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Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

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	Topics Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Topic Home The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force The Royal Air Force is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces.... flightFlight (military unit) A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps.... which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro LancasterAvro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force.... , a Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine Spitfire Overview The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II.... and a Hawker HurricaneHawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s.... . The aircraft are regularly seen at events commemorating World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... , upon British State occasions, notably the Trooping the ColourTrooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a military pageant or ceremony performed by regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army.... celebrating Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom }\|-\|\|}Elizabeth II is the Queen of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth Realms.... 's 80th birthday in 2006, and at air displays throughout the United KingdomUnited Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast... and EuropeEurope Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth.... . The Flight is administratively part of No. 1 Group RAFNo. 1 Group RAF Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two groups in Strike Command.... , flying out of RAF ConingsbyRAF Coningsby RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.... in LincolnshireLincolnshire Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England.... . 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 DakotaC-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota was a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner.... , 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 a conventional landing gearConventional landing gear Conventional landing gear describes an aircraft landing gear configuration with an undercarriage arrangement consisting of t... , a design that has now vanished from the modern RAF fleet. One of the two Chipmunks regularly flew reconnaissance missions over East Germany, as part of the RAF GatowRAF Gatow Known for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former RAF m... Station Flight, in co-operation with The British Commander-in-Chief's Mission to the Soviet Forces of Occupation in GermanyGroup of Soviet Forces in Germany The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Weste... , commonly known as BRIXMISBRIXMIS The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany was set up on 16 September 1946 under the Robertson... . 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 flypastFlyPast Summary FlyPast is Britain's top-selling aviation magazine, published monthly, and edited by Ken Ellis.... s with other recognisable British aircraft, such as The Red ArrowsRed Arrows The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Ai... . It appeared on occasion with ConcordeConcorde Arospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport , along with the Tupolev Tu-144, was one of only two models of supersonic pass... before that aircraft's withdrawal from service in October 2003. History In the years immediately following World War Two it became traditional for a Spitfire and Hurricane to lead the Victory Day flypast over London. From that event there grew the idea to form an historic collection of flyable aircraft, initially to commemorate the RAF’s major battle honour, The Battle of Britain, and latterly with broadened scope, to commemorate the RAF’s involvement in all the campaigns of WWII. Thus in 1957 the Historic Aircraft Flight was formed at RAF Biggin Hill with one Hurricane (LF363) and 3 x Mk XIX Spitfires (PM631, PS853 and PS915), in what, even then, had become a predominantly jet-powered Air Force. Originally the RAF Historic Aircraft Flight, with a small group of Spitfires and Hurricanes operating from RAF ColtishallRAF Coltishall RAF Coltishall is a Royal Air Force station near Norwich in East Anglia England.... from 1963, 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 BritainBattle of Britain Summary The Battle of Britain was one of the major campaigns of the early part of World War II and is the name commonly given to the... in 1940, with 266No. 266 Squadron RAF No. 266 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.... and 603No. 603 Squadron RAF No. 603 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Scotland.... Squadrons. She is both the oldest Spitfire still in flying condition, and the last surviving aircraft from the Battle of Britain still able to fly. In 2007 she was repainted in the 603 Squadron letters XT-L, those of Gerald 'Stapme' StapletonGerald Stapleton Squadron Leader Basil Gerald 'Stapme' Stapleton DFC DFC RAF was a Spitfire fighter ace and Typhoon pilot in the Royal Air ... 's personal aircraft. Another, AB910, escorted convoys in the Battle of the AtlanticBattle of the Atlantic *Battle of the Atlantic* can refer to either of two naval campaigns, depending on context:... , flew escort patrols during bombing raids on ScharnhorstGerman battlecruiser Scharnhorst *Scharnhorst* was a famous World War II 31,500 tonne Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named a... and GneisenauGerman battlecruiser Gneisenau *Gneisenau* was a famous World War II 31,100 ton Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine.... , then (as part of No. 133 squadronNo. 133 Squadron RAF Overview 133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle squadrons formed from American volunteers serving with the RAF during World War... ) fought in the Dieppe RaidDieppe Raid The Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe or Operation Jubilee, during World War II, was an Allied att... . Capping this long career, as part of No. 402 Squadron RCAFNo. 402 Squadron RCAF 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron... , she flew cover patrols over the NormandyNormandy Normandy is a geographical region in northern France.... beachheads on D-DayD-Day In English military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be in... and in the subsequent weeks - as did another of the Flight's Spitfires, with No. 443 Squadron RCAF. The two Hurricanes have their own claims; 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 United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces was a part of the U.S.... , and the Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian milita... , as well as having been privately owned; whilst in the RAF, they were flown by CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia Czechoslovakia was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until early 1993 .... n, PolishPoland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe.... , South AfricaSouth Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent.... n, American and CanadianCanada Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.... 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. Other large collections of flying historic aircraft Commemorative Air Force?, in Midland, TexasMidland, Texas Midland is the county seat of Midland County located on the Southern Plains of the western area of the U.S.... . Shuttleworth CollectionShuttleworth Collection The Shuttleworth Collection is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, Eng... at Old WardenOld Warden Old Warden is a village in Bedfordshire, England just west of the town of Biggleswade.... near BiggleswadeBiggleswade Biggleswade is a small market town on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England.... in BedfordshireBedfordshire Bedfordshire is a county in England that forms part of the East of England region.... , EnglandEngland England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom.... ; Fantasy of FlightFantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA.... , in Polk City, FloridaPolk City, Florida Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States.... ; Champlin Fighter Collection at the Seattle Museum of FlightMuseum of Flight The Museum of Flight is an air and space museum at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.... ; The Lone Star Flight MuseumLone Star Flight Museum The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Galveston, Texas, displays more than 40 historically significant aircraft and many h... in Galveston, TexasGalveston, Texas Galveston is the county seat of Galveston County located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S.... . The Yankee Air MuseumYankee Air Museum Summary The Yankee Air Museum, housed in a hangar at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a museum dedicated to preserving ... in Ypsilanti, MichiganYpsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S.... . The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum? in St Louis, MissouriMissouri Summary Missouri named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning "town of the large canoes", is a central state in the United ... See also Canadian Warplane Heritage MuseumCanadian Warplane Heritage Museum The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is one of the major aviation museums in Canada.... External links