British Consulate and RAF Red Arrows visit Black Hills, Sanford Lab

Royal Air Force Red Arrows performed a flyover

On Oct. 8, 2019, the Royal Air Force Red Arrows performed a flypast of the southern Black Hills and Mount Rushmore National Memorial on their way to Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Photo by Constance Walter

Visitors to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills look up to see the faces of four of America’s most notable presidents. On Oct. 8, the view changed significantly. As nine jets from the Royal Air Force Red Arrows flew in formation over the Memorial, visitors gasped and pointed, delighted by the unexpected appearance.

The Arrows were on the final leg of an 11-week North America, during which they visited nearly two dozen cities and did 22 airshow displays, performing for millions of people. The flypast occurred as the team headed to Ellsworth Air Force Base from Southern California on their way to the UK via Canada, Greenland and Iceland.

“The flypast of Mt. Rushmore was the piece de resistance of the Red Arrows appearances at numerous American landmarks,” said Kyle Dolan, Head of Science & Innovation at the British Consulate-General in Chicago. “The Red Arrows’ visit celebrated the close links between the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, particularly our economic, defense, and science and technology relationships.”

Seven people stand for a group photo. IDs in caption. — After the flypast, officials from Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and Ellsworth AFB, joined members of the British Consulate and the Red Arrows team in an event in Rapid City, where they celebrated the United Kingdoms' American partnerships. Pictured from left: Col David Doss, 28th Bomb Wing Commander, Ellsworth AFB; Kyle Dolan, British Consulate; Mike Headley, executive director, Sanford Lab; Nigel Lockyer, director, Fermilab; Red Arrows Squadron Leader Adam Collins; CMSgt Rochelle Hemingway, 28th Bomb Wing Command Chief; Red Arrows Wing Commander Andrew Keith; Maria Rennie, Deputy Consul General, British Consulate. Photo by Constance Walter, SURF.

people standing in a tunnel — Constance Walter (right) talks to Fermilab scientists and members of the British Consulate about rehabilitation projects at Sanford Lab. From left: Joseph Zennamo and Peter Shanahan, Fermilab; and Kyle Dolan and Maria Rennie, British Consulate. Photo by Matthew Kapust, SURF.

“This was an amazing opportunity to show our UK partners our facility and to discuss current and future international collaborations in science. And what a treat to meet the Red Arrows demonstration team," said Mike Headley, executive director of Sanford Lab.

people lit up in the cage — While descending to the 4850 Level, Al Stratman (left), engineering director at Sanford Lab, discusses the construction of the Yates Shaft with Kyle Dolan of the British Consulate.
*Photo by Matthew Kapust*

“Our visit to Sanford Lab was simply amazing,” Dolan continued. “We learned about the amazing history of the facility, going back to the Davis experiment on solar neutrinos, and how it remains today a leader in particle physics and cosmology.” Dolan said both he and Rennie were thrilled by the experience of traveling nearly a mile underground to learn more about how scientists from around the world are working together to answer fundamental questions about matter and the Universe.

Visitors listen to guide explaining science — Dr. Markus Horn (right), research scientist at Sanford Lab, explains the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to (from left) Maria Rennie, British Consulate; and Louise Suter and Joseph Zennamo, Fermilab.
*Photo by Matthew Kapust*

“One of the most important things we learned was the depth of UK-US collaboration already taking place at Sanford Lab, especially through the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment,” Dolan said. “We’re very excited that our future partnership on Long Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment will bring yet another major collaboration to Sanford Lab and stimulate this global cooperation to better understand the nature of the Universe.”