In this episode we spoke with Mike about his aviation career, the Red Arrows, the Hawk T1 fastjet, spitfires, flying close formation safely, near fatal Red Arrows training accident, advice for future pilots and more!
👉🏻 Who Is Mike Ling Pilot? Mike achieved his childhood dream when he was selected to join the Red Arrows for the 2008 display season to fly as Red 3 before then being chosen as Red 7 in the prestigious Synchro Pair for 2009. In March 2010, while leading the Synchro Pair as Red 6, Mike survived a head-on mid-air training collision at a closing speed of over 750 mph. A low-level ejection caused major injuries resulting in surgery and months of rehabilitation before Mike could get back in the air. In 2012 Mike flew as Red 9 in flypasts for major events including the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony and Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Other career highlights include racing a jet against four-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton in his F1 car. These achievements have made Mike a familiar face across the air display scene. Mike was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List at the end of 2017 for his services to the Red Arrows, and subsequently received the Masters Commendation from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots in October 2018. He became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in March 2019. Mike left the Royal Air Force in April 2019 after 21 years of service. He has since become a commercial pilot and flight instructor and is a full-time member of the Blades Aerobatic Team, the world’s only aerobatic airline. In this role he performs public displays but also relishes in the opportunity to give passengers the chance to experience close formation aerobatics in a team of all ex-Red Arrows pilots.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED:
00:00 Talk4 EP 084 intro by Louis Skupien
00:40 Who is Mike Ling?
01:41 Mike Ling's Aviation backstory
03:59 How hard is it to become a Red Arrow?
05:29 How the Red Arrows stay safe but impressive
08:27 How good is the Hawk T1
12:46 Accident in the Red Arrows
16:45 Flying the Spitfire
21:35 Plans for the future and advice for pilots
25:22 Best stories from the Red Arrows
🎧 HOW TO LISTEN ⬇️
This episode is available to listen to on all platforms by clicking the link below or visiting the @talk4podcast Instagram Page, following the link in bio and choosing any of your favourite platforms!
👉🏻 TUNE IN HERE 👈🏻
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