Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight badge

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight badge

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft are regularly seen at events commemorating World War II, upon British State occasions, notably the Trooping the Colour celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birth day in 2006, and at air displays throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.

The Flight is administratively part of No. 1 Group RAF, flying out of RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

Aircraft

Although usually seen flying in a formation of three, the Lancaster flanked by a fighter on each wing, the Flight actually comprises 11 aircraft, including five Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Douglas C-47 (DC3) Dakota, and two De Havilland Chipmunks.

The two Chipmunks are the last in RAF service, but are not intended for display use; rather, they serve to give pilots experience in flying aircraft with tail wheels, a design now vanished from the modern RAF fleet. The Dakota fills a dual role, serving both as a support aircraft for the Flight (and as a multi-engine tail-wheel trainer for the Lancaster) and, more recently, as a display aircraft in her own right.

The Flight also regularly takes part in combined flypasts with other recognisable British aircraft, such as The Red Arrows. It appeared on occasion with Concorde before that aircraft's withdrawal from service in October 2003.

The Memorial Flight (the Lancaster with two Spitfires and two Hurricanes) flew over the celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday on June 17th 2006.

History

Originally the RAF "Historic Aircraft Flight", with a small group of Spitfires and Hurricanes, the group became the "Battle of Britain Memorial Flight" in 1973, with the acquisition of a Lancaster. The first Chipmunk was acquired in 1983, and the Dakota in 1995. The Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Flight have varied over the years, as new aircraft are acquired and older ones given to museums or used for parts.

Individual aircraft have historic heritages, as well; the oldest of the Spitfires, P7350, is a Mk.IIa, which originally flew in the Battle of Britain in 1940, with 266 and 603 Squadrons. She is both the oldest Spitfire still in flying condition, and the last known survivor of the Battle of Britain still able to fly.

Spitfire AB910, flying at a 2004 airshow

Another, AB910, escorted convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic, flew escort patrols during bombing raids on Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, then (as part of 133 Eagle squadron) fought in the Dieppe Raid. Capping this long career, as part of No. 402 Squadron RCAF, she flew cover patrols over the Normandy beachheads on D-Day and in the subsequent weeks - as did another of the Flight's Spitfires, with No. 443 Squadron RCAF.

The two Hurricanes are interesting; one is the last Hurricane to have entered service with the RAF; the other, built six months later, is the last Hurricane ever to have been built.

Aircraft currently in the Flight have served with the RAF, the USAAF, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, as well as having been privately owned; whilst in the RAF, they were flown by Czechoslovakian, Polish, South African, American and Canadian pilots. Some were sold for scrapping and later saved, whilst at least one has been in operational service with the RAF for almost fifty years.

See also

• Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

External links

• The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight homepage