Royal Navy Historic Flight
The Royal Navy Historic Flight was the historic flight of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy up until its disbandment in March 2019. The RNHF maintained and flew a small number of aircraft that were important to British Naval aviation. The organisation was not part of the military establishment; it had charitable status and was staffed by civilians. It was based at RNAS Yeovilton and provided aircraft for air displays.
Following its disbandment, the Swordfish Mk.I, Sea Fury FB.11, Sea Hawk FGA.6 and Chipmunk T.10 were donated to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust at an approximate value of £1,810,000. With the aircraft having now been transferred to the civilian register, displays will be funded from charity events run by the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.
History
The RNHF was established at RNAS Yeovilton in 1972 and became the home for a number of aircraft that had been donated to the Royal Navy over more than a decade. The first aircraft was Fairey Swordfish II LS326, presented in 1960 by Westland Aircraft. In 1971, Hawker Siddeley Aviation presented a Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 and in 1972 a Fairey Firefly AS.5 WB271 was donated. The separate units caring for the three aircraft were merged in 1972, forming the Historic Flight.Over the following years, the RNHF benefitted further from gifts of aircraft from the German government, Royal Navy and British Aerospace. Technical assistance was also obtained to rebuild and refurbish aircraft. Three aircraft have been lost in accidents, with two fatalities.
In 1995, the ground staff service personnel were replaced by civilian employees but aircrew remained as serving navy pilots who volunteered to spend free time with the RNHF. Air training used the Flight's DHC Chipmunk. The Fly Navy Heritage Trust, formerly the Swordfish Heritage Trust, a charitable institution to oversee fundraising, made grants to fund the RNHF's staff. The Flight's other sources of income were fees from flying displays, direct donations from the general public and sponsorship from the aerospace industry.
The Royal Navy previously described the role of the historic flight:
The RNHF is an educational charity whose mission is to ensure that the unique British Heritage collection of the Royal Navy Historic Flight continue to fly long into the future. Their aim is to preserve the opportunity for future generations to best understand the nature of those who built, maintained, operated and fought in Naval aircraft of the past by experiencing the reality of the sound, smell and the sight of them actually flying. They delight millions with their air displays nationwide and educated future generations.
Aircraft
| Aircraft type | Serial | Operational dates | Squadrons | Notes |
| Fairey Swordfish Mk.I | W5856 | 21 Oct 1941 - 1945 | Used as a training aircraft during the war and kept in reserve. Served with the Mediterranean Fleet for a year and restored to flying condition in 1993. A long-term rebuild was completed in 2015, returning the aircraft to airworthy condition. | |
| Fairey Swordfish Mk.II | LS326 | Aug 1943 - 1945 | 836 | War-time service on MAC ships, including and. Appeared as aircraft '5A' in the film Sink the Bismarck!. Following discovery of corrosion in 2002 the aircraft was withdrawn from service. New wing spars were manufactured by BAE Systems as part of a complete restoration. As of November 2010, LS326 is airworthy. |
| Fairey Swordfish Mk.III | NF389 | Apr 1944 | Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit, Torpedo Trials Flight, 781 NAS | Under reconstruction. |
| Fairey Firefly AS.5 | WB271 | Jun 1949 - 1962 | 814 NAS, RAN service: 816 NAS, 724 NAS, 723 NAS | Destroyed during an air display, July 2003; aircrew killed |
| Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 | TF956 | Oct 1947 - 1954 | 805, 799, 807, 738 | Lost 10 June 1989, due to hydraulic failure in flight; aircrew survived. |
| Hawker Sea Fury T.20 | WG655 | Oct 1951 - Dec 1955 | Seriously damaged 14 July 1990 after engine failure in flight; aircrew survived. The aircraft was later sold and rebuilt to airworthy condition. It is now based at Duxford. | |
| Hawker Sea Fury T.20 | VX281 | ? - ? | Damaged in emergency landing during RNAS Culdrose Air Day 31 July 2014. The pilot, Lt Cdr Chris Götke was awarded the Air Force Cross in an Operational Honours list on 26 February 2015. | |
| Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 | VR930 | Mar 1948 - Jan 1961 | 802 | Out of use. |
| Hawker/Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk FGA6 | WV908 | Feb 1955 - Jun 1962 | 807, 898, 806, 738 | In storage. |
| De Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 | WK608 | June 1966 - 1993 | Used as air trainer. Airworthy. |