Reds Watch

Unfortunately, the weather gods won the battle today. Hopefully plenty of you were still able to enjoy a glimpse of the Reds along their transit route.

The Red Arrows are now airborne ahead of the planned Gassed On Track appearance at Silverstone, but conditions appear to be presenting the challenges that were anticipated earlier in the day.

Low cloud, showers and generally unsettled weather across the area look to be restricting display opportunities, with any meaningful aerobatic activity dependent on a suitable break in the conditions. As things stand, the weather remains the key factor and may continue to limit what is possible.

For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the team, it is worth keeping a close eye on live tracking services and official Red Arrows social media channels. Any deviation from the expected routing or last-minute operational changes could provide an opportunity to see the aircraft, even if display plans are affected.

At this stage, all eyes are on whether a brief weather window opens up. We will not be providing any further updates from here, so live tracking platforms remain the best source for the latest movements. Gassed on track are Live Streaming the event on youtube, should a display be possible @officially_gassed

The Red Arrows are currently scheduled to fly a display at Gassed On Track, Silverstone, at 1530 BST today. The key uncertainty heading into the slot is the weather, which looks to be mixed throughout the morning and is expected to remain changeable into the afternoon.

Forecast conditions around display time point to overcast skies with light rain showers moving through the area, a fresh south-westerly breeze, and gusts pushing into the low 30 mph range. Most importantly, the cloud base is expected to sit around 1,700 ft, which is right on the lower end for meaningful display options and could heavily influence what is possible on the day.

Depending on what is observed in real time, the team may be working within the Low Cloud profile envelope, which restricts the display to formation flypasts, steep turns and general positioning work without looping elements. If conditions improve and cloud lifts, there is potential for a more expanded profile, with the Rolling or Full Display options becoming available.

For now though, it very much comes down to whether a short operational window opens up between showers and cloud layers aligning just right. Here’s hoping for a brief window of opportunity at display time.

Following an earlier delayed departure, a new NOTAM was issued scheduling a 14:00 BST departure from RAF Valley. The Red Arrows have now taken off on time and are currently airborne, tracking toward RAF Waddington. The full formation can be followed live on FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange, and our Tracking page for the likely transit route using the links below. Heads-up, Machynlleth/Bala!

Facebook groups are reporting that a single Red Arrow has departed RAF Valley and is currently being tracked on FlightRadar24 under the callsign REDARROW. The remaining aircraft have not yet departed as of this time. UPDATE: NOTAM ISSUED FOR 1400 DEPARTURE.

The Red Arrows will be departing RAF Valley at around 11:30 BST later this morning, returning to their home base at RAF Waddington — subject to the usual weather and operational caveats. Yesterday's earlier repositioning flight from Waddington to Valley, flown ahead of last evening's display, was trackable live on both FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange.

The Red Arrows are scheduled to perform over the Isle of Man TT Races around 19:30 BST on Thursday 4 June 2026. The team will first reposition from RAF Waddington to RAF Valley earlier in the afternoon, departing Lincolnshire around 15:29 BST and arriving at the Anglesey base at 15:58 BST under a notified formation transit. The Reds are due to depart RAF Valley around 19:13 BST for the evening display, returning at approximately 20:00 BST after completing their TT appearance. The deployment concludes the following morning with a planned return transit from RAF Valley to RAF Waddington, departing around 11:30 BST on Friday 5 June and arriving back at their Lincolnshire home base at 12:00 BST. Timings and routes can change at short notice due to operational or weather requirements — always check the official event page and Red Arrows social media for the latest information. Update: See image below of the Red Arrows transit from RAF Waddington to RAF Valley ahead of the display later. Overlaid FlightRadar24 tracking of this flight.

==Sunday 31 May — Midlands Air Festival==
Two NOTAMs appear to have covered the same display with different times.

1. A display restriction NOTAM gave a window of 1625–1705 UTC (1725–1805 BST), consistent with the display that took place around 1630 UTC (1730 BST).

2. A formation transit NOTAM issued closer to the event included a waypoint labelled "MIDLANDS AIR FEST DISPLAY 1730" — when interpreted as UTC, this would correspond to approximately 1830 BST, an hour later than the earlier NOTAM. Sites appear to have picked up different times depending on which NOTAM they referenced — the display restriction NOTAM looks to have been the more accurate of the two.

* NOTAMs are generally published in UTC, with most public-facing sites converting automatically to BST (to ease consumption and interpretation in local UK time). Where irregularities exist in the source data, those can surface differently across trackers and summaries depending on how each processes the same information — which appears to account for the conflicting times seen this weekend.

==Saturday 30 May — Exeter to East Midlands transit==
The formation transit NOTAM for this routing contained a short section where waypoint times briefly appeared out of sequence.

Timings progressed normally up to SE of Tiverton (1344 UTC / 1444 BST), before three fixes — S of Shepton Mallet (1340 UTC), W of Winsley (1342 UTC), and SE of Quemerford (1345 UTC) — appeared earlier than expected, with normal sequencing resuming at N of Woodmancote (1348 UTC / 1448 BST). Exact real-world timings for those three fixes can't be confirmed, but they likely fell within the short window between the surrounding correctly ordered points.

==Notes==
* A note on formation transit data: Formation transit routes should not be treated as guaranteed viewing opportunities or recommended viewing locations. They are intended to show the planned movement of the aircraft between locations and may not always be followed precisely or result in anything visible from the ground. Within these routes, waypoints marked as Flypast (FP) or Display may indicate a higher likelihood of something visible to the public at that location, but they still do not guarantee a sighting or public appearance. For the most reliable information on where and when the Red Arrows are appearing publicly, the official Red Arrows website remains the best source. We aim to make this clear throughout the site, as transit route data is primarily intended to illustrate aircraft movements rather than confirm viewing locations.

** Information shown on unofficial sites is generally an interpretation of specific NOTAM elements and should not be used for flight planning or operational purposes.

The Red Arrows are scheduled for a 1800 BST display over the Ragley Hall estate this evening. Watch the live stream below including BBMF and hot air balloons. ADVISORY - WE ARE NOT RESPOSIBLE FOR VIDEO CONTENT SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

Day 2 of the English Riviera Airshow is underway over Torbay. Watch the live stream below. ADVISORY - WE ARE NOT RESPOSIBLE FOR VIDEO CONTENT SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

The Red Arrows are due back in the air this evening for Day 2 of the Midlands Air Festival. Departing and returning East Midlands Airport, the formation will complete a full display sequence over the Ragley Hall estate at Alcester. NOTAM-confirmed with 13 waypoints published. When airborne, live tracking may be possible via FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange.

The Red Arrows are expected to transit north from Exeter to position for this evening's Midlands Air Festival display. The route tracks a south-west to Midlands corridor via Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, with 13 published waypoints. Note: the NOTAM timing sequence appears to contain an inconsistency in the mid-route section — times briefly run backwards through the Somerset to Wiltshire segment, affecting the fixes near Shepton Mallet, Winsley and Quemerford. The track geometry is consistent and clearly defined; the most likely explanation is a typo or swapped timing entry in the source NOTAM. When airborne, live tracking may be possible via FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange.

Day 2 of the English Riviera Airshow is expected to get underway this morning with the Red Arrows departing Exeter and tracking south towards the coast. The formation will display over Torbay before returning to Exeter. NOTAM-confirmed with 10 published waypoints. When airborne, live tracking may be possible via FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange.

The Red Arrows have just taken off from Exeter and are tracking south towards the English Riviera. Crowds are already gathering along the seafront at Torbay for what will be the first public display of the 2026 season. Live on FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange now.

Transit to stage for the English Riviera Airshow. 20 waypoints en route.