The Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) was the historic flight of the

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 ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

up until its disbandment in March 2019. The RNHF maintained and flew a small number of aircraft that were important to British Naval aviation. The organisation was not part of the military establishment; it had charitable status and was staffed by civilians. It was 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 provided aircraft for air displays. Following its disbandment, the Swordfish Mk.I (W5856), Sea Fury FB.11 (VR930), Sea Hawk FGA.6 (WV908) and Chipmunk T.10 (WK608) were donated to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust at an approximate value of £1,810,000. With the aircraft having now been transferred to the civilian register, displays will be funded from charity events run by the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.

History

The RNHF was established at RNAS Yeovilton in 1972 and became the home for a number of aircraft that had been donated to the Royal Navy over more than a decade. The first aircraft was

Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also us ...

II LS326, presented in 1960 by

Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. D ...

. In 1971,

Hawker Siddeley Aviation Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...

presented a

Hawker Sea Fury The Hawker Sea Fury is a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. It was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, and one of the fastest production single reciprocating engine aircraft ...

FB.11 and in 1972 a

Fairey Firefly The Fairey Firefly is a Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft that was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was developed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Avia ...

AS.5 WB271 was donated. The separate units caring for the three aircraft were merged in 1972, forming the Historic Flight. Over the following years, the RNHF benefitted further from gifts of aircraft from the German government, Royal Navy and

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...

. Technical assistance was also obtained to rebuild and refurbish aircraft. Three aircraft have been lost in accidents, with two fatalities. In 1995, the ground staff service personnel were replaced by civilian employees but aircrew remained as serving navy pilots who volunteered to spend free time with the RNHF. Air training used the Flight's DHC Chipmunk. The Fly Navy Heritage Trust (Navy Wings), formerly the Swordfish Heritage Trust, a charitable institution to oversee fundraising, made grants to fund the RNHF's staff. The Flight's other sources of income were fees from flying displays, direct donations from the general public and sponsorship from the aerospace industry. The

previously described the role of the historic flight:

The RNHF is an educational charity whose mission is to ensure that the unique British Heritage collection of the Royal Navy Historic Flight continue to fly long into the future. Their aim is to preserve the opportunity for future generations to best understand the nature of those who built, maintained, operated and fought in Naval aircraft of the past by experiencing the reality of the sound, smell and the sight of them actually flying. They delight millions with their air displays nationwide and educated future generations.

Aircraft

Gallery

Image:Fairey Swordfish on Airfield.jpg, Mk.I Fairey Swordfish W5856 at Duxford in 2002. Image:Swordfish - Flying Legends 2012 - Duxford (7471201526).jpg, Mk.II Fairey Swordfish LS326 flying at Duxford Flying Legends in 2012. Image:Fairey Swordfish Mk3, UK - Navy AN1162766.jpg, Mk.III Fairey Swordfish NF389 at Yeovilton in 1994. Image:Sea Fury T 20 VX281 2 (5922460558).jpg, Hawker Sea Fury VX281 in 2011. Image:Hawker Sea Fury Royal Navy Historic Flight VR930, QFO Duxford, United Kingdom PP1153378449.jpg, Hawker Sea Fury VR930 at Duxford in 2006. Image:HAWKER SEA HAWK FGA.6 WV908.jpg, Hawker Sea Hawk WV908 in 2008. Image:De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, United Kingdom - Royal Navy JP6627679.jpg, De Havilland Chipmunk WK608 at Fairford in 2009.

References

External links

Royal Navy Historic Flight information page at Navy Wings

Royal Navy Historic Flight Stands Down after 50 Years
{{Royal Naval Air Squadrons Fleet Air Arm Aircraft preservation Military aviation museums in England