir ce genre de t'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté d'un côté.
23:51C'est pas mon premier rodeo.
23:52C'est pas mon premier rodeo.
23:53C'est mon premier rodeo.
23:54C'est mon premier rodeo.
23:56Le plus beau, après ça, je vais te dire,
23:58c'est pas mon premier rodeo.
23:59J'ai aimé.
24:00J'ai aimé.
24:01Pour nous, vous savez,
24:02nous sommes de relaxes,
24:03en train de se rendre en sorte de l'environnement,
24:05c'était vraiment un équilibre pour notre équipe.
24:17Les Reds ne sont pas en train de nez en TX,
24:20mais ils ont un très important duty.
24:25Ils ont travelled à Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery
24:28pour un special ceremony
24:29marquant Battle of Britain Memorial Day.
24:34Myself and Lydia are laying a wreath
24:35en commemoration,
24:36donc c'est un important day,
24:37et surtout pour nous dans le Royal Air Force.
24:40During that time,
24:41the RAF fighters
24:43were 3-1 against the Germans.
24:45It took a lot of guts.
24:47A whole lot.
24:50Almost 50,000 US Service personnel
24:53are buried here.
24:54It's a poignant reminder
24:56of the shared sacrifice
24:57of two old allies.
24:59If you don't think of what happened in the past,
25:01and the hardship the RAF suffered,
25:04the history could be repeated.
25:06And you don't want that.
25:08It's important to pass this on.
25:10It gave everyone that chance
25:12to reflect and think about
25:13what those people had given
25:14in the ultimate sacrifice,
25:15and realise that
25:16whilst this was an important tour,
25:18it was nowhere near as important
25:19as what we were there to remember.
25:20After their Texas break,
25:22the tour is back on.
25:23From Fort Worth,
25:24the Reds fly over cowboy country
25:26to Colorado Springs,
25:27before a short hop
25:28to Colorado's state capital, Denver,
25:30also known as the Mile High City.
25:32They're going to land at the highest airport
25:33they've ever been to,
25:34Denver's Rocky Mountain Metropolitan.
25:35We're landing here at 6,000 feet above sea level.
25:37None of us have ever landed
25:38a hawk at that elevation.
25:39It's over a mile up.
25:40So very tricky,
25:41right on the performance limit of the jet.
25:42The Reds fly over the cowboy country
25:43to Colorado Springs,
25:44before a short hop
25:45to Colorado's state capital, Denver,
25:46also known as the Mile High City.
25:48They're going to land at the highest airport
25:49they've ever been to,
25:50Denver's Rocky Mountain Metropolitan.
25:52We're landing here at 6,000 feet above sea level.
25:55None of us have ever landed a hawk
25:56at that elevation.
25:57It's over a mile up,
25:58so very tricky,
25:59right on the performance limit of the jet.
26:01We're landing here at 6,000 feet above sea level.
26:04Tomorrow, the Rockies are due to provide a spectacular backdrop
26:08for a Red Arrow's fly past.
26:11But just minutes after landing,
26:13there's a major problem.
26:15As soon as we landed we shut down.
26:17A lot of our aircraft,
26:18the tyre started deflating.
26:20Jets came into land
26:22and as they were shutting down
26:24you heard, like, noises.
26:26There's quite an audible noise
26:28and you hear the hiss
26:29and you hear one tyre go
26:30and you hear another one
26:32and then you hear another.
26:33Then you hear another.
26:34Then you hear another one.
26:36Seven tyres have unexpectedly deflated,
26:39putting six jets instantly out of action.
26:42Seven is quite a lot of tyres to go in one session.
26:45I think a record for anyone's memory
26:47of anything on any other squadron as well.
26:50The problem has been caused by the tyres overheating.
26:53An emergency safety mechanism has kicked in,
26:56forcing them to deflate.
26:59We knew that operating altitude comes with risk
27:02and the real big difference is when you're landing.
27:04And clearly, the guys are using their brakes,
27:05it's 30 degrees C outside
27:07and just the friction caused these tyres to go.
27:10We only had about a 15-minute flight from Colorado Springs,
27:13so usually the wheels would probably have time to cool down,
27:15but they just didn't without short transit.
27:17Engineers carry out urgent repair work late into the night.
27:22I was hugely disappointed.
27:25My thoughts were,
27:26we can't do anything about what's just happened,
27:28we just need to make sure it's not going to happen again.
27:34By the next morning,
27:35all the flat tyres have been replaced,
27:37but now they urgently need more spares.
27:40We're going to have to try and get more tyres out to us
27:43because we've pretty much exhausted a lot of our supply.
27:45We've only got one left at the moment.
27:47The A400M support plane is taking an advanced crew
27:51to get set up at their next location, Portland.
27:55Once it lands, it can bring back more spares to Denver.
27:59But there's another setback.
28:02As the giant aircraft comes in to land at Portland,
28:05it suffers multiple bird strikes.
28:08There was a cascade of strikes on the aircraft.
28:13Most of the people on board will have noticed
28:15a succession of thuds all in one go.
28:18A whole flock of birds has hit the plane.
28:21Three of them have hit on the nose.
28:24There are three strikes on the leading edge of the wings,
28:27and at least two have hit the engine intakes.
28:33Oh, I can see it on the brakes.
28:37When I heard about the A400 then suffering a bird strike,
28:40on top of everything that had already happened,
28:42that was probably one of those moments where I thought,
28:44do we just need to stop for a day or two
28:47and regather again and work out what's the right thing to do here?
28:53With the support aircraft out of action,
28:55there's no quick way to get more spare wheels to Denver.
28:58To make matters worse, the A400M is also crucial for transporting the team
29:05and all their equipment around the States.
29:08It's a massive blow.
29:10I'm not a superstitious man, but it felt like we were slightly jinxed
29:13for those couple of days.
29:15The Reds now face a dilemma.
29:20Do they carry on with today's flypast with just one spare tire?
29:25We can't afford for that to happen again
29:27because we just don't have the spare,
29:29so then you have to have that, you know, discussion.
29:31It's like, do we cancel?
29:34The whole point of us travelling to Denver was to put on this display
29:37as a bespoke flypast, and here we were,
29:40possibly facing not being able to achieve that.
29:44The team comes up with a plan
29:46to help reduce the risk of more problems.
29:49We're getting straight to the runway,
29:51we get straight airborne,
29:52we leave the wheels down to cool for a little bit,
29:55and then just a whole bunch of procedures like that
29:57means that we hopefully don't have the same issue again.
30:00With a plan in place, they're going ahead with the flypast.
30:04Regardless of the size of the audience,
30:06we are there for a reason.
30:07We are there to put on a red arrows display,
30:09and it mattered not whether there were 200 or 2 million people watching.
30:14We never want to cancel the show,
30:16we never want to let anyone down
30:18because everyone deserves the same performance
30:20and they all expect a certain performance from the red arrows.
30:22They are committed.
30:24All the team on the ground can do is wait.
30:28We can only hope that was a one-off event.
30:31If they suffer another tire issue,
30:33these aircraft will not be able to leave tomorrow.
30:35The Nine Hawk jets take to the sky.
30:42Tight, there.
30:44And on the ground, the invited guests gather to watch.
30:48Red.
30:49Colour on.
30:50Go.
30:53Reversing.
30:54Left.
30:55Now.
30:56Holding the bank.
30:58Now.
30:59Tight.
31:00Next.
31:03Rolling.
31:04Out.
31:05So far, so good.
31:06The Reds make a careful landing, one jet at a time,
31:20leaving bigger gaps for stopping distance to protect the tires as much as possible.
31:35It's a tense moment.
31:37We increased our space on landing, which would prevent us having to use the brakes as quickly and as forcefully as we may have done the day before.
31:45We also delayed putting the parking brake on as well, so we made sure the chocks were straight in as soon as we landed.
31:53The engineers carefully checked the tires, and this time they've survived the landing intact.
31:59We all had a great sigh of relief when we all landed. All tires serviceable. It proved that the mitigations put in place for us to go and do that fly past worked.
32:12Tomorrow, the pilots are flying their jets to Portland, the next location on the tour.
32:17But there's a serious issue for everyone else. The A400M Transporter, which is supposed to be flying the engineers and their equipment, is grounded hundreds of miles away because of a bird strike.
32:35The team are forced to send all their vital kit by road on an epic thousand mile journey.
32:41But if the support aircraft can't be fixed, the rest of the tour faces an uncertain future.
32:52The Red Arrows are taking America. After major setbacks in Denver, they're now en route to Portland.
32:59Portland is the furthest west the team have ever been, and we knew that, and it was definitely a new terrain for us.
33:04The Reds land at Portland International Airport, and are reunited with the A400M transport aircraft.
33:1224 hours ago, it struck a flock of birds while landing here.
33:17Before it can fly again, engineers need to be sure there's no serious damage.
33:22There's a number of inspections that the aircraft has to go through before it can be released for any further flights.
33:27The aircraft has to be carefully checked over. If they discover any faults, it could have a drastic impact on the next stage of the tour.
33:38In the worst case scenario, it could even require an engine replacement, which obviously we don't have out here at the moment.
33:47The whole team is now feeling the effects of a difficult 48 hours.
33:51We'd had a really awkward couple of days with the A400 breaking down and the stuff that had gone on in Denver.
33:58And that's when I looked around all of my team and realised that we're probably working at a heightened fatigue level here.
34:05And Portland was a challenge.
34:08The Reds are headlining the Oregon International Air Show across the weekend,
34:13and have been booked to perform two displays in front of 65,000 people.
34:17But this year, the show has been relocated from its normal venue, and the new site isn't suitable for the Hawks to land on.
34:27The airfield that we were based out of, the International Airport of Portland,
34:31was about an hour and a half to two hours' driving time away from the airfield where the airshow was being conducted.
34:36It was the getting to and from the show site that was always going to be difficult.
34:43It was going to be very challenging for us to just get the formation out safely.
34:47They need the weather to be on their side, to and from the show.
34:51And it's also been several days since the Reds performed their full display.
34:55Adding to my ways was the knowledge that skill fades ever-present, and I knew that the guys were feeling that.
35:02I knew that they were looking at the weather forecast for a particularly tricky couple of days.
35:07And they were worrying about their own performance, and that always just adds to that heightened level of tension.
35:12It's Saturday, the first day of the airshow. The Reds get into their jets to make their way to the display site.
35:25But they still need to keep a constant eye on the weather.
35:29Although there was a little bit of cloud over the high ground, it was just good enough to skirt around a lot better than the forecast.
35:35Hurty keeps in contact with Red 10 to decide the safest route to the airshow site, avoiding areas of low cloud.
35:46The bigger gaps are crowd left and around show centre. Crowd right is a little bit more, but there are big gaps there.
35:54For the arrival, if you run in over show centre, it should be good control.
35:58It's time to show the crowds what they can do.
36:01Fault in the front. Now.
36:058 and 9, roll, go!
36:14Roll, go!
36:188 and 9, roll, go!
36:248 and 9, roll, go!
36:56The A400M support aircraft is undergoing further engine tests after the damaging bird strike.
37:03Several tonnes of essential equipment have to reach Vancouver on schedule if the Reds are to display there in a few days' time.
37:11And with the big transporter still not airworthy, time is running out.
37:16The decision is taken. The heavy pallets will have to go by road again.
37:21Our job is to move everything that the Red Arrows could possibly need around the world.
37:28And so it's been a long few weeks and then we come across things like this where we have to adapt and overcome.
37:35We'll take that in as well.
37:36It's Sunday and for day two of the air show, the weather is not looking good.
37:45Once again, it's down to Purty to decide whether it's safe to go ahead with the display.
37:51We've got an hour and a half until our display time and we kind of have to display at that time.
37:56There's no potential to delay just because of the way the airspace is constructed.
38:00So, you know, I've got to make a call in the next 10 or 15 minutes.
38:03It's always on my shoulders as to whether what we're doing is safe and that's why I've just got to remind myself.
38:09At the air show site, it's also looking bleak.
38:12So there's bad weather between us and the airport.
38:15There's more rain on the way. There's more low cloud on the way.
38:20Weather updates from the ground at the air show site help Purty make his decision.
38:25I'm in fairly constant communication with Red One.
38:28He'll be talking to the met man back at the operating base.
38:31And then it's really looking at the gaps in the cloud, whether it's feasible that we could get the nine aircraft down through those gaps and safely do a display.
38:39So I've just spoken to Coz who's down at the show site and he said the weather's, it's getting worse, it's not getting better.
38:46The show's off. It's a disappointment for everyone.
38:51There's definitely no chance of us flying today as well.
38:53I never take a weather decision lightly because I know that there's a paying audience who are absolutely desperate to see us fly in a new part of the world we've never been to.
39:01But we had to cancel the display.
39:04Ultimately, you know, safety overrules what we do and we had to be safe that day.
39:08We just physically couldn't get the jets in there safely.
39:12This is the first display on the tour they've had to cancel.
39:16At the air show site, it's down to Red 10 Adam Collins to break the news.
39:23Unfortunately, we've had to take the very difficult decision that we will be cancelling the Red Arrow's performance today.
39:29There's lots of people who've heard about us, who've travelled a long way to see us.
39:33So having to pick up the microphone and announce to the people there that we weren't going to be able to put the display on was difficult.
39:40So a very difficult decision for us to take.
39:43I'm sure it's very disappointing for you all, but it is equally disappointing for us.
39:47Any time we cancel, it's deeply, deeply disappointing because we know we're letting people down, but we left it to the last possible moment, hoping that the weather would clear up.
39:56And unfortunately, it just didn't improve enough for us to put on that show.
40:00The challenges faced in Denver and Portland have put a huge strain on the team, and the tour is still far from over.
40:09The next two weeks, we'll see them travel all the way down the West Coast.
40:14And after a series of disappointing setbacks, their ambitious final leg could now be even more challenging.
40:22It just felt like we were kind of swimming in treacle.
40:24You could feel it around the room. It was pretty gloomy, and I think probably some of our more tricky times on the tour.
Recommandations
27:53