No. 5 Flying Training School RAF

No. 5 Flying Training School
Vickers Varsity T.1 WF413 of No. 5 Flying Training School Royal Air Force in 1971
Active	26 Apr 1920 – 11 Apr 1942 23 Apr 1947 – 4 Jan 1948 22 Jan 1951 – 30 Dec 1953 1 Jun 1954 – 31 Dec 1974
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Pilot training

No. 5 Flying Training School (5 FTS) is a former Royal Air Force flying training school that operated between 1920 and 1974.^[1]

History

First formation

The school was formed on 26 April 1920 at

1954–1974 No. 5 Flying Training School, (5 FTS), reformed at RAF Oakington (5 miles NW of Cambridge) on 1 June 1954. Its initial role was to convert trainee pilots to jets using De Havilland Vampire T.5 single seat jets and Vampire T.11 twin-seat jets. In March 1962 these types were exchanged for the Vickers Varsity T.1 twin piston-engine navigational trainers. The school took new graduates who had completed basic pilot training and provided further training in the handling of multi-engine aircraft as a precursor to posting onto Bomber or Transport squadrons/units. The Varsity remained in service with 5 FTS until early in 1974 when it was replaced in the role by the Scottish Aviation Jetstream T.1. 5 FTS was disbanded on 31 December 1974 when the need for training on piston engined aircraft reduced. The airfield was then closed, becoming a British Army barracks.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF.
  ISBN 1-84037-086-6
  .

Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 5 Flying Training School.

Air of Authority - RAF Flying Training Schools at the Wayback Machine (archived 25 November 2012)