Surprised no-one has flagged up the Queen’s Birthday Flypast, due over the centre of London at 1pm on Saturday. (Although if weather were to disrupt the Trooping of the Colour it can be postponed till 5pm).
Info attached from the MoD website. As might be expected, a rather smaller affair than in previous years. The press office seems to have been cut back too, with a couple of howlers in their release!
“The key factor when deciding aircraft involvement was ensuring that it will have no effect on operations around the world. The flypast is made up of 7 elements:” (Actually 6!!)
“First element is to be one Chinook and two Puma helicopters provided by Joint Helicopter Command from RAF Odiham and RAF Benson.
“Second element is to be the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; consisting of a Lancaster, a Spitfire and a Hurricane provided by RAF Coningsby.
“Third element is to be two C130 aircraft provided by RAF Lyneham escorted by two King Air provided by RAF Cranwell.
“Fourth element is to be two Typhoon provided by RAF Leuchars and two Tornado GR4 provided by RAF Marham.
“Fifth element is to be two HS-125 provided by RAF Northolt
“Sixth element is to be nine RAFAT Hawks provided by RAF Scampton.” (I guess they mean Red Arrows!!)
“Following the flypast over Buckingham Palace the BBMF will depart for the RAF Museum at Hendon whilst the rest of the formation will continue on passing RAF Northolt, Middlesex which will be holding their annual Station Families Day.
“Before dispersing back to their home bases they will also fly over RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire where they will be holding an RAF at Home Day, an event which will include both airside and groundside displays giving the local community an opportunity to view the many Units that operate there.”
On Saturday and Sunday Halton is also hosting the deHMC Charity Flying event (admission free!). I guess we can expect the Moths and other vintage types to comfortably outnumber the RAF!!
By: G-ASEA - 13th June 2011 at 17:43
is that the Kirby Kite I herd rumours about?
Yes thats right. We had to inspect the Kite for them Its all ok. You should see it flying soon.
Dave
By: adrian_gray - 13th June 2011 at 15:00
Thanks, Adrian – that explains it. I think the previous one might have been last year for the Battle of Britain commemorations – if I could just remember what I was picking out on the plot I might be able to check the date…
Adrian
(eek – two of us!)
By: AMB - 13th June 2011 at 13:09
Intriguing – I recall a recent Royal event (ie in the last two years) when the whole caboodle came over Oxford in a rather stretched formation – BBMF, Tornados, Typhoons, the lot, heading for Brize. Today we just got the Hercs and the HS-125s, then several hours later the Red Sparrows flew NE of Oxford going who knows where.
Adrian
I was on the approach to Brize Norton, as previous years the flypast has been extended over there to co-incide with Brize’s Families Day also. Met a few others there who expected the same thing, only to discover Brize had postponed its Families Day ‘for operational reasons’ – probably to incorporate the Lyneham Squadrons moving there next month . Consequently, no Royal flypast with only the two Hercules from the formation arriving and landing. Plenty of VC10s and TriStars on the ground, so I’m sure they could have spared one in the formation!
Oh but we were treated to the Tiger Club’s formation of four Turbulents overflying the airfield from south to north (going where?) so that’s about as good as it got! 😮
By: Jenna - 13th June 2011 at 11:21
Shame about the weather today! So went and played with Shuttleworth’s new toy.
Dave
is that the Kirby Kite I herd rumours about?
By: G-ASEA - 12th June 2011 at 17:57
I saw the end of the flypast as i drove over to Halton yesterday. Good flying display. The Miller Rapide looked nice. A good day out. Cost nothing to park or get in. Shame about the weather today! So went and played with Shuttleworth’s new toy.
Dave
By: pagen01 - 12th June 2011 at 14:50
I’m slightly confused, watched the event and flypast on tv yesterday, all seemed very well timed, spaced, and in good weather.
As Sky High says the royals really did seem to genuinely enjoy the flypast aswel.
Shame no VC-10s as possibly last time they will show, but guess they are busy being deployed!
By: Sky High - 12th June 2011 at 14:30
The Queen and Duke seemed to have enjoyed at all yesterday…:)
By: BlueRobin - 12th June 2011 at 14:26
Wouldn’t dream to comment dear boy, wouldn’t dare! 😀
By: low'n'slow - 12th June 2011 at 13:42
That’s very unfair. Most of us think Janie’s warm front looks… errr. Fine! 🙂
By: BlueRobin - 12th June 2011 at 12:28
Warm front… Janie posted a photo on FB this morning and it didn’t look nice!
By: Propstrike - 12th June 2011 at 10:24
Event scrubbed today, due to weather. 🙁
By: Propstrike - 12th June 2011 at 10:04
THIS gives a fair idea of what Halton is like right now.
By: Jenna - 12th June 2011 at 08:40
raining here already…. just a another mono wing go over on the same OW/Halton heading.
By: adrian_gray - 11th June 2011 at 22:51
Intriguing – I recall a recent Royal event (ie in the last two years) when the whole caboodle came over Oxford in a rather stretched formation – BBMF, Tornados, Typhoons, the lot, heading for Brize. Today we just got the Hercs and the HS-125s, then several hours later the Red Sparrows flew NE of Oxford going who knows where.
Adrian
By: Orion - 11th June 2011 at 17:23
Curtailed rather badly by the weather, through. The forecast weather tomorrow seems to be worse!
Regards
By: Propstrike - 11th June 2011 at 16:53
Flypast, in the loosest possible interpretation, more like ‘Same way, same day ‘ !
I hope it was tighter over London. BBMF did us proud though, with three passes !
Still, a really lovely event, great atmosphere and lyrical curving displays by the Vacher Hurricane (Stu Goldsmith) and Cliff Spink in his own Spit.
The right crowd, and no crowding !
By: Jenna - 11th June 2011 at 11:11
For the last 90 minutes we have a steady stream of aircraft over the village (Barton in the Clay) with a nice pair moths being last a few minutes ago.
Sadly working this weekend but Halton sounds like the place to be 🙂
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June 10, 2011 at 11:57 am