North Kesteven

Aircraft from across the UK Armed Forces flew over RAF Cranwell on Tuesday in a rehearsal for the Coronation.

They will soar over Buckingham Palace when Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla are crowned on Saturday, May 6.

The Royal Air Force, British Army and Royal Navy were all represented as over 30 aircraft took to the Lincolnshire skies to practice the formations.

The full flypast will see over 60 aircraft, including the iconic Red Arrows and historic Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, put on a spectacular show over London.

The formation at the rehearsal flew over RAF Cranwell’s iconic College Hall, which stood in for Buckingham Palace, on Tuesday, April 25.

The first aircraft to fly over College Hall, a Juno HT1 from RAF Shawbury, did so at 2.30pm.

The full display was reviewed by Air Vice-Marshal Mark Flewin, the Air Officer Commanding the Royal Air Force’s No.1 Group.

He said: “It is a great honour to be part of His Majesty the King’s Coronation, where the flypast is an opportunity to showcase Tri-Service aviation excellence to our Commander-in-Chief, on this very special occasion.

“While the full spectacle will not be unveiled until the Coronation, the practice with more limited aircraft numbers is an ideal opportunity to review the Flypast from a safety and execution perspective, while making sure that the timing, spacing, and the broad structure of the flypast is visually appropriate for His Majesty the King’s Coronation on May 6.”

Watching on from the ground was 93-year-old RAF veteran Squadron Leader (Retired) Terrance Devey Smith, who flew in Her Late Majesty the Queen’s Coronation 70 years ago.

At the time of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, Terrance was a 23-year-old RAF Flying Officer flying the Meteor 8 with 56 Squadron.

On June 2, 1953, Terrence was requested by his Wing Commander to take a magazine photographer on the Coronation flypast.

Due to his position in the formation, he switched from his Meteor 8 to a dual-seater Meteor 7 to capture the Squadron in formation with Buckingham Palace in the background.

The flypast on May 6 will follow the King’s Coronation Parade, a major display of military pageantry involving Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories, and all Armed Forces services, alongside The Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.

The Armed Forces coronation flypast will take place over The Mall and Buckingham Palace at 2.30pm on that day, subject to weather, serviceability, and operational commitments.

The first aircraft to fly over Buckingham Palace, a Juno HT1 from RAF Shawbury, will be piloted by RAF Flight Lieutenant Tom Knapp.

He said: “The flypast rehearsal went really well. We made our time on target over the top of College Hall which was standing in as Buckingham Palace.

“It’s great to see months of planning and detailed coordination between all the different aircraft which fly at different speeds starting to come together. I feel hugely privileged and excited to get to fly over the Palace for The King on this momentous occasion.”

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An 87-year-old pilot died after crashing into a field next to the runway he was flying towards.

The pilot had taken off from Temple Bruer airstrip in Lincolnshire on March 24 2022, flying towards the Beccles Aerodrome in Suffolk.

He was fatally injured when his aircraft struck the ground after a likely stall brought on by bouncing on landing.

Four safety recommendations have been made to the Civil Aviation Authority to improve safety for pilots.

The pilot has been described as being familiar with his aircraft, but the landing diverged from his intended plan, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

He had no passengers in the Flight Design CT2K microlight during the journey.

The pilot informed Cranwell Air Traffic Control that he would be returning to Temple Bruer with a “slight problem” just three minutes after take-off.

A minute later, he told the ATC that the issue was resolved and he continued towards Beccles Aerodrome.

Eyewitnesses described the plane’s final approach as “unstable”.

The aircraft is observed to have bounced some 10ft in the air after first landing, before pitching nose up at a 45 degree angle.

Eyewitnesses go on to say that the plane then veered to the left, around 100ft above the runway, before rolling to a 90 degree angle and falling to the ground in a field adjacent to the runway.

The reports suggests that “some age-related deterioration in human performance” could have played a part in the accident, given the age of the pilot in question.

A post-mortem report found the pilot had died from multiple traumatic injuries sustained in the accident, and there was “no indication of medical impairment or incapacitation” before the aircraft struck the ground – though this could not be entirely ruled out.

He had over 2,600 hours of flying experience, including nine hours of flight in the 28 days leading up to the fatal crash.

He was a member of a small aviation group that flew from the Temple Bruer airstrip, just outside the northern Aerodrome Traffic Zone boundary of RAF Cranwell.

The investgation highlighted a lack of medical guidance for both pilots and medical professionals, as well as a cohort of private pilots who aren’t subject to independent professional assessment of age-related deterioration in piloting ability.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has made four safety recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority as a result of this incident.

Three of the recommendations relate to the pilot medical declaration, while the other concerns the revalidation of ratings.

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Officer Cadets are flying high having graduated from RAF College Cranwell on Thursday.

The Cadets from the RAF Officer Training Academy marched onto the parade square, watched by their family and friends.

They were also treated to a Typhoon flypast by 12 Squadron from RAF Coningsby.

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall CBE MA LLB RAF, Air Officer Commanding 2 Group, was the Reviewing Officer at the graduation of The King’s Squadron.

It consists of officers of Modular Initial Officer Training Course No 19 and Commissioned Warrant Officers Course No 26 from Royal Air Force College Cranwell.

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