The RAF Red Arrows flew directly over parts of Greater Manchester on Sunday afternoon, with residents taking to social media to share their surprise at the unexpected display.
The iconic squadron was part of the schedule for the Southport Air Show, which took place over the August bank holiday weekend at the coastal town. The display also featured The Starlings, Typhoon, and the Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers, though the latter was forced to cancel due to adverse weather conditions.
Route and Timing
As part of their involvement in the air show, the Red Arrows were set to fly over Lymm, onto Altrincham, and then directly over the city centre, before heading out into Tameside and Oldham. From there, the team was due to return to their base at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.
The squadron was originally expected over Manchester at around 5.15pm for a special flyover, but the timing was brought forward due to timetable changes. The Red Arrows actually flew over Manchester shortly before 4pm on Sunday.
Hospital Flypast
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust had announced the flypast, saying the Red Arrows would be doing it to 'support them and create a memorable moment' for the children receiving care at the Children's Hospital.
In a post, the Trust said: "We're excited to share that this bank holiday weekend we're in for a real treat - and we want you to enjoy it with us... The world-famous RAF Red Arrows will be carrying out a flypast over Royal Manchester Children's Hospital this Sunday at around 5.15pm - subject to weather and other operational factors on the day. The flypast will form part of the team’s existing, planned transit back to their Lincolnshire home base, having displayed earlier at the Southport Airshow."
Social Media Reactions
Mancunians took to social media to report what they had seen. @MannyRVP wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Not every day the red arrows fly over your house and directly outside your window lmfao." @Peek0320 said: "RAF red arrows over droylsden love to see it."
Another person, @murvic, wrote: "Red arrows just did a fly by us," while IanPam7 said: "Red arrows just flew 1000ft above my gaff. Genuinely thought a plane was coming down." @queenofaerobics commented: "Just minding my own business doing the ironing and the Red Arrows have just flown overhead!"
X user @Mikethebotanist was disappointed to have almost missed the flyover, writing: "So the RAF Red Arrows came through an hour earlier than the times I had seen on here and only caught the back of them." Residents living in Sale, Trafford, and other South Manchester areas including Chorlton reported seeing the Red Arrows.
