The Blue Diamonds – 92 Squadron Hunter F6 team

I have just read an excellent article published in New Zealand Wings magazine back in September 1993. I’d never read it before but spotted it whilst flickign through my collection for something else.

It was written by Trevor Bland, a pilot who’s almost as revered here in New Zealand as Ray Hanna for legendary performances. Trev flew in many RNZAF display teams including Venom teams in Singapore, and the world famous Jetabtics Vampire team in 1964.

He took some time off from the RNZAF and went to the UK in 1959, where whilst working as a landscape gardiner he visited Mildenhall airshow and fell in love with the Hunter F6. He then joined the RAF with a desire to fly that type. After a long time of being posted everywhere but to a Hunter squadron, he virtually by accident ended up on 92 Squadron who had just become the RAF’s aerobatic display team, with the Hunters.

He reckoned it was the greatest aircraft there was to fly.

Anyway, the article is not too specific on dates, and as I’m planning to add a page to my web database on NZ display teams which covers kiwis flying in foreign display teams (such as the Red Arrows, 73 Sqn teams, etc). So trev, who already fetures all over the RNZAF display team pages, will be included on this new page for his 92 Sqn team.

Can anyone please give me any pinpointed dates and venues and details, or any memories of this team? Apparently there were 16 aircraft in the team, Trev flew No. 12 (a spot he was thrust into with only 6 hours on type! )

He mentions they displayed at:
Farnborough
“Numerous airshows throughout the UK”
Furstenfeldbruck, West Germany (where 1,000,000 spectators watched!)
Teheran
Cyprus
and
Malta (where he says “where we competed with teams from many other countires, ie Iran, Greece, Italy, USA, France and belgium – a great experience.”)

Was this latter one an international team aerobatics competition?

I’ve had a look online but can only find ads for corgi toys, nothing that helps me with details of the events. Trev was with the team from when it arrived at Leconsfield to take on the aerobatic team role, and stayed with the squadron “throughout its display years.”

Any help is much appreciated, thanks.