Members of the Royal Air Force Red Arrows Share How They Fly in Formation With Such Precision

In a lofty episode of “Things You Might Not Know“, host Tom Scott went up in the air with members of the Red Arrows, the aerobatic display team for the Royal Air Force. In doing so, he learned and shared exactly how they fly in formation with such perfect precision.

They fly Hawk T1 jets, powering through the sky at hundreds of miles per hour, pulling high-G maneuvers with just a few metres between their wingtips. Here’s how they do it: and part of it’s a skill that you probably already know.

Scott was able to gain such ample access to the Red Arrows through STARRSHIP, a collaboration between Rolls-Royce and the Royal Air Force that strategizes how they can come together to build a mission to Mars.