674 Squadron AAC is a unit of the British

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

. It conducts flying grading for potential army pilots as a part of the army flying training selection process. Pre-selected candidates are introduced to the flying training environment on a syllabus which includes basic flying exercises. Candidates' suitability for further training is assessed and graded and this information is used as a part of the overall selection criteria.

History

Formation

The number 674 was one of several allocated to the RAF AOP Squadrons during the second world war, however no squadron was commissioned before the numbers were transferred to the

in 1957. The number remained unused until the emergence of a distinct army and navy presence at the Defence Elementary Flying Training School necessitated restructuring into two separate squadrons. 674 Squadron was selected because it was the next available unused number. A formation parade and ceremony was held at

RAF Barkston Heath Royal Air Force Barkston Heath or RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. RAF Barkston Heath has the Naval Element of No. 3 Flying Training School RAF (No. 3 FTS) which, for a period between approx ...

on 11 July 2003, with the Squadron stood up under the first Officer Commanding, Major A M Mills AAC. The squadron was inaugurated by Major General

Richard Gerrard-Wright Major-General Richard Eustace John Gerrard-Wright (9 May 1930 – 12 May 2012) was a British Army officer. Military career Educated at Christ's Hospital and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Tabor was commissioned into the Royal Lincolnshi ...

CB CBE DL on behalf of the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Mike Walker. The Chief of the Defence Staff granted the squadron its own march, '

The Lincolnshire Poacher "The Lincolnshire Poacher" is a traditional English folk song associated with the county of Lincolnshire, and deals with the joys of poaching. It is considered to be the unofficial county anthem of Lincolnshire. It is catalogued as Roud Folk ...

Recent operations

Until April 2021 674 Sqn AAC was based at RAF Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire and latterly conducted Elementary Flying Training, operating the Slingsby Firefly in the 1990s through to around 2007, the Grob 115 Tutor from around 2007 until acquisition of the Prefect T1 turboprop trainer in the late 2010s. Students from all three Services of the Armed Forces were trained during this time as well as a limited number of students from overseas, mainly from certain Gulf States. Training was delivered as part of the

UK Military Flying Training System The UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) takes UK armed forces aircrew from initial training through elementary, basic, and advanced flying training phases, preparing them for their arrival at their designated operational aircraft units. I ...

(UKMFTS) contract. The Squadron was temporarily stood down in April 2021 before reforming at Middle Wallop and a transition to the flying grading role.

Heraldry

The squadron motto 'Nothing Is Impossible' was selected by the Regimental Committee of the

in order to perpetuate the memory of the

Glider Pilot Regiment The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War, which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European theatre in support of Allied airborne operations. Establish ...

which bore the same motto. The squadron crest bears the

Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

of the

Royal Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regimen ...

, chosen because of the squadron's initial location at

Barkston Heath Barkston is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The parish population was 497 at the 2001 census and 493 at the 2011 census. The village lies about north of the market town of Grantham, on the A ...

in Lincolnshire and the close association of the Chief of the Defence Staff with the

(he was the Regimental Colonel) and the

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...

, the successor to the

References

{{Army Air Corps Army Air Corps aircraft squadrons Education in Lincolnshire Military units and formations established in 2003 Military units and formations established in 2021 Military units and formations disestablished in 2021 South Kesteven District

History

Formation

Recent operations

Heraldry

See also

References