Back To My RAF Roots: The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight
Recently I had the privilege of spending a day back with some former colleagues at the UK’s Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). After leaving the RAF almost 10 years ago, I was thrilled to be back in the military environment.
Based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the BBMF fly a collection of World War II war birds including the Lancaster, Dakota, Hurricane and Spitfire. The BBMF visitor centre is open 7 days a week to the general public, but (luckily for me) my experience was a bit more special than the average tourist’s.
To set the scene, I spent the night at the Petwood Hotel. Only 45 minutes by helicopter from London, the Petwood was the Officers’ Mess of 617 Squadron. The hotel is a must for aviation enthusiasts with 617 Squadron memorabilia and aviation pictures covering every inch of the hotel’s warren of corridors.
Fly to the Battle of Britain Flight at RAF Coningsbury by helicopter. Call our Operations team (24 hours) on 01747 642 777.
After a warm and enthusiast welcome from Squadron Leader Duncan Mason, the boss of the BBMF, it was straight on-board the Dakota, a large military transporter. Our 30 minute flight at 1000ft above the Lincolnshire country side was flown by an old colleague of mine Seb Davey. Like all the aircrew on the BBMF, Seb flies as a secondary duty. His day job is teaching pilots to fly the Hercules at RAF Brize Norton.
The Dakota in many ways was the predecessor to the C130 Hercules, and the first true work horse in the sky (I confess an impartiality here – I was a Hercules pilot during my RAF years).
Secured by a belt harness (and under the watchful eye of the Dakota’s loadmaster) I spent most of the flight in the open para door.
My own grandfather, Reverend Lesley Beckingham, was a padre in the paras and was part of the D-Day landings.
I tried hard to imagine what it felt like in his aircraft; low and slow over the Normandy beaches approaching the drop zone with enemy flak exploding all around.
Over 55,000 air crew in Bomber Command alone died during World War II. And the BBMF’s primary role is to remember those who gave their lives, lest we forget.
Once back on the ground we were quickly escorted through 70 years of aviation development and into the Eurofighter hangar.
Sitting in the cockpit of the world’s most modern fighter aircraft, I was able to compare how far technology has transformed the flight deck.
The Eurofighter takes all the flying workload away, allowing the pilot to concentrate on managing the sortie mission. Surely a task best suited for a ground-based role?
With the USA military now training more ground-based fighter pilots than actual airborne ones, I wondered if this Typhoon was the last fighter cockpit we would see built for a human. Would you fly in a pilotless aircraft?
After lunch there was another highlight, a tour of the Lancaster. This is perhaps the most treasured flying aircraft in the world. I was fortunate to be reunited with Flight Lieutenant Ian Dunlop (known as Twigs), one of the 3 Lancaster Captains.
Twigs and I had last flown together during a 2 month tour in the Congo in 2002. Based out of Entebbe in Uganda, we flew daily missions on behalf of the European Army peacekeeping Force.
It was great to see that the RAF have such passionate aviators in charge of the Lancaster.
To end the day, the hangar tour continued with a close and personal introduction with the BBMF’s Hurricanes and Spitfires – a regular sight at ceremonial flypasts and air shows. And in demand for film and TV use.
All the BBMF aircraft are lovingly maintained by a dedicated team of full time RAF engineers. Speaking with even the most junior members of the BBMF team, their passion and professionalism is strikingly apparent. As long a budgets can continue to be met, these old war birds will be cared for and flown for many years to come. I highly recommend a visit to anyone with an interest in history or aviation.
My day at the BBMF was courtesy of Jet Brokers Europe, proud sponsors of the BBMF. My thanks to Tim Barber and his team for a truly wonderful aviation day.
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