<p>During a typical aerobatic display, The Red Arrows will fly in approximately 20 different formations or shapes.  Each of the Red Arrows formations has a name, based on its shape and if it's a tribute to another aircraft, then the aircraft will take the name of the shape.
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The formations that the team fly can be split into various groups, based on the positions of the team within the shape.  There are the tight formations, where the aircraft fly particularly close together. There are also the gap formations, where there's a missing man within the shape.  There are also the particularly wide and long formations, where the Red Arrows fly at a considerable distance from the leader, and the overall shape is especially wide or long.  Also, there are the line abreast formations, where the pilots fly side-by-side, which is a particularly difficult maneouvre to execute in aerobatic flight. An example of a line abreast formation is Delta.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/48215073@N00">Santosh Puthran</a>
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<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/talk2santosh/9662285932/">Red Arrows Bournemouth Airshow 2013</a>