Edinburgh Airport’s centenary celebrations continued with a Red Arrows flypast at the weekend – and the occasion was captured by two lucky plane-spotting competition winners. Ten Hawk aircraft from the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team completed the pass over the airport. The jets flew in a wide formation known as the Wall, at a height of 500ft and at about 400mph. On Thursday 2 March 1916 Edinburgh Airport began life as a Royal Flying Corps aerodrome named Turnhouse and was a key military base for the remainder of the World War One. The British Airports Authority (BAA) took over ownership of the airport on April 1, 1971. Initial stages of the redevelopment began two years later and the terminal building, designed by Sir Robert Matthew, was opened officially by Her Majesty the Queen on 27 May 1977.
John Watson, Edinburgh Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “It was a great honour to have the Red Arrows come here on a beautifully sunny afternoon and mark a very special birthday for the airport us with a brilliant fly-past. Although clearly focused on delivering future growth at Edinburgh Airport we have a rich and long history – and our association with the RAF is something that we are very proud of and we will never forget. We had a tremendous response to the competition we ran on Twitter and it was great to have two winners join us for the occasion; the pics that Colin McLeod and Dennis Penny have taken are absolutely fantastic.”
Squadron Leader David Montenegro, Team Leader of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team and Red 1, said: “We were honoured to have the opportunity to play a part in Edinburgh airport’s important milestone. The Red Arrows showcase the excellence of the Royal Air Force and so it’s always a special privilege to help celebrate the anniversary of an airfield with both a proud military flying past and a role in modern-day aviation.”
There was some short film footage that was filmed by Flight Lieutenant Marcus Ramsden, the team’s Junior Engineering Officer, who was in the rear seat of the aircraft flown by Red 1:
For many people living within Edinburgh, this was a fantastic way to celebrate 100 years of operations at Edinburgh Airport, as well as its transformation of being a World War 2 base, to one of the most important international airports within Scotland.