To be a member of the Red Arrows, the RAF aerobatic team, is to have the best job in aviation. To be Red 1, their leader, is to have the best job in the world. Jas Hawker from South Gloucestershire has landed that particular role. Michael Hayes managed to catch up with him

IS it, I inquired of Jas Hawker, really the best job in the world? Jas laughs and says: "In terms of the flying side of the job, I think it depends on where your interests lie as a pilot.

"It's certainly not every Royal Air Force pilot's idea of the best job in the world; some people, for instance, are far more focused on the operational aspects of flying military aircraft.

"They find the tactical side as interesting as the pure flying element – if not more so.

"However, my job is about a huge amount more than just the flying. I have responsibility for a squadron of 100 extremely professional and hard-working personnel. I am very conscious that the Red Arrows have built up a unique reputation for excellence over 44 years, and the responsibility for maintaining this weighs heavily on my shoulders."

Those shoulders looked reassuringly broad to me, well able to take that weight. The Boss (as all Red Arrows leaders are known) shrugged in a self-deprecatory sort of way but there was a definite gleam of pride in his eye.

I went on to ask him about his early years. How old was he when he first saw a Red Arrows display?

"I was 11," says Jas. "I saw them at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford in Gloucestershire."

So when did he first want to be a part of them?

"Seeing the team when I was 11 sparked my interest in flying," says Jas. "But I joined the RAF because I wanted to fly military fast jets in an operational role. It was only when I had achieved my ambition of flying combat missions as a Tornado GR4 pilot that my thoughts then turned to the next step – joining the Red Arrows."

Jas was educated at the Castle School in Thornbury. He joined his local Air Training Corps as a teenager and gained a Royal Air Force Sixth Form Scholarship. He joined the RAF immediately after completing his A-levels. After training, his operational flying career began on the Tornado GR1.

He soon became an instructor (on the Tucano training aircraft), enjoying the 1997 season as the RAF solo Tucano display pilot. After another spell flying operational fast jets (Tornado GR4) he successfully applied to the Red Arrows and was selected as one of the Synchro Pair – a duet performing high speed manoeuvres within the team's display, for the 2000-2002 seasons.

When his three-year tour with the Reds ended, he returned to operational duties as a Flight Commander on 31 Squadron, RAF Marham, once more in the cockpit of a Tornado GR4. And now he is back where he belongs.

Flying a fast jet puts all kinds of stress and strains on the body. He explains that during every 23-minute display the pilots routinely pull up to eight "G" – that's eight times the force of gravity to you and me so, for example, a 10-stone man will suddenly weigh 80 stone.

"Every display is quite physically tiring so you do need a good level of fitness," he explains in his usual understated way.

So what sort of work-out regime does he follow?

"I go to the gym and go running regularly," says Jas. "But flying three times a day, every day, helps to build fitness and stamina as well."

Following his tour as Flight Commander of 31 Squadron, Jas was selected to be the personal staff officer to a three-star officer in the MoD. But how can a fighter pilot be comfortable behind a desk?

Jas gives a wry smile. He didn't actually say as much but I gather this was strictly a career move.

His reply was typically diplomatic: "During my tour at the MoD in London I certainly did some desk time, but the three-star officer I worked for was in charge of a project in Saudi Arabia, so I also got quite a bit of travelling in, too.

"The job was very interesting – it certainly broadened my career outside the flying environment."

"Speaking of flying," I say, "let's talk some more about the Reds. It seems to me ironic that as a member of the team you never get to hear the ecstatic 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the audience as, for instance, you burst into the Vixen Break, or, as the Synchro Pair, you spectacularly avoid collision by a whisker.

"When was the last time you were actually able to watch the team display – and hear the reception from the crowd?"

"2006 in Saudi Arabia – when I was a desk jock," laughs Jas. "But I already knew that my next job would be as team leader – so it gave me an extra feeling of pride as I watched the display."

I then ask him, as team leader, whether he has to come up with any new acrobatic displays for the squad? "Any new formations or manoeuvres are created in collaboration with all of the pilots," Jas explains. "Although, of course, as boss, I have the final say!

"We have strict safety rules that we must conform to – which restricts creativity to a certain extent.

However, each team leader manages to keep the display fresh and exciting every year within these parameters." So who decides which display to fly at each show?

"It usually depends on the weather," explains Jas.

"Last summer, for example, was terrible! We often had to simply fly our 'flat' display which, because of low cloud cover, means we can't fly very high – sometimes as low as 1,000 feet! However, once we have information on the cloud base, ultimately, as leader, it's down to me.

"We have three types of display sequence and we are unique in that I can give the OK to swap between them if the weather conditions alter during the display. We always aim to give the public the most dynamic display possible."

However, in October next year, Jas will be leaving the Red Arrows, so where does his future lie?

"I don't know where I'll go next," he says, "but after my recent promotion I'll have to go to staff college for a year before my next posting."