The Governor of Hunan Province, China, Xu Dazhe, visited RAF Scampton, the home of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (RAFAT). The visit was part of wider activity in Lincolnshire, following a formal agreement, between the two regions, signed last year.
Governor Xu watched the pilots perform one of their winter training practices as they work up towards achieving Public Display Authority. He and his delegation were also given a tour, by a team engineer, around one of the Hawk jets used by the Red Arrows.
The visit follows on from the Red Arrows’ history-making tour to China in 2016, when the team performed at Zhuhai.
Wing Commander Andrew Keith, Officer Commanding of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, said:
“The visit of the Governor of Hunan, as part of his activity in Lincolnshire, was a very good opportunity to continue to develop the positive links the team forged when the Red Arrows displayed for the first time in China in 2016.
“As global ambassadors for the UK, the Red Arrows aim to demonstrate British excellence, both in the air and on the ground.
“We were privileged to be able to showcase to the Governor, during his visit, some of the detailed preparations and the in-depth training being carried out for our 2019 display season.”
The visit was coordinated by the UK Government’s Department for International Trade.
One of the key roles of the Red Arrows is supporting UK interests overseas – across a range of sectors, including education, business and trade.
