Being a Red Arrows pilot is no easy feat by any means. One person who knows this better than anyone is Michael Bowden, from Cardiff who was a fast jet combat pilot and then a Red Arrows display pilot, spanning 17 years of service within the RAF.
From flying around the Statue of Liberty, displaying below the heights of skyscrapers in Chicago to zooming over polar ice caps in Greenland, Michael has seen it all. It all started with a childhood dream that was 30 years in the making- and he has now tried to harness the determination he developed during that time into his daily life after retiring from the Reds.
He left the military in 2019 and has now launched a new care at home business in Wales, but still carries the excitement that he got to experience with them which has shaped his continual zest for life. For the latest Cardiff news, sign up to our newsletter here.
READ MORE: I went to National Museum Cardiff for the first time and 10 things stood out most to me
“Some of the positions you’d find yourself in and some of the moments, you really did have to pinch yourself and go- how am I doing this and trying to savour every moment of it because it truly was incredibly special”, he said in an interview with WalesOnline.
Michael knew after seeing the Red Arrows fly past during an air show at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan at a young age, that that was what he wanted to do with his life.. He said: “It was the first time that my eyes locked onto the Red Arrows, and I was that little boy that looked up and went- one day, I want to do that.
“From that day, it was a dream, where I was like, whatever it takes- I want to be able to do that because it looks like the coolest, most fun thing in the world ever, and that was the dream until the day I put a red suit on.”
So what is it really like being a Red Arrow pilot? One of the main responsibilities that come with the job is the training. Michael noted: “You don’t just fall into a Red Arrows aeroplane. You need to clearly go and do all your schooling which probably drove me a little bit more through my education.”
Michael grew up in Newport, and knowing exactly what he was aiming for, made sure he got his A-Levels before pursuing a degree at Cardiff in computing and maths.
And after going through some selection with the air force, he was sponsored through university, with a job waiting for him at the end of it. Once he had joined the air force as a pilot, he then had to prove himself as a fast jet pilot by putting in a certain amount of hours, and flying a different aircraft.
"And it was in my early twenties after finishing my advanced fast jet training in Wales where I was told I’d done really well, and that they’d like to keep me there for a few years before joining the frontline to train other people," he said.
“I made the grades at each of those stages to move onto the next course, flying a faster airplane at each stage which was quite daunting because all of a sudden I was teaching peers in their early twenties how to fly a supersonic multi-million pound airplane."
In the Red Arrows, no day is the same. But the time when they have more routine is in winter, where they are training for five days a week ready for the summer shows. When asked what moments stood out to him during his time in the team, Michael replied: "The first time you put that red suit on and realise you've achieved it, I guess it's a bit like a Formula 1 driver going on the starting line and going and doing what they need to do.
READ MORE: Campaigners urge Welsh Government not to U-turn on 20mph
"But there has been some incredible moments. We were the first military unit to be invited to Zhuhai in China to go to display. We've displayed all around the far East, Middle East and the Monaco Yacht Show was an incredible backdrop in Europe, flying across to America, across Iceland and Greenland and seeing all the polar ice caps, and making it over there, displaying below the heights of skyscrapers in Chicago as people were having their lunch and you're tearing past at over 500 miles an hour was amazing."
But their work consists of much more than just the glamour of performing to the big crowds.
“The boyhood dream was always to be a Red Arrows pilot, but it’s definitely a double-sided coin. Being on Afghanistan operations, and supporting troops on the ground from all different nationalities and knowing that, you made a difference that day and there's times that you absolutely saved lives on the ground. There's nothing really more rewarding than that.”
Coming to terms with tragedy, managing risk and next steps
Michael said: “Flying faster airplanes is not a paper round. You are flying machinery that is capable of going faster than the speed of sound very close to the ground and close proximity to other airplanes.”
It's not for the faint-hearted, by any means. During his time as a Red Arrows pilot, Michael came face-to-face with loss, and has navigated all sorts of situations throughout his career.
He said: “There are incredible amounts of safety built in but accidents clearly do, and have happened, and there has been tragedy over the years in the team and that is incredibly hard to process when it’s people you know, and people you’ve worked with but these things happen.
“There was a tragedy where we lost one of our engineers, and nothing can replace that feeling of loss. Clearly, no one ever wants to end up in that position but with everything the really important bit is taking the lessons learned from a tragedy and we understand what changes need to be made and put in place to make the environment safer.
He added: “Every day you're stepping into an airplane that you're going to go and fly six feet apart from another airplane going upside down around 400 miles an hour. Flying 100 feet above the ground, upside down to an opposition.
“When you pass them within 100ft of another plane doing the same speed, there is no automatic, there is no cruise control. There is no system in the airplane that tells us we're going to hit someone else or how to avoid them.
“It is completely mandrolic- it is the mark one human eyeball ultimately in our hands making that airplane do what it does. So it is an incredible amount of training to go and put that show on and the big thing in the reds is knowing that we’ll never be perfect because there is always room for improvement.
“You always strive to be the best that you can knowing the each time we went out, that we could make it that little bit better. The debriefing was probably the biggest part of our process and not hiding behind any mistakes."
Now, Michael is focusing his energy into a business he runs alongside his business partner Leane - Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff, aiming to provide high quality care to people in the city. After his nan passed away after suffering with dementia after deteriorating in a care home, he became intent on being able to provide care where people are looked after to the "highest standards".
Worlds collided for Michael when a man who was also in the RAF had a parachuting accident, leaving him paralysed from the waist down and requiring 24/7 care for the rest of his life. Michael said that his patient Rob Bugden remained incredibly positive but his mental health was taking a turn, largely due to the poor levels of care he was receiving.
"I’m incredibly grateful that we got connected. Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff are now providing his care and have given him confidence, independence and the attention to detail required in the package of care that needed to be delivered. Particularly for someone that has a carer with them 24/7.
"He is back to his old self, feeling more independent again, mentally stronger and has trust and complete open dialogue with us and the team. I believe that this is a really good news story and how delivering quality, compassionate care in the comfort of people’s own homes can truly make a difference. We hold our heads high as a company in being able to do so and hope we can continue to spread the word."
Michael added: "We really do hope to make a positive difference to the families who require care, for themselves or loved ones, in the comfort of their own home. We are seeing the positive effects already and hope that more families can be made aware of the level of service, trust, compassion and excellence that we constantly strive to deliver.
"I will personally ensure that we use all of the experiences I’ve gained in my career to constantly improve in everything that we do."
For more information, you can visit the Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff 's website.
