Fifty Years On . . . Back in the Cockpit

Flight Lieutenant Ross Colwill (Ret.) joined the famous Black Arrows aerobatics team in 1959. More than half a century later he climbed aboard a Hawker Hunter T.7 at RAF Leuchars and took to the skies again. Made as a companion film to the documentary "The Story of the Black Arrows", this short film tells the story of that flight.

[@mothmagic1]

I like that. "Do you feel safe?" "Yes perfectly. I'm at home." Says it all about his feelings for the cockpit environment.

[@davidprince2726]

Wonderful video. Chris Heams is such a gentleman and a great pilot. Lovely to see Ross enjoy his flight and rekindle his youth. Just magic.

[@TheImprobableIronman]

I watched this with a lump in my throat. My dad was ground crew with The Black Arrows - Treble One (as he always referred to them). Despite a long career in aviation, the Hunter was always his darling and you only have to look at it to see why. Like so many others, I was so happy to see Flight Lieutenant Ross Colwill take the stick of this old lady again. I just wish my dad had seen this - we lost him a couple of years back but he's never out of my thoughts - and it really sent a shiver up my spine to see a Black Arrows display pilot back in the seat of a black Hunter.

[@Chopper894]

I was brought up with the sound of these as a child living close to RAF Pembrey.

[@GaryLaaks1]

Love the hawker hunter and good on the boys for taking you up again after 50 years or so. This is what makes life worth living for. Greetings from South Africa.

[@RichardS-qh8mi]

What a joy how it all came back to Ross even after 50 years - once a fighter pilot always one.

[@WgCdrLuddite]

Bloody brilliant. The Black Arrows don't get the historical exposure they deserve.

[@seadog857]

A fantastic video, as a child I watched the Black Arrows at Biggin Hill. Much later flew in a Hunter T7 whist an Engineer in the RAF, also got to fly in a Victor, Lightning and Buccaneer during a 23 year career.

[@redroostermcmlxxl]

That was one of the best video's i've seen on youtube, it would be great to see another video of him back up there where he belongs again.

[@spityfire39]

A great video which brought back wonderful memories of when I was in the Royal Rhodesian Air Force and the day when our first Hunters flew into New Sarum Airport. It was a beautiful aircraft then and is still today with its beautiful clean lines. A true thoroughbred. It was great seeing Ross Colwill being handed over the controls - Thankyou

[@AngryHatter]

You must be old as dirt. Zimbabwe?

[@johnsmith-gt3po]

@@AngryHatter We all will get old if you lucky enough. 😂👍

[@brettskerry7038]

Really enjoyed watching this.... Happy Birthday Ross... The Black Arrows...Pioneers, need I say more.....

[@dtulip1]

My beloved father always said "uncle" Ross was one of the very finest pilots he'd ever had the privilege to fly with, didn't stop him pranking and trying to get him into trouble though 🥰sadly going to get to see him next week for my Dads funeral 🥺

[@joevanseeters2873]

Incredible story. I love seeing when these older era pilot's get to get back into the original model airplane they flew in the day and fly once more. What emotions these flights must stir in the minds of these former courageous pilots of yesteryear. Being a pilot of one of these incredible machines in the height of their era must have been a job of a lifetime! Especially as a demonstration team pilot which must be the ultimate! Hard to believe these aircraft are this old now. All of these planes look modern even by today's standards of aircraft. You could probably pull these things out of moth balls, put a few upgrades onto them, and they would still be very effective in combat.

[@mickd6942]

Love the way he is constantly alert looking up left right forward and checking his instaments , trained to be the best and it shows , bet his family are proud of him .

[@vitmedia]

We are - I'm the guy who made the film and he's my uncle :-)

[@colwill111]

We are …(proud son) !

[@HeavensGremlin]

I well remember the Black Arrows of 111 - halcyon days indeed. Farnborough, Gaydon et al. Stonking good shows, everything was top-notch and made in the UK.

[@smoothlennie]

What an excellent film! I worked at RAE Bedford Flight Systems Division (Sep 1979 - Mar 1981), stupidly leaving for a flight-test position elsewhere. The RAF test-pilots gave the boffins fast-jet flights when available and I scored a Gnat ride. My colleague got the Hunter and although I loved the Gnat experience I was envious of him in the Hunter.

[@mickd6942]

Love this great to see an old pilot showing how it's done superb

[@andrewockenden]

Fantastic video and great to see Ross living the nostalgia and loving every minute of it. Wonderful!

[@conantdog]

wow incredible to imagine all the physical and mental cues that he was taking in from the instruments and the sounds and the mechanical vibrations that told him all he knew and had learned previously you can see in his eyes in those moments it all coming back all that precise calculation and Technical information in an instant was back unbelievable video really.

[@jimramsey8887]

All of us "Old Timers" should have a hunter rider to restore our faculties. Does the NHS know about this? Marvellous VT. Thanks.

[@dtulip1]

pretty sure a jaunt in a plane is way cheaper than 20yrs of pills

[@daithilacha1]

Loved everything about that video, and so well produced right down to the music. That man is such a Gent and reminds one of a time when Great Britain really lived up to its name.

[@tSp289]

Well it is still significantly larger than Brittany, so it still lives up to its name.

[@kranson8514]

What a day what a memory to keep now to keep the stimulation going few more flights I think, fantastic 👏👏👏

[@nervo6321]

Lovely nostalgic video, thanks for posting.......

[@jimyoung2188]

Thank you for a bloody good video i enjoyed it very much

[@jphar]

I was stationed at Odiham in 1958/9 with these beauties. I was on GCA as a radar fitter. I agree ,they are the best. I was next on the list to have a flight in a T7 when sadly, I was posted to Horsham St.Faith in Norfolk and missed out.

[@sr633]

A well deserved ride for veteran pilot..

[@davidhunt3808]

my father flew hunters while part of 26 squadron R.A.F. . he always said the best two aircraft he flew were the hunter and F86 sabre !

[@mivecsi]

Superb!! Wonder what happened to Hunter XE601 the red, white and blue one. I worked on that one when it was based at Llanbedr.

[@mossmusic8370]

Beautiful video. Thank you for the upload!

[@marknelson5929]

Really enjoyed this (from Australia). Is there any further info on Flight Lieutenant Ross Colwill (Ret.) career before and after the Black Arrows?

[@ollssonn]

Hawker Hunter is wonderful airplane.

[@SergeyStorm]

Great video, Chris's yellow helmet is well noticable in almost all Hunter videos on KZbin :)

[@jrussell4711]

Absolutely fantastic!!

[@aemonregas156]

This guy is someone to look up to !!

[@redvanman10]

wow great bit of film and how lucky to witness the formation. fantastic thank you for putting it on youtube!

[@JASKOLKA1940]

The Hunter is a great machine! I never fly it but I like one.

[@bluemarshall6180]

Never stop flying sir.😊

[@vitmedia]

Great to hear from you Andrew. For anyone stumbling upon this video I should explain that Ross is my Uncle and it's his 80th birthday in a couple of days time. As you say, Andrew, 80 years young!

[@fireflyrobert]

Bloody marvellous!

[@Jaliya48]

0:32 I want that framed and on my living room wall! Love Hunters and I'd love to fly one someday.

[@EtienneVerhellen]

Fantastic !

[@woooster17]

Great to see an old(er) warrior back doing what he's trained to do! Shame that mask kept distracting him..needed some adjustment.

[@HSTMDad]

waynester71 Yes, it annoyed me as much as I'm sure it annoyed him!

[@vitmedia]

+HSTMDad Hehe - yes, we all got a bit frustrated about that at the time! Interestingly, Ross didn't wear a G-suit, unlike the other pilots that day. "I didn't wear one when we were in displaying in the Black Arrows - it just got in the way". One of the team used to wear an old pair of pyjamas under his flying suit to soak up the sweat!

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

that was fabulous!

[@colincampbell817]

Eyes scanning the instruments and aircraft position every few seconds. Old habits die hard eh?

[@meertenwelleman6249]

Did you see the mobile phone in the cockpit? Handy!

[@vitmedia]

Are you sure that was a phone and not the GPS unit? 🙂

[@meertenwelleman6249]

Could very well be.

[@jimyoung2188]

like riding a bike you never forget

[@johneastman1617]

Wonderful film, fine gentleman, a little tough on the old boy’s nose with the face mask...

[@checkmate610]

Sweet!

[@bluemarshall6180]

Give me the Gadamn Stick Son. Let me Have it.

[@yogisallyannslight5940]

ITS GOOD TO GO BACK....TO GET A FUTURE

[@mickd6942]

Who the hell would down thumb this

[@vitmedia]

I wondered the same! Not the best quality footage, I admit (I made the film), but the subject surely makes up for that?!

[@DennisMathias]

What? Is my computer broken? No cockpit audio? Can't hear what he's saying!

[@rolfen]

Aerobatics in a Hawker Hunter? It looks and sounds great but is it the best choice?

[@RCFlightReviews]

hunters have been doing decades for almost 70 years now and have been used by numerous aerobatics teams. this was pre shoreham, and also the crash at shoreham was almost certainly down to pilot error. Chris heames is one of the most experienced pilots in the country with a total of 13,000 hours so I'm sure if he thought it was unsafe he wouldn't be doing it.

[@jasonwills1116]

Theprofeshinolisium, ishowing, through, ecen, after50years.

[@memer6918]

The gentlemen's mask did not look secure

[@vitmedia]

It wasn't!

[@memer6918]

thank you for confirming

[@vitmedia]

They weren't flying at any altitude that would have required it, so the only thing that was hampered was communication between the pilots. Interesting to note also that while all the other pilots wore G-suits, Ross did not! He said he never wore one when he was with the Black Arrows, why start now?! A different breed :-)

[@MegaDicksplash]

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