Royal Air Force Abingdon Open Day.

15th June 1968
To mark the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the RAF.

The Flying Display

2.45 Flypast by 31 Jet Provosts in 'E II R' Royal Cypher formation.

2.46 Vintage Aircraft - Vickers Gunbus, SE5a, Hawker Hart, Avro Tutor, Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Tomit
Flypast by Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster.

2.58 Flypast by 6 Victors and 18 Vulcans.

3.00 'The Tomahawks', 3 Sioux helicopters from the Central Flying School.

3.05 Coastal Command demonstration of submarine hunting by a Shackleton and the soon to be introduced Nimrod.

3.11 Air/Land Demonstration. RAF Regiment parachutists drop from Argosies to clear the runway. 8 Hunter ground attack aircraft provide supporting fire. Ultra-low level drop of heavy equipment from a Hercules. Hercules, Andover and Belfast aircraft land and unload troops and equipment. 24 Wessex helicopters pick up troops, some with underslung vehicles.

3.27 Harrier display by the first production aircraft. Introduction into service is planned for 1969.

3.32 Flypast by 24 Lightnings, 12 Hunters and 4 Lightnings making a re-heat climb to condensation trail altitude.

3.35 'The Falcons', RAF free-fall parachute team.

3.42 Lightning solo aerobatics.

3.50 'The Red Arrows', RAF aerobatics team of 9 Gnats.

The Bombers

Hawker Hind. The aircraft had been presented to the RAF Museum a few days before by the Royal Afghan Air Force.
The Hawker Hart entered RAF service in 1930 as a fast day bomber - faster than the contemporary fighters. The design was adapted to numerous roles, and sold to several other countries. The Hector variant was used for the task of army co-operation. The single seat fighter version, the Fury, formed the bases for the Hurricane. The Hind was introduced in 1935, to replace the Hart, as an interim type before the availability of the Bristol Blenheim and Fairey Battle.

In 1968...
It has been announced that a new RAF Museum will be built at Hendon airfield.

Avro Lincoln B2. Designed in 1943 as an improved version of the Lancaster with better performance, armament and range for use in the War against Japan, the Lincoln first flew in June 1944. It entered service too late to be used in the War, and production numbers were greatly cut back to about 560. It was also used by the air forces of Australia and The Argentine, and finally left RAF service in 1963. The Lincoln 3 became the maritime-reconnaissance Shackleton.

English Electric Canberra T17. Signals Command ECM.
A site dedicated to the Canberra can be found at the Links page.

In the 1968 'Golden Jubilee Souvenir Book', J.W.R.Taylor's assessment of the Next Fifty Years is headed by a speculative drawing of Concorde carrying three Blue Steel nuclear stand-off bombs.

Vickers Valiant BK1. The last air worthy example.

'I was a serving member of the RAF and was based at Abingdon and remember this day vividly. The Valiant was broken up on site and, the wiring looms now power my model railway!' - DH

Victor
Handley Page Victor BK1. Tanker.