Battle of Britain Memorial Flight facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Britain Memorial Flight |
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Battle of Britain Memorial Flight badge
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| Active | 11 July 1957 – present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying unit |
| Role | Historic aircraft display flight |
| Size | Twelve aircraft |
| Part of | No. 1 Group |
| Home station | RAF Coningsby |
| Motto(s) | Lest We Forget |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Squadron Leader Mark Discombe |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber | Avro Lancaster B.I |
| Fighter | Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIa Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb Supermarine Spitfire LF.IXe Supermarine Spitfire LF.XVIe Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX |
| Trainer | De Havilland Canada Chipmunk T.10 |
| Transport | Douglas Dakota C.3 |
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a special group of planes from the Royal Air Force (RAF). They fly old, historic aircraft to remember important events and people. Their main planes are an Avro Lancaster bomber, a Supermarine Spitfire fighter, and a Hawker Hurricane fighter.
You can often see these planes flying at events that remember World War II. They also appear at big British events like Trooping the Colour. For example, they flew for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday in 2006. They also flew for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. The BBMF performs at air shows across the UK and Europe.
The flight is based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. It is part of No. 1 Group RAF.
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Aircraft of the Flight
While you usually see three planes flying together, the BBMF actually has 12 aircraft in total. These include:
- 1 Avro Lancaster bomber
- 6 different Supermarine Spitfires
- 2 Hawker Hurricanes
- 1 Douglas Dakota transport plane
- 2 de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk training planes
Spitfires: Famous Fighters
Each Spitfire in the BBMF has its own amazing history.
- The oldest Spitfire, P7350, is a Mk.IIa. It actually flew in the famous Battle of Britain in 1940. In 2019, it was painted to look like a plane flown by a famous pilot named Al Deere.
- Another Spitfire, AB910 (a Mk Vb), helped protect ships during the Battle of the Atlantic. It also flew cover during bombing raids on German battleships. Later, it helped during the Dieppe Raid. On D-Day, it flew over the Normandy beaches. This plane now has special D-Day markings.
- The Mk LFIXe Spitfire, MK356, was built in 1944. It had a powerful Merlin 66 engine. It flew fighter missions over occupied France before D-Day. After the war, it was displayed as a gate guardian. It was brought back to flying condition in 1992. Today, it has a desert paint scheme from 1943.
- There are also two PRXIX Spitfires, built in 1945. PM631 was too late for World War II. It worked as a weather monitoring plane until 1957. It is the longest-serving aircraft in the BBMF.
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PS915 did many spy missions in Germany. It returned to the UK in 1954. It was later fixed up to fly again in 1987. This plane has the markings of PS888. That plane flew the very last RAF Spitfire mission on April 1, 1954. Its ground crew wrote "The Last!" on its engine.
- One Spitfire, PS853, was sold in 1994. This helped pay for repairs to a Hurricane that crashed.
- Spitfire Mark XVI TE311 joined the BBMF in 2007. It was made ready to fly in 2012. It is painted to look like the personal plane of a Polish commander, Gp Capt Aleksander Gabszewicz.
Hurricanes: Tough Fighters
The BBMF has two Hurricanes.
- LF363 is a Mk IIc. It was the last Hurricane to join the RAF. This plane has appeared in several movies and TV shows. These include Angels One Five and The Battle of Britain.
- PZ865 is also a Mk IIc. It was the very last Hurricane ever built. It once had "The last of the Many" written on its side. The original fabric with this writing is now at the BBMF Headquarters.
Lancaster: The Mighty Bomber
The Lancaster bomber, PA474, joined the BBMF in 1973. It is one of only two of these planes that can still fly in the world. The other one is in Canada. PA474 was built in 1945. It was meant for bombing Japan but was too late for the war.
This Lancaster has appeared in films like Operation Crossbow. It used to be called the "City of Lincoln". It also wore the markings of the "Phantom of the Ruhr". That was a Lancaster that flew 121 missions during the war. PA474 now has the markings of AR-L 'Leader'. This plane flew with No 460 Squadron (RAAF).
PA474 shows symbols for its missions. Bombs mean operations over Germany. Ice-cream cones mean operations over Italy. Poppies mean it releases poppies during special flights. In 2008, PA474 flew with a restored Avro Vulcan XH558. This was a historic sight of two large Avro planes.
Dakota: The Transport Workhorse
The Dakota, ZA947, was built in 1942. It first served with the US Army Air Forces. Then it went to the Royal Canadian Air Force. The BBMF got it in 1993. It has old-style 'para seats' inside. It is used for special parachute drops to remember events.
The Dakota used to mainly support the other planes. It also helped train pilots for the Lancaster. But now, it also performs its own displays. People really enjoy seeing the Dakota fly.
Chipmunks: Training Planes
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The two Chipmunks (WG486 and WK518) are the last ones still used by the RAF. They are not for air shows. Instead, they help pilots learn to fly planes with a tailwheel landing gear. This type of landing gear is very different from modern planes. One Chipmunk, WG486, even flew spy missions over East Germany a long time ago.
Special Flypasts
The BBMF often flies with other famous British aircraft. This includes the Red Arrows, the RAF's aerobatic team. They even flew with the Concorde before it stopped flying in 2003.
In 2014, another Lancaster bomber joined the BBMF for part of the year. This was the Canadian-built Lancaster Mark X FM213. It flew 3,000 miles from Canada to the UK. This plane is called the "Mynarski Memorial Lancaster" or "Vera". It flew alongside PA474. This was the first time two Lancasters had flown together in 50 years!
History of the Flight
How it Started
After World War II, it became a tradition for a Spitfire and Hurricane to lead the Victory Day flypast in London. This gave people the idea to create a collection of flying historic aircraft. At first, it was to remember the Battle of Britain. Later, it grew to remember the RAF's role in all of World War II.
So, in 1957, the Historic Aircraft Flight was formed. It had one Hurricane and three Spitfires. This was at RAF Biggin Hill. Even then, most RAF planes were jets. For a short time, a Hawker Hunter jet sometimes flew with the Spitfires and Hurricane. They were called the 'Battle of Britain Flight'.
Moving Homes
The group was first called the RAF Historic Aircraft Flight. It was based at RAF Coltishall from 1963. In 1973, when the Lancaster joined, it officially became the "Battle of Britain Memorial Flight".
The BBMF moved to its current home at RAF Coningsby in 1976. Since then, it has added more aircraft. The first Chipmunk joined in 1983. A Dakota was added in 1995. It was a more reliable training plane. Now, the Dakota also takes part in displays. The Spitfires and Hurricanes in the flight have changed over the years. New planes are added, and older ones go to museums.
Past Homes of the BBMF
The BBMF has been based at several RAF airfields over the years:
- Biggin Hill: July 1957 – March 1958
- North Weald: March – May 1958
- Martlesham Heath: May 1958 – November 1961
- Horsham St Faith: November 1961 – April 1963
- Coltishall: April 1963 – March 1976
- RAF Coningsby: Since March 1976
Aircraft Service History
The aircraft in the BBMF have a rich history. They have served with the RAF, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Some were even privately owned. Pilots from many countries flew them, including Czechoslovakian, Polish, South African, American, and Canadian pilots. Some planes were almost scrapped but were saved. At least one plane has been flying with the RAF for almost fifty years!
Visitor Centre
You can visit the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Visitor Centre. It is located at RAF Coningsby in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. This centre is a partnership between the RAF and Lincolnshire County Council. Visitors can take a guided tour to see the aircraft up close when they are not flying. There are also exhibits about the planes and their history.
