Red Arrows Take To America

📆 21 Jun 2026 10:40 UTC +01:00
📕 342 words ⏳ 2 min.
🏷️#FlightGear#Gaming

To support the celebrations of 250 years of America’s declaration of independence, the RAF Red Arrows have transited across the Atlantic Ocean to take part in displays over there across the US. So, I am following the route they took over the last 3 days in FlightGear in my BAE Hawk T.1.

The BAE Hawk T.1 can only travel about 700mi on a single load of fuel, with no air-to-air refueling capability, the route has had to be planned meticulously to ensure safe transit.

Below is my journal of the transit flight and the planning that I put into the flight, this will get updated when I complete the rest of the flight in the next week or so.

Journal

2026-06-18 Planning Today, I set about planning the route, and trying to recreate the flight plan that the Reds are using for the real crossing.

• RAF Waddington (EGXW) - England
• Stornoway (EGPO) - Scotland
• Keflavik (BIKF) - Iceland
• Kangerlussauq Airport (BGSF) - Greenland
• Iqaluit International Airport (CYFB) - Canada
• CFB Goose Bay (CYYR) - Canada
• CFB Greenwood (CYZX) - Canada
• Long Island MacArthur Airport (KISP) - US
• Martin State Airport (KMTN) - US

2026-06-19 Planning Today, I got a .gpx route file setup from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, UK to Martin State Airport in Maryland, USA.

2026-06-20 Flying
Today, I began the transit across the Atlantic, I begun the journey at Alpha Apron, RAF Waddington where I took off and turned North and headed to Stornoway in Scotland for a refuel break before flying across the ocean to Iceland. After landing at Keflavik, and a quick refuel, I got back airborne for leg 3 to Greenland. After another quick refuel break in Greenland, I got back to the skies and headed West to Canada. Into Canada with a fuel stop at Iqaluit before flying South to CFB Goose Bay. After landing at Goose Bay, I had a quick debrief and got the following statistics - I travelled 2699nm in 06:41:40 hours, across 5 legs.