FlyPast 06.2018

82 FLYPAST June 2018

wait for this and landed on the grass,

kicking up a cloud of cuttings. The

Short Belfast chose the concrete, off-

loading more troops and equipment.

Meanwhile Westland Whirlwind

HAR.10s and Wessex HC.2s brought

in reinforcements.

There was a trio of display teams,

the ‘Falcons’ free-fall parachutists

from the resident 1 PTS, and the

Central Flying School’s ‘Tomahawks’

red-painted Westland-built Bell Sioux

HT.2 helicopters. Another crimson

formation closed the show, the Red

Arrows, and in those days, they flew

diminutive Folland Gnat T.1s.

VINTAGE DISPLAY

An early slot in the flying sequence

was devoted to what the programme

called ‘vintage’ aircraft. The

Shuttleworth Collection pitched in

with its Avro Tutor, Gloster Gladiator,

Hawker Tomtit and Royal Aircraft

Factory SE.5A.

Hawker Siddeley contributed Hart

‘J9941’ (which was handed on to the

RAF Museum in 1972) and Mosquito

T.3 RR299. The latter was due ‘on

stage’ three days later at Bovingdon

in Hertfordshire. It was taking part

in Mosquito Squadron, a follow-on to

633 Squadron, released in 1964.

It was a big year for aviation movies;

filming of Battle of Britain had started

in Spain in March. With Duxford

as the main base, British sequences

got under way in May and were all

wrapped up by September.

Also involved in the Abingdon flying

With the location sorted, the

responsibility for the gathering fell

on the shoulders of the Officer

Commanding RAF Abingdon,

Group Captain Norman Hoad AFC*,

a former wartime Lancaster pilot

and prisoner of war. There were two

elements to the festival, a large static

park with associated exhibitions

and a major flying display. Both of

these were designed to show off the

RAF’s heritage and its present-day

capabilities.

The Queen was treated to a preview

on June 14 and the following day the

public joined the party and what a

spectacular event it was. The flying

kicked off with a formation of 31

Hunting Jet Provosts spelling out the

Royal Cypher – ‘E II R’. There were

other mass flypasts, a dozen each of

Victors and Vulcans, 24 Lightnings

and 12 Hunters, as well as solo

demonstrations.

The RAF’s tactical role came to

the fore with an exercise to ‘retake’

Abingdon from an unspecified foe.

Hunters attacked as Armstrong

Whitworth Argosies dropped

members of the RAF Regiment to

clear the runway of obstructions.

The RAF’s new tactical airlifters,

the Andover and a Hercules, couldn’t

Type Serial Built Fate / Current Status

Auster C4 Antarctic WE600 1951 RAF Museum Cosford

Avro 504K H2311 1918 Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester*

Avro Lincoln B.2/4A RF398 1945 RAF Museum Cosford

Boulton Paul Defi ant I N1671 1938 RAF Museum Cosford

Bristol Beaufi ghter TT.10 RD867 1945 Canada National Aviation Museum, Ottawa

Bristol Belvedere HC.1 XG454 1960 Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester –

on loan from The Helicopter Museum

DH Tiger Moth NL985 1944 Privately owned, Gloucestershire

DH Mosquito TT.35 TA639 1945 RAF Museum Cosford

DH Vampire F.3 VT812 1947 RAF Museum Hendon

Gloster Gladiator II K8042 1937 RAF Museum Cosford

Hawker Hind 1937 RAF Museum Cosford, store

Hawker Hurricane I P2617 1940 RAF Museum Hendon

Hawker Tempest TT.5 NV778 1944 RAF Museum Hendon

Miles Magister I T9708 1940 Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop*

Percival Proctor III Z7197 1940 RAF Museum store, Stafford

Sikorsky Hoverfl y I KK995 1944 RAF Museum Hendon

Sopwith Camel F6314 1918 RAF Museum Hendon

Supermarine S.6A S1596 1929 Solent Sky, Southampton*

Supermarine Spitfi re I K9942 1939 RAF Museum Cosford

Supermarine Swift FR.5 WK281 1956 Tangmere Military Aviation Museum*

Vickers Gunbus replica ‘2345’ 1966 RAF Museum Hendon

Vickers Wellington T.10 MF628 1944 RAF Museum Cosford, restoration centre

Westland Lysander III R9125 1940 RAF Museum Cosford, restoration centre

Westland Dragonfl y HR.3 WG725 1951 Museum of Flight, Nowra, Australia

Note: Aircraft marked * are on loan from the RAF Museum.

RAF 50 ABINGDON JUNE 1968 - MUSEUM AIRCRAFT

1918 2018

Right

A pair of Sioux

HT.2s of the CFS

‘Tomahawks’ team

get ready to display.

Below them are

Whirlwind HAR.10s of

230 Squadron.