Hawke's Bay Today-Obit HANNA Ray Tuesday December 6 2005-12-06 Page Two OBITUARY KIWI LED FAMOUS RED ARROWS RAY HANNA 1928-2005 Wellington-New Zealander Ray Hanna, who led the Royal Air Force's famous Red Arrows aerobatic team for four years, has died at his home in Switzerland, aged 77. His death on Friday was announced on the website of the Old Flying Machine Company, a firm Hanna and his son Mark ford in 1981 to preserve rare vintage aircraft. Hanna, born in New Zealand in August 1928, and learned to fly here in 1947-48 and joined the RAF in 1949. His first operational posting was to 79 Squadron, flying FR9 Meteors. In the 1950's, he flew nearly all of the early British jets including the Vampires, Venoms, Attackers, Sea Hawks, Swifts and Javelins and was selected for the newly formed Red Arrows as No 3 in 1965. The Red Arrows website says he took the role of Red 1 from 1966 to 1969: "Under his leadership the team flew for the first time as a nine aircraft team and received world-wide acclaim for their dynamic and precision formational flying." Later he flew frequently in the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow. His son Mark was killed flying a WW2 Messerschmitt 109 in Spain in 1999. - NZPA