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, and at air displays throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. Image File history File links This image is protected by British Crown copyright. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. Produced by Supermarine, the Spitfire was designed by R.J. Mitchell, who continued to refine it until his death in 1937. ... The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s which was used extensively by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ...

The Flight is administratively part of No. 1 Group RAF, flying out of RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two groups in Strike Command. ... RAF Coningsby, is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands 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 C-47 (DC3) Dakota, and two De Havilland Chipmunks. The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s, and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747). ... The de Havilland Chipmunk is a tandem two seat single engined training aircraft, and was the standard primary trainer for the British military though most of the post-war years. ...

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 Piper Super Cub is a popular taildragger aircraft. ...

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. Red Arrows Hawk at speed during a display The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Scampton, United Kingdom. ... Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST), along with the Tupolev Tu-144, was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. ...

It looked as if the Memorial Flight Flew over the celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.

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. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Combatants United Kingdom Germany Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Strength 700 fighters 1,260 bombers, 316 dive-bombers, 1,089 fighters Casualties 1,547 aircraft, 27,450 civilian dead, 32,138 wounded 2,698 aircraft One of the major campaigns of the early part of World... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... No. ...

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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x1258, 412 KB) Spitfire in planform at Kemble Air Day, Kemble airfield, Gloucestershire, England. ... Battle of the Atlantic can refer to either of two naval campaigns, depending on context: World War I - First Battle of the Atlantic World War II - Second Battle of the Atlantic A Third Battle of the Atlantic was envisioned to be be part of any Third World War that arose... Scharnhorst was a 31,500 tonne Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named after the Prussian general and army reformer Gerhard von Scharnhorst and to commemorate the World War I armored cruiser SMS Scharnhorst. ... Gneisenau was a 31,100 ton Scharnhorst class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine. ... 133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle squadrons formed from American volunteers serving with the RAF during World War II. History 133 was first formed in 1918. ... The Eagle Squadrons were Royal Air Force fighter squadrons formed during World War II from American volunteer pilots. ... Dieppes chert beach and cliff immediately following the raid on 19 August 1942. ... Mont Saint Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ...

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. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... Czechoslovakia (Czech: ÄŒeskoslovensko, Slovak: ÄŒesko-Slovensko/before 1990 ÄŒeskoslovensko) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until early 1993 (with government-in-exile during the World War II period). ...

See also

• Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

// Introduction The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is one of the major aviation museums in Canada. ...

External links

• The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight homepage