A RED Arrows pilot has been awarded a prestigious honour in recognition of the way he dealt with “the most serious” incident of his career at Rhyl Air Show last summer.

Squadron Leader Gregor Ogston (Red 6) was forced to make an emergency landing after a seagull hit his plane while the display team was bringing the show to a close on Sunday, August 28.

Sqd Ldr Ogston, 36, was fortunately unharmed by the incident, which occurred while flying at roughly 100ft and 400mph while preparing for a manoeuvre called “Boomerang”.

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Last month, he was then awarded the Green Endorsement, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Safety Centre’s highest accolade, to mark his and the team’s handling of such a serious incident.

The RAF’s chief of air staff, Sir Michael Wigston, presented him with the award at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, which is the Red Arrows’ new operating base.

Sqd Ldr Ogston managed to fly his aircraft back to the Red Arrows’ base for the show at Hawarden Airport, where he made a safe landing.

He said: “I was very grateful to receive the award and be acknowledged for what happened on the day.

“It was awarded to me, having had the bird strike, but as with everything we do in the Red Arrows, it was about the team effort and the support I had on the day in dealing with the emergency.

“It reflects on everyone; but obviously, it was very nice to acknowledged for what happened.

“It’s undoubtedly the most serious bird strike and emergency that I’ve experienced in my 17 years of aviation.

“Thankfully, bird strikes that severe don’t come around that often, but we obviously train and prepare to deal with them on the rare occasions that they do.”

Sqn Ldr Ogston added that the Red Arrows’ displays since the Rhyl Air Show have, fortunately, been incident-free.

After completing four seasons with the Red Arrows, though, he is now leaving his role to return to his previous post as a flying instructor at RAF Valley, on Anglesey.

He added: “Thankfully, since Rhyl, I had a really great end to the season, along with the rest of the team.

“We finished off the UK display shows that we were tasked to do, and then had a really successful five-week tour to the Gulf region and Egypt, representing the UK Government and the RAF overseas.”

The first half of the Red Arrows' display comprises synchronised, formation aerobatics, followed by a more dynamic second half.

Reds 1 to 5 form the front section of the team's formation, known as “Enid”, while Reds 6 to 9 make up the rear part.

Red 10, meanwhile, is the team’s supervisor, maintaining two-way radio contact with the team leader, and providing commentary.

Despite the bird strike, both days of the Rhyl Air Show were a great success during last year’s August bank holiday, also featuring displays from RAF Typhoon, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The event returned in 2022 for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.