The Blades to "go global" & upgrade to GameBird GB1

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Adam
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The Blades to "go global" & upgrade to GameBird GB1

Post by Adam » Fri Aug 30, 2019 4:41 pm

Now, if you're in North America, bear with me - this is kind of relevant on your side of the Atlantic, too.

Here in the UK we have an aerobatic team called The Blades, formed mostly of ex-Red Arrows pilots, flying four Extra 300LPs. In terms of their status over here, they're kind of like the British equivalent of AeroShell or the GEICO Skytypers - a very common sight at UK airshows, and probably the best-known civilian team in the country. They also offer passenger experience flights and are involved in the Red Bull Air Race. Oh, and did I mention? Their displays are very, very good.

Today, the team's commentator announced this would be their last year flying the Extra, which came as a bit of a surprise to me, so I did some digging online. I found an article by the Royal Aeronautical Society from May this year, and it says that the team have been planning to upgrade to the GameBird GB1 - today's comments would seem to suggest that's now going to happen at the end of this season. The article points out that the GB1 has double the range of the Extra, allowing the team to self-deploy further and display in more remote locations, all at a reduced cost.

But here's something else the article threw up:
"While The Blades are now a regular sight on the UK air show display circuit and their passenger flights a major success for corporate and private ‘experience’ flight - the team are now setting their sights on conquering a bigger goal – the world. The aim is to bring the team's professionalism, skill and passion and conduct passenger flights outside of the UK’s spring/summer flying season – potentially tying into international air shows and other public events around the world – especially in the Middle East and even the US."

As if the prospect of a world-class aerobatic team going on a world tour for six months a year isn't interesting enough, I also wonder whether the procurement of the GameBird fleet will tie in to this. I'm not sure if the old Extras are going to be sold off when the GB1s arrive, but if not, it leaves open the tantelising opportunity of having a "home" fleet and and "away" fleet. They wouldn't be the first UK civilian team to employ such a model.

So, keep an eye out for The Blades coming to an event near you in the future - they're one of the best civilian teams around, and it certainly appears that they have the status, money and ambition to make this global growth work.

Source: https://www.aerosociety.com/news/carvin ... go-global/
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Post by RyanS » Sat Aug 31, 2019 2:03 am

This is very interesting, because the Gamebird is not just a reskinned Extra. It flies very differently than any other aerobatic type that I've seen, more like an RC plane than anything (at least in the hands of Phillip Steinbach). I imagine a professional team could come up with some VERY cool maneuvers with it. So much the better if they perform over here!

For those unfamiliar with the aircraft:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1C3Yp6l4gk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b5a1uJXKbU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gln84VNqKM0
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Post by Flightline Uk » Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:59 pm

The plans are far more profound and larger than Arthur's Bournemouth commentary and the RAeS article hint at. Its not just about the aircraft.

Certainly the plan for the launch of the "new team" during Spring 2020 could be quite spectacular and unique.
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Post by Adam » Tue Sep 03, 2019 7:21 am

Looking forward to hearing more!
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Post by kstater94 » Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:17 pm

It would be nice to see the Blades in the U.S.

I've seen them many times in the UK and they are great to watch

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Post by Adam » Fri Oct 18, 2019 9:38 am

I guess this is the shape of things to come! It coincides with the Dubai Airshow too, it's not mentioned in this press release but I wonder if they will be involved? https://theblades.com/the-blades-to-off ... mn-winter/
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Post by Flightline Uk » Fri Oct 18, 2019 9:54 am

Yes, they are displaying during the Dubai Airshow.
Last edited by Flightline Uk on Fri Oct 18, 2019 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Adam » Fri Oct 18, 2019 11:29 am

Yes, just seen them on the show's website. Great news for the team!
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Post by Adam » Sat Oct 02, 2021 9:01 am

Looks like the Blades' Extra 300/330 fleet might be getting de-branded ahead of taking up their exciting new role in the coming weeks.

Hopefully a good sign that the Gamebirds are finally on the way.

Image
(image embedded from ABPic)
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Post by kalamazookid » Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:48 am

I'm not specifically familiar with The Blades, but having seen GameBird in action, I'm betting this is going to be a real showstopper. I'm not normally into aerobatic-type aircraft, but the GameBird is really impressive and I can only imagine what they will be like in the hands of ex-RAF pilots. I look forward to hearing and seeing some impressions once they debut with the new aircraft.
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