45(R) SQUADRON KING AIR DISPLAY

Flown by Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) from 45(Reserve) Squadron based at Royal Air Force Cranwell in Lincolnshire, the Royal Air Force King Air Display returns for its fourth season. Having been with the display from the start, Flight Lieutenant Leon Creese returns, joined this year by Flight Lieutenants Ian Birchall and Rich Davies. The Sqn has a fleet of seven B200s and three B200GT models. With the support of the Station Commander and the Officer Commanding 45(R) Sqn, Leon created the display from scratch early in 2008. The King Air had never been displayed by the Royal Air Force before, and to the best of anyone’s knowledge, it had never previously been displayed anywhere. Having validated single manoeuvres at height the display sequence was developed on paper, combining a sequence of known manoeuvres into a coherent display that was dynamic, aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to watch. The result was a smooth, precise and compact display which led to the team enjoying an extremely successful debut season and saw Leon and co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Duncan Wright win the Wright Jubilee Trophy for the best display by a RAF training aircraft.