There are few sights more familiar to aviation fans than the bright red Hawk jets of the Red Arrows. 2004 sees the fortieth anniversary of the renowned display team. The Arrows have a long-standing connection with the county of Gloucestershire, having been based at Kemble between 1966 until 1983, when they were relocated to Lincolnshire. History The team was formed in 1964 following concerns by the RAF over the lack of an official display team. There were at that time a number of unofficial teams, which had prompted concerns among Air Force chiefs that some personnel were spending more hours practicing fancy formation flying instead of carrying out operational training. However, after four decades of displays across the globe, recent reports in the national press have suggested that the future funding of the team may not be secure.  | | The Red Arrows team |
Speaking to BBC Gloucestershire at the 2004 Kemble Air Day, the Red Arrows' Squadron Leader 'Spike' Jepson refuted such claims, describing them as "sensationalised". "I think the key point to make is that all military units have to justify their existence and we're no different from anybody else and each year we make sure that we deliver value to the taxpayers," he said. "We get looked at every year, but we don't believe that this year is any different." High spirits Jepson said team morale was unaffected by the claims. "We've dismissed it - we get on with our day to day duty which is to fly and to represent the Air Force of the United Kingdom," he commented. "This is our fortieth season, we very much look forward to coming back next year and we will support all of the air shows in the Gloucestershire area if we can." 
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This year sees the fortieth anniversary of the formation Red Arrows display team, who are scheduled to fly at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford.
