News Reports
HMX-1 Presidential Helicopters at RAF Mildenhall
It’s all but impossible to miss news of a United States Presidential visit to the United Kingdom, or indeed to any country – the event is always marked with significant pomp and circumstance, as befits the reception of a foreign Head of State. What normally does go unnoticed is the [...]
Irish Air Corps – Easter Rising Centenary
The Easter Rising of 1916 was the most significant uprising in Ireland against Britain since the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798, and is generally regarded as the first time that an Irish Republic was declared. A century on and the Irish Air Corps took part in a series of flypasts [...]
Westland Sea King HC4 Commando Retirement
The 31st of March 2016 heralded another sad day in the history of UK military aviation as the iconic dark green Westland Sea King HC4 Commando helicopters, affectionately known as 'Junglies', were retired from active service after nigh on 36 years of providing a heavy lift and troop carrying capability [...]
UK Helicopter Search and Rescue
The world of UK Helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) has gone through a historic transition over the past 12 months culminating today, January 1st 2016 at 0900. Both the distinctive yellow Royal Air Force and red and grey Royal Navy Sea King aircraft have bowed out and been replaced by [...]
Vulcan XH558 Final Flight
Just after 3pm on Wednesday October 28, 2015, Avro Vulcan XH558 made both it and the type’s final landing at Doncaster Robin Hood airport amidst a small group of onlookers, closing the curtain on the machines second coming. As had been alluded to in the weeks prior, the last flight itself was [...]
Army Air Corps Lynx AH7 Retirement
Friday 31st July 2015 saw an historic moment for the British Army Air Corps (AAC), with the retirement of the Westland Lynx AH.7 helicopter. The Lynx has been a key asset to the AAC for just over 38 years, having first taken to the skies in June 1977 as a Lynx [...]
G-JOEY Trislander Retirement
June 28th 2015 will see the retirement of a Channel Islands aviation Icon, G-JOEY the Britten Norman Trislander. JOEY is operated by Aurigny Air Services, based in Channel Islands. This much loved aircraft has seen just shy of 40 years service in its lifetime, 34 of those years with Aurigny [...]
352nd Special Operations Wing Stands Up
The 7th Special Operations Squadron, which forms part of the 352nd Special Operations Wing, based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk has been undergoing several changes over the past 12 months, in line with an increase in capabilities and duties for the 352ndSOW as a whole. Duncan Monk and Ben Montgomery [...]
3(F) Squadron 100th Anniversary
May the 13th 2012 saw 3 Squadron become 100 years old and celebrate the event with a ceremony full of pomp and circumstance, as would be expected in both Jubilee and Olympic year. Steve Smith and Craig Sluman were at RAF Coningsby for AeroResource... The History Although the Squadron had [...]
70 Years of RAF Search and Rescue
With the looming privatization of the UK Search and Rescue cover and its new Royal recruit, the RAF SAR has recently been a topic on the tip of many tongues. 2011 marks Seventy Years of RAF Search and Rescue, Michael Buckle reports from 202 Sqn ‘D flight’ on the important [...]
The End of the Dominie
January 2011 will see the end of an aircraft that has been in RAF service since the 1960s and some of the oldest registered airframes in the UK Inventory. Mark Graham and Steve Smith paid a visit to RAF Cranwell to report on the life of this classic airframe for [...]