Red arrows flypast: Flight path, tracker and schedule for King Charles’ coronation
A flypast is a magnificent display of British aviation used in state events for centuries.
The flypast for King Charles’ Coronation will include the world-renowned Red Arrows. Read on to find out more.
How to watch the Red Arrows over King Charles’ coronation
Brits nationwide will be counting down the days until King Charles’ Coronation.
The first Coronation the nation will see in 70 years and the 40th since William the Conqueror in 1066.
As is tradition with Royal events, a flypast of 60 aircraft will fly over Buckingham Palace to celebrate and mark the official crowning of the new King.
Many will gather on The Mall and be able to see the Red Arrows fly over the Palace in real-time.
However, for those unable to be there in person, BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer will provide live coverage of the Coronation from 7:30 am.
What time does King Charles’ coronation start?
The ceremony begins at 10:20 am when the King and Queen Consort start their procession from the Palace to the Abbey.
The service in Westminister Abbey begins at 11 am when Charles and Camilla arrive.
King Charles will be crowned first, then Camilla in a shorter ceremony.
The second procession of the royals back to the Palace will begin at 1 pm.
The flypast is scheduled to occur from 2:30 pm over Buckingham Palace and The Mall, weather permitting.
Provided it goes ahead, the flypast route will be split around all of the counties, each with a general time zone to when people will be able to look to the skies and see the show.
The areas are:
Area A: North Sea and Norfolk Coast, 1.15 pm-3 pm
Area B: Norfolk (Thetford) and Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds), 1.45 pm-3 pm
Area C: Suffolk (Ipswich), 2 pm-3 pm
Area D: Essex (Colchester, Chelmsford), 2 pm-2.45 pm
Area E: London, 2.10 pm-2.45 pm
Area F: London (Croydon) and Surrey, 2.20 pm-3 pm
Area G: Berkshire (Reading), Wiltshire (Swindon) and Oxfordshire (Oxford), 2.20 pm-3 pm
Area H: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, 2.20 pm-3 pm
Area I: Wiltshire (Marlborough, Tidworth), 2.20 pm-3 pm.
The highly trained pilots will fly over parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex on their way to London.
However, because of security reasons, the exact timings and routes will not be publicly revealed.
How many displays do the Red Arrows perform?
Since the team first flew in 1965, they have performed more than 4,900 times in over 50 countries.
A full display can last up to 20 minutes and include a variety of formations and special effects.
They are most famous for the section of their displays where red, blue and white smoke billows out from the exhaust of the jet.
This year, the Red Arrows are already scheduled to perform at over 20 events between May and September in the UK.
It is expected that more UK and overseas performances are pending and will be announced in the near future.
The Red Arrows can perform three types of displays: full, flat or rolling.
For a full display, the base of the cloud must be above 5,500ft to make for a safe loop without cloud disruption.
If the cloud base is less than 2,500ft, the team opts for a flat display which includes flypasts and steep turns.
Any coverage in between these heights includes wing-overs and rolls, instead of full loops.
During the display season, the Red Arrows often carry out two shows and multiple flypasts in one day at various sites across the UK.
You can see their schedule on the RAF website under display teams or on social media.