Being a Red Arrows pilot is by no means an easy task. The man who knows this better than anyone is Michael Bowden, a fast jet fighter pilot from Cardiff and later a Red Arrows demonstration pilot who served 17 years in the RAF.
From flying around the Statue of Liberty to performing below the heights of skyscrapers in Chicago to zooming above the polar ice caps in Greenland, Michael has seen it all. It all started with a 30-year-old childhood dream, and he tries to use the determination he developed during that time in his daily life after retiring from the Reds.
He left the army in 2019 and has now started a new home care business in Wales, but he still carries the excitement he experienced with them, which shaped his zest for life. For the latest Cardiff news sign up to our newsletter here.
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“Some of the positions and some of the moments you would find yourself in, you really had to pinch yourself and go. It’s how I do it and try to enjoy every moment because it’s really been incredibly special,” he said. In an interview with WalesOnline.
After seeing the Red Arrows fly by at an air show at St Athan in the Valley of Glamorgan at a young age, Michael knew this was what he wanted to do with his life. eyes locked on the Red Arrows and I was that little kid looking up and going – I want to do that one day.
“From that day on, it’s been a dream; I want to be able to do whatever it takes because it seems like the coolest, most fun thing in the world, and it’s been the dream ever since.” “I wore a red suit.”
So what is it really like to be a Red Arrow pilot? One of the main responsibilities of the job is education. Michael noted: “You don’t just crash into the Red Arrows plane. Obviously you have to go and complete all your education, which probably got me a little further along in my education.
Michael grew up in Newport and, knowing exactly what he was aiming for, made sure he took his A Levels before going on to study a degree in computers and maths at Cardiff.
After going through some selection in the air force, he was sponsored through the university and finally had a job waiting for him. After joining the air force as a pilot, he had to prove that he was a fast jet pilot by putting in certain hours and flying a different aircraft.
“And in my early twenties, after completing my advanced fast jet training in Wales, I was told that I was doing really well and that they wanted to keep me there for a few years before I joined the front lines to train other people,” he said.
“I took notes at each of these stages to move on to the next course, with each stage I was flying a faster plane, which was quite daunting because suddenly I was teaching friends in their early twenties how to fly a supersonic multi-million pound plane. aeroplane.”
No day is the same at Red Arrows. But the time they have more of a routine is in the winter months, when they train five days a week for their summer shows. When asked what moments stood out to him during his time with the team, Michael said: “The first moment you put on the red suit and realize you’ve made it, I guess it’s a bit like a Formula 1 driver starting, they line up and go and do what they have to do.
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“But there were some incredible moments. We were the first military unit to be invited to show in Zhuhai in China. We’ve exhibited all over the Far East, the Middle East, and the Monaco Yacht Show created an incredible backdrop in Europe and America.” “It’s either flying and flying past Iceland and Greenland and seeing all the polar ice caps and getting there and showing off the heights of the skyscrapers in Chicago while people are eating lunch and you’re going by at 500 miles an hour, it was great.”
But their work involves much more than the glitz of performing for large crowds.
“My childhood dream was always to be a Red Arrows driver, but it’s definitely a two-sided coin. By taking part in operations in Afghanistan, supporting troops of different nationalities in the field and knowing that, you made a difference that day and there were times when you absolutely saved lives in the field. There really is nothing more rewarding than that.”
Acknowledging tragedy, managing risk and next steps
Michael said: “Making planes fly faster is not a paper job. “You are flying machines that can go faster than the speed of sound, very close to the ground and very close to other aircraft.”
Not for the faint of heart by any means. Michael has faced loss during his tenure as a Red Arrows driver and has overcome every situation throughout his career.
He said: “There’s an incredible amount of safety but accidents obviously happen and happen and there have been tragedies in the team over the years and it’s incredibly difficult to process that when it’s people you know and people you’ve worked with but things like that happen.
“There was a tragedy in which we lost one of our engineers and nothing can replace that feeling of loss. Obviously no one wants to be in this situation, but the important thing in everything is to learn from a tragedy and understand what changes need to be made and implemented to make the environment safer.
He added: “Every day you step onto a plane and you’re flying twenty feet away from another plane that’s flipping over at about 400 miles per hour. Flying upside down against an opponent, 100 meters above the ground.
“When you pass them within 100 feet of another aircraft going at the same speed, there is no automatic system, no cruise control. There is no system on the plane that tells us if we are going to hit someone else or how to avoid them.
“This is totally mandrolic; It is the mark of a human eye that enables that plane to do what it does, which is ultimately in our hands. So it takes an incredible amount of training to go and put on this show and the most important thing in the red is to know that we can never be perfect because there is always room for improvement.
“You always try to be your best, knowing that every time we go out we can make it a little better. Debriefing was probably the biggest part of our process and not hiding behind any errors.”
Michael now focuses his energy on a business he runs with business partner Leane – Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff, which aims to provide high quality care to people in the city. After his grandmother died of dementia after her condition deteriorated in a care home, he became determined to provide people with the “highest standards” of care.
Worlds collided for Michael when a man who was also in the RAF had a parachuting accident, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and needing 24/7 care for the rest of his life. Michael said his patient, Rob Bugden, was extremely positive but his mental health was changing, largely due to the inadequate care he was receiving.
“I am incredibly grateful that we connected. Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff are now providing her care and giving her the confidence, independence and attention to detail required in the care package that needs to be delivered. Especially since their carer is with them 24/7.
“He’s back to his old self, he feels more independent again, he’s mentally stronger, he has confidence and a full open dialogue with us and the team. I believe this is really good news and how delivering quality, compassionate care in people’s own homes really makes a difference “We’re keeping our heads up as a company to do this, and we hope we can continue to spread the word.”
Michael added: “We hope to make a truly positive difference to families who need care for themselves or their loved ones, in the comfort of their own home. We are already seeing the positive effects and hope more families will be made aware. The service we continually strive to provide is a testament to the level of trust, compassion and excellence .
“I will personally ensure that we use all the experience I have gained in my career to continually improve everything we do.”
For more information you can visit Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff’s website.