The Red Pelicans were one of a number of

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

display teams of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

before the

Red Arrows The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force (RAF) based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-Royal Air Force team, replacing several un ...

were selected to represent the service in 1965. The Red Pelicans flew the

BAC Jet Provost The BAC Jet Provost is a British jet trainer aircraft that was in use with the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1955 to 1993. It was originally developed by Hunting Percival from the earlier piston engine-powered Percival Provost basic trainer, and l ...

aircraft.

History

In 1958, the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

based at RAF Little Rissington formed a four-ship aerobatics display team of Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.1s, known simply as ''The Sparrows''. The team had previously flown with the

Percival Provost The Percival P.56 Provost is a basic trainer aircraft that was designed and manufactured by British aviation company Hunting Aircraft, Percival. During the 1950s, the Provost was developed for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a replacement for the ...

. The following year this team was renamed ''The Redskins''. In 1960, the aircraft were replaced with the Jet Provost T.3 and the team renamed ''The Pelicans'' after the mascot of the Central Flying School. The team's aircraft had no special markings applied, but wore the standard silver and orange day-glow training colours of the day. Halfway through the 1962 season, the team re-equipped with four Jet Provost T.4s and a smoke system was also fitted to each of the display aircraft and thus the ''Red Pelicans'' team was born, and they performed at shows up and down the country, including the annual SBAC show Farnborough in September 1962. The 1963 season saw the team extended to six aircraft. The aircraft were also given a new colour scheme, with the standard training colours replaced by overall day-glow red. At the end of the display season the RAF decided that the Red Pelicans should be the premier Royal Air Force aerobatic team for the 1964 air show season, led by Flt. Lt. T.E.L. Lloyd. The Pelicans replaced the No. 56 Squadron RAF "Firebirds"

English Electric Lightning The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It is capable of a top speed above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured ...

team in the role. In 1965, the

took over the role of the RAF's aerobatic team and the Red Pelicans were trimmed down to four aircraft without a smoke system facility. They were also re-painted into a post-box-red scheme. The Red Pelicans continued to entertain the crowds at air shows, often alongside the

, until they were forced to disband at the end of the 1973 season by the

1973 oil crisis In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Eg ...

References

External links

Brief history of the Red PelicansIndividual Jet Provost service histories
{{Modern aerobatic teams, autocollapse Royal Air Force

Red Pelicans The Red Pelicans were one of a number of aerobatics display teams of the Royal Air Force before the Red Arrows were selected to represent the service in 1965. The Red Pelicans flew the BAC Jet Provost aircraft. History In 1958, the Central Fl ...