Simon’s Sircus was an

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

display team comprising six Sea Vixen FAW2 aircraft from

892 Naval Air Squadron 892 Naval Air Squadron (892 NAS) was a carrier-based fighter squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in 1943, flying Grumman Martlets, and was the only operational Fleet Air Arm squadron to fly the McDonnell Douglas P ...

of the British Royal Navy's

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

. The team operated during the summer of 1968 and was named after 892 Squadron’s commanding officer at the time, Lt Cdr Simon Idiens RN.

History

Simon’s Sircus was formed in April 1968 by Lt Cdr Idiens following 892 Squadron’s disembarkation from the aircraft carrier HMS ''Hermes''. They were based at

RNAS Yeovilton Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, (HMS ''Heron'') is an airfield of the Royal Navy and British Army, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases (the other being RNAS Culdrose) ...

and displayed at numerous RAF Airshows and Royal Navy Air Station Air Days during the 1968 season culminating in the SBAC

Farnborough Airshow The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...

on 20, 21 and 22 September. The main element of the team’s display began with a steep turn and then a loop in ‘broad arrow’ formation, changing to ‘box six’ during the second manoeuvre. This was followed by a barrel roll in ‘long arrow’ formation, a loop in ‘spearhead’ formation and lastly a ‘bomb burst’ and finale. The team were highly acclaimed by many who saw them display, due in no small part to the fact that the Sea Vixens used were over five times heavier than the

Folland Gnat The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical combat aircraft, it wa ...

s used by the well known Red Arrows aerobatic team of the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. Following the conclusion of the Farnborough displays Simon’s Sircus and 892 Squadron were officially disbanded.

References

*''The de Havilland Sea Vixen'' by Tony Buttler AMRAeS, (Air Britain) *

External links

Simon’s Sircus page at Sea Vixen.org

Brief history and photographs of Simon’s Sircus

Pathé News clip of new lion mascot for fleet air arm acrobatic team 'Simon's Sircus'Farnborough 1968 Simon's Sircus
{{Modern Aerobatic Teams, autocollapse British aerobatic teams Fleet Air Arm Military units and formations established in 1968