The Black Arrows – No. 111 Squadron RAF Hunter Team

There’s a lovely, original, Black Arrows Hunter preserved at Wattisham.

Moggy

No.92 Squadron departed Leconfield for its Middle East tour on 12 October 1961, with its first display at Akrotiri on 14 October, followed by another show at Nicosia, two days later, and at Episkopi on 17 October. The twelve Hunters then flew on to Iran, in time for the Iranian Air Force Day celebrations at Mehrabad on 20 October. Turning out in their thousands, the people of Tehran watched a two hour show that also included displays by the Iranian Golden Crown team (F-86 Sabres), the USAF Skyblazers (F-100 Super Sabres), the French Patrouille de France (Dassault Mysteres). The final show of the tour was at Athens, when the squadron performed a nine-ship display on behalf of the Crown Prince of Greece at Elefsis on 23 October.

Was it Black or Blue that went to Iran? I recall seeing them in the background of an unrelated RAFM photo and was slightly surprised that they’d ventured that far.