World War Two was looming when, on
August 4, 1939, Lockheed Hudson N7263
was allocated to the Flight, and converted for
royal use. This included fitting six parachute
seats, converting the bomb bay to carry
luggage, and additional fuel tanks. Two RAF
wireless operators/air gunners were posted
to serve as gunners on this Hudson, and on
another used for six months; these two were
the only King’s Flight aircraft to be armed.
A DH95 Flamingo transport was also
delivered to the Flight on September 7, 1940,
at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire. Although the
Flamingo had been allocated an RAF serial,
it flew with the civil registration G-AGCC in
addition to its RAF roundels and camouflage
paint – a move intended to smooth its
passage through neutral airspace if the royal
family had to be evacuated from the UK.
The King’s Flight was disbanded in
February 1941 and its aircraft and personnel
took on other RAF duties.
In June 1943, Gp Capt Fielden, as he had
become, was asked to advise on a suitable
aircraft for a long trip the King was proposed
to take to North Africa. It was decided to use
Winston Churchill’s personal Avro York LV633
Ascalon for the journey, which the King
undertook under the codename of General
Lyon.FLIGHT RE-FORMED
Post-war, the King’s Flight was officially re-
formed at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, on May
1, 1947 and was equipped with the more
modern Vickers Viking.
The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and
Prince Philip in November 1947 kept the
King’s Flight busy, bringing guests to London
from Europe. The following spring there was
a lengthy royal tour to South Africa.
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
and their entourage travelled there and back
by sea, but an extensive itinerary of visits
within the country was entrusted to a fleet of
four Vikings. The royal couple used VL246
and VL247 as their personal aircraft, VL245
was designated as a staff transport, and
VL248 was fitted as a travelling workshop,
with a workbench and a comprehensive
range of power and hand tools to rectify
snags on any of the aircraft.
The royal Vikings were furnished with two,
four-seater saloons, a steward’s compartment,
and a commodore’s compartment immediately
behind the flight deck. The staff transport was
laid out in a manner similar to airline Vikings,
but with 20 seats – there were slightly more in
commercial service.
The tour was successfully completed in
April 1948, with more than 160,000 miles
(257,495km) covered in the air.
It became customary for the royal family to
spend their annual summer break at Balmoral
Castle in Scotland, and in 1947 Viking VL245
was allocated to transport their mail back and
forth between London and Aberdeen. Shortly
after take-off from Aberdeen on September
2, 1947 the aircraft experienced engine
problems and the crew made a forced landing38 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2018Two Westland Whirlwind HCC.8s were delivered to the Queen’s Flight in November 1959, and
served until replaced by turbine-engine models. The Aviation Photo CompanyRAF Germany DH Heron C.4 XR391 still retained its former royal colours when at Berlin
Templehof Airport in June 1971. At the end of that year it went to Saunders Aircraft for
conversion to ST-27 turbo-prop standard. Ralf MantufelAn RAF DHC Chipmunk T.10 in Queen’s Flight livery with a royal Andover in the background.
Chipmunks were used by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles for basic flying training.
The Aviation Photo CompanyA Wessex HCC.4 in distinctive royal livery. The type carried out the Flight’s last royal flight on
March 31m 1995, transporting Princess Margaret from RAF Benson to Windsor. Key Collection36-40_raf_queens_flightDC.mfDC.indd 38 04/12/2017 13:20