VIVO delivers flightline improvements at RAF Waddington

Above: VIVO project manager Jason Perrin with RAF Flight Lieutenant Sara Brierley and the taxiway lines for the Red Arrows iconic Hawk aircraft.
Courtesy VIVO

The world-famous Red Arrows aerobatic team transferred to the Lincolnshire station two years ago. Since then, VIVO has built a dye bay to store equipment used for the red, white and blue trails the Red Arrows use in displays.

More recently, the facilities management firm was commissioned to lay new lines in super quick time on the Airfield Operating Service (AOS) the team’s pilots use to taxi jets to the base’s runway.



The work took just four days to complete and all while the area remained operational by the Red Arrows.

This included engine testing and display practice sorties, ahead of the team departing with their iconic red Hawks for Croatia – where essential pre-summer season training has been carried out.

Squadron Leader Andy King, the Red Arrows’ Senior Engineering Officer, said: “The newly-designed flightline is a huge milestone for the Red Arrows’ integration into RAF Waddington.

“Having clearly marked taxi lines and hatched areas, for up to 11 aircraft and their equipment to operate concurrently, ensures the team’s pilots, engineers and logisticians can operate seamlessly together, increasing both safety and efficiency at our home base.

“The team’s motto is ‘Eclat’ – meaning excellence. The delivered flightline looks excellent and the speed and professionalism that the project was delivered with also represents excellence, as well as highlighting the cohesive relationship between the Red Arrows, RAF Waddington and VIVO.”

In total, a 400 sqm area needed hydro-blasting to remove the old E-3 Sentry lines – the aircraft type previously based at Waddington – before around 1,500 linear metres of marking were painted to meet the requirements of the RAFAT.

This included all new taxi lines, safety lines, safety zones, nose wheel markings and personalised numbering to coincide with each jet. VIVO worked with supply chain partner Jointline on the project.

VIVO Defence Services Chief Executive Officer Jerry Moloney said: “We are proud that we are one of the largest providers of estate services to the MoD and UK military and it’s always great to hear of the work we do for the Red Arrows.

“Thank you to everybody involved as this really shows how RAF Waddington, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, ourselves at VIVO and our contractors work as a team.”
 
VIVO Defence Services provides facilities management, maintenance and project services to more than 100 military bases across the central and southeast regions – an area that stretches from Northumberland to Cornwall.
 
It also looks after more than 27,000 Service Family Accommodation homes in southwest and southeast England, eight of the Volunteer Estate’s 13 regions, the United States Visiting Forces in England and the government agency Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).