The Royal Air Force will be celebrating its centenary in 2018. Formed on April 1st, 1918 by the amalgamation of squadrons and personnel of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Air Force became the world’s very first independent air arm. Naturally, in true British tradition, there will be a wealth of celebratory events surrounding this major milestone next year across the British Isles, and indeed the world. For those of our readers who wish to be a part of some of these celebrations, and to take in the rich aviation heritage of the United Kingdom, Ian Allan Aviation Tours is offering a spectacular 18 day guided tour which will include three of Britain’s finest air shows, as well as visits to many of the nation’s most prestigious air museums and aviation heritage sites. Ian Allan Aviation Tours is the world’s premier aviation-minded tour operator, ‘lead by aviation enthusiasts for aviation enthusiasts’, and WarbirdsNews is proud to have them as a new sponsor. The company has an enviable reputation, and has been in business for several decades now. They already have a diverse array of tours scheduled for 2018, enough to cover almost any aviation fan’s favorite subjects (Check HERE to see the 2018 list).
But for those of you who would be interested in seeing what their “100th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force” Tour will include, please click HERE to see the provisional itinerary as it currently stands…
The highlights will be as follows:
- The Shuttleworth Collection’s “Military Pageant” and The Shuttleworth Collection Museum at Old Warden
- Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), on RAF Fairford
- “Flying Legends” Airshow on ex-RAF Duxford – one the most famous and popular airshows in Europe
- Solent Sky Museum (R.J. Mitchell Hall of Fame, designer of the Spitfire)
- Royal Flying Corps Museum: aka the Museum of Army Flying , Army Air Corp Middle Wallop
- Royal Naval Air Service Museum: aka the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton
- Royal Air Force Museum – Hendon, on ex-RAF Hendon
- RAF Coningsby – a guided tour of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) and Hangar
- RAF Duxford – home of 4 separate museums: the Imperial War, Airborne, Land Warfare and the 8th US Air Force
- RAF Museum – Cosford on RAF Cosford
- de Havilland Aircraft Museum (formerly the Mosquito Museum), London Colney
- Stow Maries Great War aerodrome
- FAST Museum, Farnborough airfield
- The Pathfinder Collection, RAF Wyton
- Yorkshire Aviation Museum on ex-RAF Elvington
- Newark Air Museum
- Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre featuring Avro Lancaster “Just Jane”
- No 617 “Dambusters” Squadron Bar, Officer’s Mess, Woodhall Spa
- Presentation of “Lincolnshire Lancasters Firsts” by 617 Squadron Historian, Jim Shortland
- Cold War Jets Museum, on ex-RAF Bruntingthorpe
- Optional lunch on a DC-6 airliner, now a restaurant, at Coventry Baginton Airport
- Midland Aviation Museum, Coventry Baginton Airport
For those unfamiliar with the British air show scene, the Royal International Air Tattoo is the world’s largest military air show (it will also be the RAF’s main flying event commemorating their 100th Anniversary). The Flying Legends air show features the largest gathering of warbirds in a flying display outside of the USA, including three or more Hurricanes and 18+ Spitfires (WarbirdsNews review from this year’s event). The Shuttleworth Collection’s annual “Military Pageant” is famous for its WWI aeroplanes, most of which are original examples – nowhere else on earth can you see such a gathering. When put together these three airshows will cover 100% of the 100 year history of the Royal Air Force!
This once in a lifetime tour will quite literally be visiting the cream of Britain’s aviation museums, as well as three of its most prestigious air shows over the 18 day curated visit. Even with the intense aviation theme, there will still be some time to take in a few of England’s significant historic sites such as Windsor Castle and Stratford Upon Avon (home of William Shakespeare). Tour attendees will also have free time in Salisbury, London, Cambridge and York to enjoy as you wish.
Click HERE for the complete schedule and to get in touch with Ian Allan Aviation Tours
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
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