FlyPast 06.2018

NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

6 FLYPAST June 2018

Biggin Hill leads RAF centenary celebration fl ights

Sqn Ldr Allan Scott DFM, now 96, took

to the skies in the back seat of Biggin

Hill Heritage Hangar’s Spitfi re Tr.

MJ627 on April 1 to mark the RAF’s

100th birthday. He fl ew in formation

with Spitfi re Mk.IX TA805 Spirit of

Kent and Hawker Hurricane I AE

in an event supported by the RAF

Benevolent Fund.

Allan fl ew operationally from Biggin

Hill during World War Two with 124

Squadron, scoring the fi rst of his six

victories. Another veteran present at

the famous Kent airfi eld on April 1 was

101-year-old former ATA pilot Mary Ellis.

Representing one of the RAF’s

earliest aircraft, Royal Aircraft Factory

BE2e ‘A2943’ (G-CJZO) also fl ew on the

anniversary, from Stow Maries Great

War Aerodrome in Essex. The aircraft

was built in 2014 by The Vintage

Aviator Ltd in New Zealand and is

today operated by the World War One

Aviation Heritage Trust.

Another special formation of

aircraft was fl own on the same day

from Henlow in Bedfordshire. Despite

some challenging weather in the

days leading up to the event, ten DHC

Chipmunks and three Scottish Aviation

Bulldogs participated, with a total of 12

aircraft fl ying in formation.

Among their number was 1952-built

DHC-1 WP851 (F-AZUU) and 1950-built

DHC-1 WB756 (G-AOJR), both of which

fl ew in from France. The aircraft

formed the shape of the fi gure ‘100’ in

the sky and fl ew over Cranfi eld before

returning to Henlow for a fi nal fl ypast.

Spitfi re Tr.9 MJ627 (nearest camera) with

Spitfi re IX TA805 and Hurricane AE977 fl ying

over Biggin Hill on April 1. RICHARD PAVER

RAF BE2e ‘A2943’ fl ying from Stow Maries.

PHIL WHALLEY

Twelve Chipmunks and Bulld ogs form a ‘100’

shape in the sky above Bedfordshire.

DARREN HARBAR

Duxford acquires a

Tornado GR.

Panavia Tornado GR.4 ZA469 was delivered by road to IWM Duxford from RAF Marham,

Norfolk, in late March. It is pictured being rebuilt in the Cambridgeshire attraction’s

Airspace building, and has since been completed for display inside Hangar 4. JUSTIN WARD

Victor rolled into hangar

for Bruntingthorpe event

Handley Page Victor K.2 XM715 ‘Teasin’ Tina’ was the star attraction at an event at

Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, on March 24. The day was hosted by the Vulcan to the Sky

Trust to mark the 25th anniversary of Vulcan XH558’s fi nal RAF fl ight. On this occasion it

was ’558’s fellow V-bomber XM715 that stole most of the limelight. PHOTO-RICHARD HALL