by Being a Red Arrows pilot is no easy feat. One person who knows this better than anyone is Michael Bowden, from Cardiff who was a fast fighter pilot and then a Red Arrows demonstration pilot, who served 17 years within the RAF.
From flying around the Statue of Liberty, showing below the height of skyscrapers in Chicago to zooming over the Polar ice caps in Greenland, Michael has seen it all. It all started with a childhood dream that was 30 years in the making – and he has now tried to use the determination he developed during that time in his everyday life after leaving the Reds.
He left the military in 2019 and has now launched a new home care business in Wales, but still has the excitement of experiencing them, which shaped his heart for life. For the latest news from Cardiff, sign up to our newsletter here.
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“Some of the positions where you would be yourself and some of the moments, you really had to pinch and go – how am I doing this and trying to savor every moment of it because it was very special”, a he said in an interview with WalesOnline.
Michael knew, after seeing the Red Arrows fly past during an air show at St. Tathan in Glenna Glenntach at a young age, that was what he wanted to do with his life.. He said: “ It was the first time my eyes were locked on the Red Arrows, and I was that little boy who looked up and went – one day, I want to do that.
“From that day on, it’s been a dream, where I’ve been, whatever it takes – I want to be able to do that because it seems like the coolest, most fun thing ever, and that was the dream until the day. I put on a red suit.”
So what is it really like to be a Red Arrow pilot? One of the main responsibilities of the job is training. Michael said: “You don’t just drop into a Red Arrows plane. Obviously you have to do all your schooling and that probably put a bit more through my education.”
Michael grew up in Newport, and knew exactly what he was aiming for, he made sure he got his A-Levels before graduating to Cardiff in computing and maths.
And after going through some options with the air force, he was sponsored through the university, with a job waiting for him at the end. When he joined the air force as a pilot, he then had to quickly prove himself as a jet pilot by putting in some hours and flying other aircraft.
“And it was in my early twenties after I had completed my fast jet training in Wales when I was told that I had done very well, and that they would like to keep me there for a few years before I go to the front line to train others. ,” he said.
“I made the grades at each of those stages to move on to the next course, flying a faster plane at each stage, which was very scary because suddenly I was teaching colleagues in their twenties early how to fly a high million pounds. a plane.”
In the Red Arrows, no day is the same. But the time when they have more routines is in the winter, where they are training for five days a week ready for the summer shows. When asked what moments stood out for him during his time on the team, Michael replied: “The first time you put that red suit on and you realize you’ve got it off, it’s I think it’s a bit like a Formula 1 driver starting out. line and going and doing what they need to do.
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“But there are some incredible moments. We were the first military unit invited to Zhuhai in China to exhibit. We have exhibited all over the far east, the Middle East and the Monaco Yacht Show was an incredible backdrop in Europe, flying across to America, across Iceland and Greenland and seeing all the polar ice caps, and doing it over there, showing below the height of the skyscrapers in Chicago as people were eating their some lunch while tearing down at over 500 miles an hour was amazing.”
But there is much more to their work than the glamor of performing for large crowds.
“Being a Red Arrows pilot was always my childhood dream, but it’s definitely a double-edged sword. Being on operations in Afghanistan, and supporting troops on the ground from all different nationalities and knowing that you made a difference that day and there are times that you absolutely saved people on the ground. There is nothing more valuable than that.”
Dealing with tragedy, managing risk and next steps
Michael said: “It’s not a paper round that makes planes fly faster. You are flying machinery that can go faster than the speed of sound very close to the ground and close to other planes.”
It is not for the faint-hearted, by any means. During his time as a Red Arrows pilot, Michael faced and lost, and navigated all kinds of situations throughout his career.
He said: “There’s an incredible amount of safety built in but obviously there are accidents, and they’ve happened, and there’s been tragedy in the team over the years and it’s really hard to process that when it’s people you know you and people you know. work with it but these things happen.
“Tragedy happened when we lost one of our engineers, and nothing can replace that feeling. Obviously no one ever wants to be in that position but with everything the most important thing is the lessons learned from a tragedy and we understand what changes need to be made and implemented to improve the environment make it safer.
He said: “Every day you’re getting on a plane you’re going to go and fly six feet apart from another plane going upside down at about 400 miles an hour. Flying 100 feet above the ground, upside down with opposition.
“When you pass them within 100 feet of another plane doing the same speed, there’s no automatic, no cruise control. There is no system in the plane that tells us that we are going to meet another person or how to avoid them.
“It’s completely mandrolic – it’s ultimately the human eye in our hands that makes the plane do what it does. So there’s an incredible amount of training to put on that show and the biggest thing in the reds is knowing that we’re never going to be perfect because there’s always room for improvement.
“You always try to be as good as you can be knowing that every time we went out, we could do it a little bit better. The briefing was probably the biggest part of our process and no mistakes were hidden.”
Now, Michael is focusing his energy into a business he runs with his business partner Leane – Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff, which aims to provide quality care to people in the city. After his nephew died after suffering from dementia after deteriorating in a care home, he set out to provide care where people are cared for to the “highest standards”.
Worlds became involved with Michael when a man also in the RAF had a parachute accident, which left him paralyzed from the waist down and requiring 24/7 care for the rest of his life. Michael said his patient Rob Bugden remained extremely positive but his mental health was deteriorating, mainly due to the low levels of care he was receiving.
“I am very grateful that we came into contact. Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff is now providing his care and there is trust, independence and attention to detail required in the care package they were to deliver in particular. a carer with them 24/7 .
“He is back to his old self, feeling more independent again, mentally stronger and there is complete trust and open dialogue with us and the team. I believe this is a really good news story and how quality care , delivering compassion in the comfort of your own home can really make a difference.
Michael added: “We look forward to making a positive difference to families who need care, for themselves or their loved ones, in the comfort of their own homes. of the level of service, trust, compassion and excellence we always strive for to deliver.
“I will personally ensure that we use all of the experiences I have gained in my career to constantly improve everything we do.”
For more information, you can visit the Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff website.
