727 Naval Air Squadron

You won’t find 727 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) in any combat zone – but as the unit that gives potential Royal Navy pilots their first taste of airborne life, it’s one of the most important in the Fleet Air Arm.

Role

727 Naval Air Squadron’s primary role is to assess the suitability of new pilots for further training – and their potential for ‘fast jets’. Students arriving at 727 NAS may have never set foot on an aircraft, but are ‘graded’ in basic flying techniques that will prepare them for the next phase. Within around 30 live flying hours students will navigate their aircraft, fly in cloud, and respond to simulated emergencies.

Watching them in the air and on the ground are the Squadron’s Flying Instructors. These experienced pilots get the most from their students and look for those most suited for the front line, from flying Royal Navy helicopters to delivering the UK’s carrier strike capability with the cutting-edge F-35 Lightning II.

Capability

Based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, 727 Naval Air Squadron comprises regular Royal Navy flying instructors, civilian flying instructors, Royal Naval Reservist staff pilots and civilian aircraft engineers. The Squadron is equipped with five Grob 115E Tutor aircraft supplied by a civilian contractor.

The squadron can accommodate up to eight Pilot Grading students and a smaller number of Refresher flying training students at any one time.

The squadron’s motto is most apt for a Fleet Air Arm Squadron; ‘Regere Mare, Regite Caelum’ (‘To Rule The Sea, Rule The Sky’).

Crew

Led by a Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander flying instructor , the instructors and staff pilots of 727 Air Squadron are among the most experienced in the Royal Navy. Their skills include:

Pilot Grading Section
Pilot Refresher / Fixed wing Conversion Training
Pilot Navigation
Instrument flying
Formation flying
Aerobatics

Unit history

1943

Formation

727 Naval Air Squadron is formed during the Second World War on 26 May 1943 in Gibraltar, using the obsolete Fairey Swordfish, Hawker Hurricane IIC and Bolton-Paul Defiant aircraft. It supports the fleet with tracking and target-towing aircraft from detachments in Tafanoni, Blida and Bizerta in North Africa.

1944

Decommissioned

Following a move to RAF Ta Kali, Malta, the squadron was disbanded on 7 December 1944.

1946

Re-commission

On 23 April 1946, 727 was recommissioned at RNAS Gosport. The squadron provided air courses for junior Royal Navy and Royal Marines officers using a collection of DeHavilland Tiger Moth, Supermarine SeaFire, Fairey Firefly and North American Harvard aircraft.

1950

Second Disbandment

With cadet flight training being undertaken by Britannia Royal Naval College, 727 NAS was disbanded for the second time on 17 January 1950.

1956

Third Commission

On 4 January 1956, the squadron was reformed as the Dartmouth Cadet Air Training Squadron.

1960

Disbandment again

The squadron continued to operate throughout the 1950s, using DeHavilland Sea Vampires, a Sea Prince and two Westland Dragonfly helicopters, before disbanding again on 16 December 1960.

1961

Flying Grading

The Royal Navy’s Tiger Moth training aircraft were collated at Roborough Airport, where it began flight-grading aviators with a view to identifying those who would succeed at further training.

1966

Conversion to deHavilland Chipmunk

By the end of 1966 the ageing Tiger Moths were replaced with seven DeHavilland Chipmunk aircraft. Recreational and summer camps continued between grading courses.

1994

Conversion to Grob 115D Tutor aircraft

A new contract with Shorts Brothers saw the replacement of the Chipmunk with five Grob 115D Tutor aircraft.

2001

RN Grading Flight commissioned as 727 NAS

On 6 December 2001 the RN Grading Flight was commissioned as 727 NAS.

2004

Upgrade

The Grob 115D was replaced in 2004 with the Grob 115E, which uses a three-bladed variable pitch propeller, a slightly uprated engine and a much improved avionics fit.

2006

Move to RNAS Yeovilton

727 NAS moved out of Roborough, where it had operated for approximately 45 years, to the hub of naval aviation, RNAS Yeovilton. Here, the young officers and cadets experience life in a busy operational air station.

2013

New propeller

During the latter half of 2013, the aircraft of 727 NAS underwent a major upgrade program to include new propellers and an upgraded oil system.

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