No. 6 Flying Training School RAF
No. 6 Flying Training School | |
---|---|
Active | 26 April 1920 - 1 April 1922 1 Apr 1935 - 22 April 1942 17 Dec 1945 - 30 June 1968 1 May 1970 - 31 March 1996 7 Sep 2015 - present |
Country | Latin: Aspice et Imitare "Look and imitate"[1] |
Aircraft | Grob Tutor T.1 |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Group Captain Matt Barker |
No. 6 Flying Training School RAF is a Flying Training School (FTS) within
History
The school was formed by renaming No. 39 Training School RAF at RAF Spitalgate on 26 April 1920 under No. 3 Group RAF, using Avro 504Ks and other aircraft until moving to RAF Manston on 21 September 1920 under control of the School of Technical Training RAF. The school was disbanded on 1 April 1922.[4]
The school was reformed on 1 April 1935 upon
No. 6 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF
The unit was formed at Little Rissington under 23 Group and used Ansons, Oxfords, Harvard and Blackburn Bothas. The unit used multiple airfields such as RAF Windrush, RAF Chipping Norton, RAF Akeman Street and RAF Moreton Valence as relief landing grounds along with RAF Honiley and RAF Chedworth for detachment locations. It became 6 SFTS on 17 December 1945.[6]
The unit was reformed back to No. 6 SFTS at RAF Little Rissington on 17 December 1945 with Harvards, Ansons and
No. 6 Flying Training School RAF
The School reformed on 1 May 1970 at
During the 1960s and 1970s all the RAF's Colleges and Flying Training Schools had their own Jet Provost aerobatics team. One of the less known and publicised display teams was flown by 6 FTS. They flew a team for five seasons between 1962 and 1966 and it was unofficially christened the "Cocks O'the North".[10]
On 14 August 1993, the LLADTS made its final farewell to the Jet Provost in the navigation training role when four aircraft staged a "dying swan" formation over the airfield.[citation needed]
6 FTS also played host to the Multi-engine Training Squadron (METS) and was responsible for Operational Navigation training of all RAF multi-engine pilots, using twin-turboprop Handley Page Jetstream T1 aircraft. METS was granted the No. 45 (R) Squadron number plate in June 1992[4] before leaving 6 FTS and moving to 3 FTS at RAF Cranwell in October 1995.[citation needed] During April 1995, the Tucano Element moved to RAF Topcliffe.[11]
The school was disbanded on 31 March 1996[4] with the closure of RAF Finningley.[9]
- Structure
- [12]
No. 6 FTS Basic Navigation Wing (Wing created October 1992):[13]
- No. 1 Basic Navigation Training Squadron - Bulldog T.1 and Tucano T.1
- No. 2 Basic Navigation Training Squadron - Dominie T.1
- Ground School
- Officer Training Squadron
No. 6 FTS Advanced Navigation Wing (Wing created October 1992):[13]
- No. 100 Squadron - Hawk T.1
- Air Navigation Training Squadron - Dominie T.1
- Navigation School Standards Squadron
- Multi-Engine Training Squadron (No. 45 Squadron)
Reformation
On 7 September 2015,
The task of 6 FTS is also to ensure continual recruitment of UAS cadets into the Royal Air Force proper; those who do not join will have a better appreciation for the military, which they will take forward into their careers.
Current units
Air Experience Flight (AEF) bases in the United Kingdom
- No. 3 Air Experience Flight RAF (3 AEF)
- No. 115 Squadron RAF
- Cambridge University Air Squadron
- University of London Air Squadron
- No. 5 Air Experience Flight RAF (5 AEF)
- Liverpool University Air Squadron
- Manchester and Salford Universities Air Squadron
- No. 10 Air Experience Flight RAF (10 AEF)
- Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron
- Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron
- No. 11 Air Experience Flight RAF (11 AEF)
- No. 9 Air Experience Flight RAF (9 AEF)
- Bristol University Air Squadron
- Southampton University Air Squadron
- No. 2 Air Experience Flight RAF (2 AEF)
With the reduction in the gliding fleet for Air Cadets of the Air Training Corps (ATC) and the RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in 2016 they intend to create two additional AEFs; No. 13 and No. 14, the latter is penned to be based in Northern Ireland.[16]
References
- ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ "RAF University Air Squadrons". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ "6 Flying Training School". Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 153.
- ^ "RAF Little Rissington in the Second World War 1939-1945 - The Wartime Memories Project -". wartimememoriesproject.com.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 42.
- ^ "Stations-T". www.rafweb.org.
- ^ "Jet Provost File - OPERATING UNITS". Archived from the original on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Peter R Foster (19 September 2019). "Farewell to the Tucano". Key Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Jet Provost heaven - RAF Jet Provost display teams". www.jetprovostheaven.com.
- ^ March 1996, p. 79.
- ^ Jackson 1995, p. 10.
- ^ a b March 1993, p. 87.
- ^ "RAF College Cranwell". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "6 Flying Training School". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- UK Parliament. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- Bibliography
- March, Peter R. (1993). Royal Air Force Yearbook 1993. Fairford, UK: Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.
- March, Peter R. (1996). Royal Air Force Yearbook 1996. Fairford, UK: Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.
- Jackson, Paul (1995). Royal Air Force (Second ed.). UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2338-7.
- Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John; Halley, James J. (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
External links
- Air of Authority - RAF Flying Training Schools at the Wayback Machine (archived 25 November 2012)