Squadron Leader Raynham George Hanna

Ray's obituary

SQUADRON Leader Ray Hanna, was the leader of the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team in its early years, developing a level of expertise and panache in formation aerobatic flying that attracted universal acclaim and established "the Reds" as the premier team and star attraction at air shows worldwide.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, the RAF instructed various fighter squadrons to provide an official aerobatic team to participate in public events and provide publicity. The Hunters of the Black Arrows and the Blue Diamonds were extremely successful, but, with the loss of fighter squadrons due to budget constraints, it was wasteful to withdraw a squadron from the front line each year.

The Central Flying School was asked to provide an official team and, in 1965, the Red Arrows were formed at Little Rissington. Hanna, a New Zealander, was selected to join the team and within a year he became its leader.

Hanna was the ideal candidate to lead a group of individualistic and brilliant fighter pilots. An outstanding and experienced fighter pilot himself, his determination, modest authority, skill and professionalism was an inspiration to his nine colleagues.

After an intense period of practice, flying their highly manoeuvrable, all-red Gnat aircraft, the team's reputation for excellence at airshows was soon established. In a very short time, the Red Arrows, together with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, had become the public face of the RAF, as it continues to be to this day.

Hanna led "the Reds" for four seasons, performing at almost 100 events each year. Their appearances included a tour of the Middle East, for which the short range of the Gnat necessitated numerous stops en route before arriving in Amman to perform in front of King Hussein. This exposure to tens of thousands of new admirers immediately launched the Red Arrows on the world stage.

Raynham George Hanna was born at Takapuna, New Zealand in 1928.

He was educated at Auckland Grammar School before taking flying lessons in the Tiger Moth. In 1949 he worked his passage to England by ship to join the RAF.

Hanna gained his pilot's wings before the demise of powerful piston-engine fighters such as the Tempest, Sea Fury and Beaufighter. Thus began a love affair with these evocative fighters that was to last a lifetime. He joined No. 79 Squadron in Germany, flying the Meteor jet in the fighter reconnaissance role, one of the most demanding for a single-seat pilot. This gave him the opportunity to indulge in authorised low flying, at which he excelled. Formation aerobatics was routine for all fighter squadrons, and Hanna developed a passion for this form of flying.

His appointment to the Overseas Ferry Squadron gave him the chance to fly a variety of jet fighters. He ferried the early Hunters from Britain to India and the Far East. This involved flying over Pakistan, where he was often intercepted by Pakistani fighters, enabling him to indulge in mock combat when fuel reserves allowed. On one occasion Hanna was returning a Vampire fighter to Britain when the aircraft's only engine failed over India and he was unable to restart it. He eventually made a skilful crash-landing among a series of giant anthills close to a railway line. He waited for a passing train, which stopped for him; but the Indian guard refused to let him board because he was unable to pay the fare. Hanna finally offered his watch as payment; the guard scribbled out an IOU and allowed him to travel.

After qualifying as a flying instructor, Hanna became a member of the Meteor aerobatic team at the College of Air Warfare, and in 1965 he was selected to join the new Red Arrows team on its formation.

Hanna's four years as leader of the Red Arrows was the longest of any of the team's leaders, but in 1971 he decided to leave the RAF to begin a new career in civil aviation. Initially he flew the Boeing 707 for Lloyd International Airways, followed by seven years with Cathay Pacific, operating from Hong Kong. In 1979 he headed a company operating executive Boeing 707s worldwide.

Shortly before leaving the RAF Hanna had been approached by Sir Adrian Swire, who had recently purchased a Spitfire IX. Swire invited him to fly and display the aircraft at a time when there were few of the wartime fighters flying regularly. This was the beginning of a unique relationship between Hanna and MH 434 (the aircraft's serial number), an association which will be one of the lasting memories for Hanna's many admirers.

In 1981, with his only son, Mark, whom he had taught to fly when he was 16, Hanna founded the Old Flying Machine Company, specialising in the restoration and operation of classic "warbirds" such as the Mustang, Spitfire and Kittyhawk. In addition to appearances at hundreds of airshows, Hanna and his son and their pilots were in regular demand by the film industry. Some of their flying sequences in the films Empire of the Sun (1987) and Memphis Belle (1990) were breathtaking in their skill and audacity. After seeing the stunning sequences in the former, Steven Spielberg insisted that Hanna and his pilots provide the flying elements for his film Saving Private Ryan (1998). Hanna also featured in the 1988 television series Piece of Cake, a drama about an RAF fighter squadron.

Hanna regularly shipped some of the company's aircraft to his native New Zealand to participate in the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow, recognised as the premier warbird flying event in the southern hemisphere. In later years he established a branch of his company in New Zealand.

Mark Hanna's death in Spain in September 1999, while flying a restored Me109 fighter, was a devastating blow; but Ray Hanna vowed to continue their joint work, and the Old Flying Machine Company continues to be a major force today.

Hanna retained his passion for flying, and six weeks before his death he was practising formation aerobatics in Spitfire MH 434. An internationally renowned airshow pilot who was flying alongside him on that occasion has commented: "At every stage of a flying routine, one had utter trust in his skill and judgement - he was the doyen of display pilots."

Hanna was never afraid to be blunt when the occasion demanded, but his intolerance of bureaucracy and all but the very highest standards was tempered by his modesty, warmth and approachability.

For his leadership of the Red Arrows, Hanna was awarded a Bar to the Air Force Cross he had received earlier.

Ray died on December 1st 2005 aged 77.