This interview is part of the Blades special, which is on my site now. The Blades are a world renowned team from the United Kingdom. With former Royal Air Force and Red Arrows pilots. The interview was done with Myles Garland. Blade 4 in the team. Myles is a former Red Arrows pilot. A special thanks to Myles Garland and Katherinne Nicoll for arranging this interview.

MG = Myles Garland TS = Throttle and Stick

TS: What made you decide to start 2Excel Aviation and more specifically The Blades display team?

MG: 2Excel Aviation was formed by Andy Offer and Chris Norton. The concept was to take a Red Arrows concept and place it in the commercial world offering unforgettable events based around a World Class Display Team. Key to the success was having the right personnel with the right outlook focused on delivering excellence. The Blades are key to the company not only in generating exposure at air shows but in making our events unique and unforgettable.

TS: Why choose for the Extra 300LP?

MG: We needed an aircraft that was extremely capable as an aerobatic platform but also with sufficient power to allow for formation aerobatics. The Extra is extremely robust and flies in formation very much like a jet! As an aerobatic airline offering fare paying passengers the opportunity to experience close formation aerobatics we needed a certified aircraft. The Extra was the natural choice.

TS: There are alot of aerobatic teams around the world, what makes The Blades unique?

MG: The Blades are the UK's only full-time civilian aerobatic team and one of only 2 in Europe. All of the display pilots are former RAF fast-jet and Red Arrows pilots with a wealth of display and operational experience. Our attitude to training and pride in our show hopefully makes us worthy of watching and allows us to develop what we would hope is an entertaining and dynamic display.

TS: I think you still strive for the same excellence that some of you had with The Red Arrows, how much harder is it to get the same tight flying in the Extra 300?

MG: In close formation, the Extra handles in a remarkably similar fashion to a Hawk. Clearly there is less excess thrust so if you get something a little wrong, position errors show up far quicker than in a Hawk as a quick dose of power may not be enough to get back into the correct position. On turbulent days the Extra is prone to being a fairly choppy ride and it takes a lot of effort and courage to try and stay on the correct formation reference.

TS: The world has an economic crisis on their hands, how hard is it to find sponsors these days and how important are sponsors for the team?

MG: Finding sponsors is not easy when the economy is booming, nevermind during a recession! What is important is to try and keep many revenue streams open and to continually re-focus as the market changes. As we offer Leadership and Team-Building events these are still in demand even during tough economic times. Sponsors are clearly highly desirable and what we offer is far more than just a branded wing at an air show.

TS: What are the some of the weirdest or most memorable events that you have seen at airshows you have done a display at?

MG: During the 2002 season, whilst I was flying with the Reds, we travelled to Canada to display in Toronto. We were lucky enough to fly with the Canadian team, The Snowbirds and it was great to see how another highly respected and capable team operated from inside the cockpit. We also flew a mixed formation photoshoot with the Snowbirds. There were 21 jets in a very small piece of sky and everywhere you looked there was metal!!

TS: Are there any airshows that you have on your wish list, you want to fly at?

MG: Many of our air show venue choices are based on commercial reasons and logistics of our other events. On a personal note, I always enjoy coastal display sites as a packed beach and a flotilla of crowd-packed boats always makes for a good view form the cockpit.

TS: If you could choose between flying 4 Jets or 8 Extra 300s, what would it be?

MG: I feel that the Extra can offer something that jets cannot. That is a tight and intimate display for the crowd without having to virtually dissappear from view whilst positioning for the next manoeuvre. Flying jets is exciting and demanding but I find the pace and cadence of the display is far quicker inside the cockpit of an Extra than it was when I was flying the Hawk. Its just different but I feel for what we currently do - 4 Extras are the correct choice. Flying 8 Extras would be fairly tricky with our current power plant. 300hp would not be enough to hang on at the back of many 8ship moves. With the new bigger engine that is now available for the Extra, 8 would be fantastic!

TS: What can we expect for the 2009 season?

MG: The 2009 season will see a new Team line-up. Myles Garland will move to the front and lead the Team as Blade 1, whilst last year's Blade 3, Mark Cutmore moves to the 4 position. We also hope to incorporate some new manoeuvres into the display.

TS: Whats the most challenging aerobatic maneuver you perform in your display?

MG: Blades 1 and 4 perform a simultaneous Ruade. The challenge is ensuring that both aircraft enter with correct height and speed in hand so that the tumbles are syncronised.

TS: Obviously the maintenance done by Nick is very important, does he travel with you to airshows?

MG: As our aircraft are flown under 2Excel Aviation's Air Operator's Certificate, our maintenance schedule is rigourous and thorough. We ensure that all servicings are completed at our base in between events so there is no need for Nick Peel of Brooklands Engineering to travel with us.

TS: Has Nick ever grounded one of the Extras?

MG: No. If there is a problem that needs attention, Nick has always been fantastic at rectifying the problem extremely quickly.

TS: How much G do you experience when doing a display and what do you do to keep a good fitness level to cope with those G's.

MG: The majority of the formation manoeuvres are flown at 4-5 g but some of the individual moves including the Blade Break are flown to the limit often seeing 9-10 g on the g meter. Tolerance to g is something that one tends to 'get used to' rather than cope with with by following a dedicated fitness programme. Having said that, we all stay relatively fit by running and occasionally lifting the odd weight.

TS: If someone wants to fly with you, what do they have to do?

MG: The best way to get information is to visit our website at www.theblades.biz The website details all of our passenger flying information and an email address and phone number for getting in touch with your enquiry. For individuals wishing to fly, we run a number of days through the year where a group of individuals can attend and be treated to the full Blades Corporate Experience.

TS: What do you want to say to people who want to be a pilot?

MG: I would say that you should go for it. Many people probably wrongly believe that they are not capable of learning to fly. This I would say is quite wrong. There are clearly many levels of aviation but a trial lesson is a great way to start and great way to see if you actually enjoy being in the air.

TS: What's the best aspect of being a display pilot?

MG: Being able to 'hopefully' please thousands of people as they watch your display and being lucky enough to tour the UK and Europe as part of your job.