If anyone would like to read the full texts of the tributes to Ray at the Funeral and Memorial Service they’ve been posted on Pprune today. I think this is the first time they’ve been posted on the internet.

Here’s the link.

They’re on the last page but if you haven’t looked at the thread for a few months its worth reading a few pages before that.

There’s some good low flying shots on this link. I don’t know how to make links direct to the entries but look at posts 188 and 197.

Low flying – really low!

Forgot to say

And lots of photos.

Thanks Albert Ross.

Your wonderful description sets the scene beautifully and makes up a bit for us not being able to get there to pay our respects.

By the way, Tudor Owen used to fly a Harvard with the OFMC years ago.
That’s how they became friends.

Just in case people think Ray Hanna got in trouble and needed a lawyer!! 🙂

PS.

Could we change the title of this thread to take out ‘reminder’?

Or maybe join it with the other threads about Ray Hanna as one permanent tribute to the greatest pilot most of us have seen and probably will ever see?

This is becoming unbelievable.

So, in the opinion of some here, Ray Hanna was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and (like SG) was “‘just an ordinary man who is lucky to have the money to indulge his passion.”

As for “gaining experience that led to becoming well known publicly as Arrows leader”, you should read the Times obituary.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1918199,00.html

It’s well worth reading and you’ll find out that it was Ray Hanna’s exceptional skill as a pilot and his extraordinary flare for displaying which MADE the Red Arrowns such a success.

What the obituary writer discreetly leaves out is the reason why Ray Hanna is the only Leader to have served 4 years, and it wasn’t because he happened to be in the right place at the right time – he was called back from another job in the RAF!
Books on the history of the Arrows are just as discreet. They gloss over that there was another Leader for a short time after Ray Hanna completed his normal three year tour (some don’t even mention it) and make it look like he did four continous years.

Just an ordinary man who was lucky???
I despair.
I’m off to stuff the turkey.
I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be well and truly stuffed.

Merry Christmas all.

Thanks for sharing your pics.

But Stephen Gray a “legend”?
Steady on.

Ray Hanna was a legend.

There’s a lovely picture of the Arrows flypast just been posted HERE.

Look in the posts dated 23rd December.

It’s one to save and keep.

Photos from the BBC website.

I heard a little about the funeral through the grapevine this evening.

A friend of Ray’s called Tudor Owen who is a barrister and flew warbirds with him in the 80’s did the tribute and it was amazing apparently. Then Ray’s family and friends followed the coffin up to the grave on the hillside in the small churchyard. The Red Arrows did a flypast and ‘salute’ to their former Leader, followed by Lee Proudfoot flying Ray’s Spitfire, before Ray’s coffin was lowered into the grave. Ray is buried beside Mark.

Can anyone who was there please give us more detail?
Why was everyone talking about what the friend said?
What did he say? Does anyone have a copy?

I don’t want to intrude, I’m genuinely interested because like everyone I admired Ray Hanna so much.

.

There are some wonderful tributes to Ray Hanna on the link below.

Some from warbird fans, but mainly from people in other parts of his long career – Red Arrows, RAF, airlines – showing how much people respected him wherever they met him or came across him.

Mainly written rather than pictures but they are well worth the read. Link HERE