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Within 20 minutes, the Royal Air Force aerobatic team flew over the Expo site, leaving red, white and blue steam trails.
For the past four years, Steve Morrison has been using the British Red Arrows to conquer the sky-but on Friday, he and the team conducted the last airshow. “It’s unbelievable,” he said when recalling a bird’s-eye view of Dubai’s “super city” built for Expo 2020.
“It hit me now. The Expo exhibition is my last exhibition and it will be a souvenir,” Morrison told Khaleej Times.
Within 20 minutes, the world-famous Royal Air Force aerobatic team “Red Arrows” flew over the Expo site, leaving behind red, white and blue steam trails. Nine jets galloped through the sky in a series of breathtaking low-altitude and high-altitude precision maneuvers.
For the audience on the ground, this is an amazing airshow-but for Morrison, it is a sight worth remembering.
“The 2020 Dubai Expo is huge. From above, it is a big city, but more importantly, it is an extraordinary project,” said the squadron leader, who has been immersed in various terrains around the world.
He said that Dubai is “different” from other urban landscapes, and holding a show in the emirate faces unique challenges.
“The performance of the aircraft will decrease in hot weather, so we have to focus on accuracy. At this temperature, the aircraft will take longer to accelerate and the speed will decrease,” he said.
Morrison, who flew over Dubai in 2013, said the city is now “completely unique”.
“I remember flying over the Palm Island, Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab during my last visit. The scenery is completely different now, but I have to say that the Palm Island is a treat from above.”
He added: “Flying here, we will encounter uniqueness in contrast. When we take off, our eyes are attracted by different colors: yellow sun, blue water and brown desert. But , As you approach Dubai, the terrain will turn into islands and buildings, just below our plane. The aerial view of the city is spectacular.”
Morrison has been dreaming of joining Red Arrow since he first watched an air show in the UK as a child. At that time, he knew he needed to start the course at the age of 13 and train for about 8 years so that he was qualified to fly a fighter jet.
“I became a licensed pilot when I was 21. Indeed, I was lucky,” he shared.
“The application process is very long, initially only 30 were selected. Of the 30 people, 9 were selected for Red Arrow training, and only 3 people were selected in a year. In addition, it takes 15 years and 1,500 fast jets It takes only flying hours to qualify for the team.”
This is of course an elite team. After all, Red Arrow is the British ambassador. “It is extremely important to find the right person for the stunt performance,” Morrison said.
ayaz@khaleejtimes.com
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