The table below lists the independent aircraft flights of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Air Force (RAF) which were given alphabetical designations.
flight letter | location(s) | period(s) | aircraft | notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
B, Palestine | RAF Aboukir Weli Sheikh Nuran, Palestine | 1917 - December 1917 | B.E.2C B.E.12 | formed by re-designating an element of 23 Training Squadron [1] |
G | MAEE Helensburgh RAF Bowmore | 21 September 1940 – 13 March 1941 | Short S.23 Short S.26 | became 119 Squadron |
H | RAF Ambala RAF Drigh Road RAF Ambala RAF Lahore | 25 August 1939 – 9 February 1940 January 1940 - October 1940 | Blenheim I | became 'W' Flight on 9 Feb 1940, formed Jan 1940 from an element of Battle Flight RAF, last known at Lahore |
I | Fauquembergues, France Serny, France | 9 July 1918 – 14 January 1919 | F.E.2b B.E.12 | re-designated from Special Duty Flight, Royal Flying Corps |
J | RAF Melton Mowbray RAF Cairo West | 28 September 1945 – 10 October 1945 | Stirling V | disbanded at Cairo West to become No. 1589 (Heavy Freight) Flight RAF |
K | Auxi-le-Château, France unknown Summit, Sudan RAF Aqir, Palestine RAF Melton Mowbray RAF Santa Cruz | 9 July 1918 - unknown 1 September 1940 – 1 April 1941 16 September 1945 – 10 October 1945 | R.E.8 Gladiator I Gladiator II Stirling V | re-designated from 'B' Flight No. 112 Squadron RAF 1 Sep 1940 at Summit; became No. 1588 (Heavy Freight) Flight RAF at Santa Cruz on 10 Oct 1945 |
M | Longuenesse, Saint-Omer, France Hangelar, Germany | 6 October 1918 - August 1919 | F.2b DH.9 Fokker D.VII S.E.5a | |
N | Vert Galand, France unknown | 18 September 1919 - unknown | F.2b | records begin on 18 September 1919 |
O | Premont Farm, France unknown | 23 October 1918 - unknown | F.2b | date and location of disbandment unknown |
P | Serny, France unknown Ismailia, Egypt Jeddah, Arabia | 29 August 1918 - unknown 9 June 1919 – 25 May 1919 | R.E.8 F.2b | date and location of disbandment unknown; formed at Ismailia from a detached Flight of No. 113 Squadron RAF |
Q | RAF Ambala RAF Rednal | 25 August 1939 – 15 December 1940 October 1943 - January 1944 | Blenheim I Gladiator I Vickers Wellington | formed at Ambala by re-designating an element of No. 60 Squadron RAF; disbanded to become No. 4 Coastal Defence Flight, Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve disbanded |
V | RAF Ambala RAF Juhu unknown | 25 August 1939 - unknown | Blenheim I Hawker Audax | formed at Ambala by re-designating an element of No. 60 Squadron RAF, disbanded finally at unknown location and date |
W | RAF Drigh Road | 9 February 1940 – 15 December 1940 | Blenheim I | re-designated from 'H' Flight |
X | Aqaba, Egypt RAF Haifa RAF Habbaniya RAF Abadan | 24 November 1917 – 19 October 1918 May 1940 - June 1940 6 June 1941 – 30 June 1941 16 July 1942 – 30 October 1942 | B.E.2C B.E.12 Bristol F2b Nieuport 17 Gladiator I Gladiator II | initially formed from Special Duty Flight RFC |
Y | RAF Ambala RAF St. Thomas Mount unknown | 1917 | Blenheim I Audax | |
Z | Istrana, Italy Villaverla, Italy Taganrog, Russia Rostov, Russia RAF Ambala RAF Dum-Dum | March 1918 - 3 July 1918 30 November 1919 - January 1920 28 August 1939 December 1940 | Bristol F.2b R.E.8 Blenheim I | formed, at Istrana, by re-designating an element of No. 34 Squadron RAF; re-formed at RAF Ambala, by re-designating an element of 60 Squadron |
A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subordinate to a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though two to six aircraft may also form an aircraft flight; along with their aircrews and ground staff. In some very specific examples, typically involving historic aircraft, a flight may contain as many as twelve aircraft, as is the case with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). In most usages, two or more flights make up a squadron. Foreign languages equivalents include escadrille (French), escuadrilla (Spanish), esquadrilha (Portuguese), lanka (Ukrainian), patrulă (Romanian), zveno (Russian), and Schwarm (German).
The Army Air Corps (AAC) is the aviation arm of the British Army, first formed in 1942 during the Second World War by grouping the various airborne units of the British Army. Today, there are eight regiments of the AAC, as well as two independent flights and two independent squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations around the world. Regiments and flights are located in the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Canada. Some AAC squadrons provide the air assault elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, through Joint Aviation Command.
The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful. The Pup was eventually outclassed by newer German fighters, but it was not completely replaced on the Western Front until the end of 1917. The remaining Pups were relegated to Home Defence and training units. The Pup's docile flying characteristics also made it ideal for use in aircraft carrier deck landing and takeoff experiments and training.
The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by it thereafter. The Hudson was a military conversion of the Model 14 Super Electra airliner, and was the first significant aircraft construction contract for Lockheed — the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received.
No. 1312 Flight Royal Air Force, commonly abbreviated to 1312 Flt RAF, is an independent aircraft flight of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Currently based at Royal Air Force Station Mount Pleasant in East Falkland, 1312 Flt are supporting at present the defence of the Falkland Islands and other nearby British Overseas Territories.
The Vickers Valentia was a British biplane bomber transport aircraft built by Vickers for the Royal Air Force. The majority built were conversions of the earlier Vickers Victoria, itself derived from the Vickers Virginia.
MoD Boscombe Down(ICAO: EGDM) is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the south-eastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 2001 by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Royal Air Force Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development of airborne radar.
The name No. 68 Squadron has been used for two quite different units, only one of which was strictly a unit of the Royal Air Force. "No. 68 Squadron RFC" was for a time the official British military designation for No. 2 Squadron Australian Flying Corps.
Middle Wallop Flying Station is a British Army airfield located near the Hampshire village of Middle Wallop. It is the Headquarters for the Army Air Corps, and the 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team, and is also used for Army Air Corps training. The base hosts 2 (Training) Regiment AAC and 7 (Training) Regiment AAC under the umbrella of the Army Aviation Centre. 2 Regiment performs ground training; 7 Regiment trains aircrew on AAC aircraft after they complete basic training at RAF Shawbury.
Royal Air Force Upavon, or more simply RAF Upavon, is a former Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, England. It was a grass airfield, military flight training school, and administrative headquarters of the Royal Air Force. The station opened in 1912 and closed in 1993, when it was transferred to the British Army and became known as Trenchard Lines.
No. 1564 Flight RAF was an independent flight of the British Royal Air Force which was created on five separate occasions between 1943 and 2016 in a variety of roles.
No. 651 Squadron Army Air Corps, is an aircraft squadron of the British Army, originally formed as No. 651 Squadron Royal Air Force in Italy and North Africa during the Second World War, and afterwards in Egypt. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were air observation post units which had both Army and RAF personnel. The pilots, drivers and signallers were in the Royal Artillery whilst the adjutants, technical staff and equipment officers came from the RAF. Air observation posts were used primarily for artillery spotting, but occasionally for liaison and other duties. Their duties and squadron numbers were transferred to the Army with the formation of the Army Air Corps on 1 September 1957.
No. 116 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron first formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Reformed as part of the RAF during the Second World War it served as an anti-aircraft calibration unit and also operated post-war from 1952 until 1958.
No. 1300 (Meteorological) Flight was formed on 31 July 1943 at RAF Alipore, Calcutta, West Bengal, British India, by re-designating No. 1 Meteorological Flight RAF. The flight, strength of which had been reduced to three Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIs by this time, was disbanded on 30 May 1946 at RAF Kallang, Malaya, as No. 1300 Flight, THUM standing for Temperature and Humidity.
A squadron in an air force, or naval or army aviation service, is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force.
No. 18 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit was formed on 27 October 1942 at RAF Church Lawford. The unit was previously 2 Central Flying School which was founded on 15 June 1941 which then turned into 1 Flying Instructors School (FIS) on 13 January 1942 and then finally No. 18 (P)AFU.
No. 1563 Flight Royal Air Force was an independent flight of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The flight formerly operated the Westland Puma HC2 helicopters in Brunei Darussalam. It previously flew tactical support missions for locally garrisoned British Army units, as well as Belize Defence Force units in Belize. Between 1963 and 1972, it was stationed at RAF Akrotiri flying Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 helicopters on support missions for locally garrisoned British Army and United Nations troops.