Royal Navy Historic Flight

The Royal Navy Historic Flight are the guardians of the Fleet Air Arm’s proud history, upholding the memory of naval aviators by keeping vintage aircraft airborne.  

The Royal Naval Historic Flight – the Navy’s counterpart to the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – displays three vintage aircraft at shows across the UK every year: 

• The legendary World War 2 Swordfish torpedo bomber – recently airborne again after nearly a decade on the ground;
• the graceful piston-engined Sea Fury – the last propeller-driven aircraft to serve with the Royal Navy, one famously downed a Russian MiG jet over Korea;
• the equally-graceful Sea Hawk – one of the first jet fighters to serve with the Fleet Air Arm. 

We also fly a vintage Chipmunk training aircraft. It doesn’t appear on the display circuit, but it does keep our pilots – all RN personnel who devote their spare time to the Flight – trained all year around.

Weather and serviceability permitting, our aircraft are attending three dozen displays this year from large-scale shows such as Yeovilton, Culdrose and Duxford to very personal Fleet Air Arm events – such as a Channel Dash memorial event in Kent and flypasts for Telegraphist/Air Gunners at Lee-on-the-Solent.

The Flight was formed in 1972 to preserve Naval heritage and to serve as a living memorial to all Fleet Air Arm personnel.

It is commanded by a full-time Fleet Air Arm aviator, supported by a small civilian team – most of them ex-Navy.

You can find more information about us at www.royalnavyhistoricflight.org.uk