Are any "Government Owned" vintage aircraft flying today?

[DaveD112]

In the UK, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) operate a Lancaster, a C47 Dakota, 2 Hurricanes, and 5 Spitfires.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/

The Royal Navy operate 2 Swordfish, a Hawker Sea Hawk and 2 Sea Furies..
http://www.royalnavyhistoricflight.org.uk/home/

Qinetiq operate a Military registered (KF183) Harvard at Boscombe Down for research purposes..

2 Hawker Hunters are used by the MOD for trials work

[skymstr02]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the USAF have at least one P-51 they operated into the late 70's?

That was the US Army. The aircraft is now in storage at Ft Rucker, AL.

It was used as the chase plane for the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne helicopter program.

[JDK]

In the UK, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) operate a Lancaster, a C47 Dakota, 2 Hurricanes, and 5 Spitfires.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/

I could've sworn I mentioned them earlier...

The Royal Navy operate 2 Swordfish, a Hawker Sea Hawk and 2 Sea Furies..
http://www.royalnavyhistoricflight.org.uk/home/

The RNHF situation is somewhat different to the BBMF. The aircraft are, I think on RN charge (one of the Furies is civillian registered and not under RN ownership) and the support crew are mostly (all?) retired RN or civilian - one used to the the ex-RAF 'crab' in the team... However the aircrew seem to be all serving RN officers. While the RNHF used to be similarly constituted as the BBMF, some years ago it was hived off to an independent civilian trust to make an arm's length relationship with the Navy, for, IIRC, funding reasons. I'll ask my contact to clarify if I find time.

Additional to your list, both the BBMF and the RNHF have DHC Chipmunks for training and reconnaissance etc.

Also we mustn't forget the Army - all three British armed forces have historic aircraft display teams - a unique situation, I think.

The Army Historic Aircraft Flight (AHAF) came into being in its present format on the 21st March 1990, however it was formally established in 1980. The AHAF Charter allows the Army Air Corps (AAC) to operate one example of each aircraft it has operated since its formation in 1957, in order to preserve the Army's aviation heritage.

The AHAF consists of the following aircraft: XR 244 - Auster AOP Mk 9; XP 820 - De Havilland Beaver AL Mk 1; WD 325 - De Havilland Chipmunk T10; XT 131 - Agusta-Bell Sioux AH Mk 1; XT 626 - Westland Scout AH Mk 1; XR 379 - Sud Aviation Alouette II (not flying during the 2011 season); XL812 - Saunders Roe Skeeter AOP Mk 12 (static display only)

The six different aircraft types have a combined regular service of 146 years and it is unique by being the only display team in the world with both fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The Flight is based at the Army Aviation Centre at Middle Wallop in Hampshire.

http://www.army.mod.uk/aviation/20926.aspx

Thanks for clarifying the Boscombe Harvard's status and serial. They used to have two before it became called 'QinetiQ' - note capitalisation.

Regards,

[Franklin]

Anyone have an idea of what type and what date the last of the vintage aircraft were used as target drones for the USN and USAF?

[ErrolC]

The RNZAF Central Flying School includes the Historic flight:

http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/training-elements/central-flying-school.htm
The school also operates the RNZAFs Historic Aircraft Flight, which provides selected instructors with experience on older types of aircraft. The flight has a de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth (NZ662), North American Harvard MkIII (NZ1015). A third aircraft, Avro 626 (NZ203) is currently on static display in the RNZAF Museum at Wigram. The Harvard and Tiger Moth are regularly flown at open days held by the respective RNZAF Bases.

There is talk (perhaps an announcement?) that the Flight will get a UH-1H when they retire over the next couple of years. The NZ Vietnam re-enactors find the prospect intriguing. They claim that there is no connection with the fact that one of them is training to be a helicopter pilot.


Tau09_6968 by errolgc, on Flickr

Cheers
Errol

[avenger2504]

The RNZAF Central Flying School includes the Historic flight:

http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/training-elements/central-flying-school.htm
The school also operates the RNZAFs Historic Aircraft Flight, which provides selected instructors with experience on older types of aircraft. The flight has a de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth (NZ662), North American Harvard MkIII (NZ1015). A third aircraft, Avro 626 (NZ203) is currently on static display in the RNZAF Museum at Wigram. The Harvard and Tiger Moth are regularly flown at open days held by the respective RNZAF Bases.

There is talk (perhaps an announcement?) that the Flight will get a UH-1H when they retire over the next couple of years. The NZ Vietnam re-enactors find the prospect intriguing. They claim that there is no connection with the fact that one of them is training to be a helicopter pilot.


Tau09_6968 by errolgc, on Flickr

Cheers
Errol

And now a DeHavilland Devon as well. They also operate a MK IX Spitfire but this is owned by Brendon Deere but it is flown by a serving RNZAF Pilot.

[ErrolC]

The RNZAF Central Flying School includes the Historic flight:

http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/training-elements/central-flying-school.htm
The school also operates the RNZAFs Historic Aircraft Flight, which provides selected instructors with experience on older types of aircraft. The flight has a de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth (NZ662), North American Harvard MkIII (NZ1015). A third aircraft, Avro 626 (NZ203) is currently on static display in the RNZAF Museum at Wigram. The Harvard and Tiger Moth are regularly flown at open days held by the respective RNZAF Bases.

There is talk (perhaps an announcement?) that the Flight will get a UH-1H when they retire over the next couple of years. The NZ Vietnam re-enactors find the prospect intriguing. They claim that there is no connection with the fact that one of them is training to be a helicopter pilot.

Cheers
Errol

And now a DeHavilland Devon as well. They also operate a MK IX Spitfire but this is owned by Brendon Deere but it is flown by a serving RNZAF Pilot.

Yes, I can't find a direct announcement in a quick look, but see
http://nzpaimages.co.nz/events.php?event_id=10778
So a Sioux to come as well (the first of their replacements is now in-country).

[avenger2504]

Yes, I can't find a direct announcement in a quick look, but see
http://nzpaimages.co.nz/events.php?event_id=10778
So a Sioux to come as well (the first of their replacements is now in-country).[/quote]

Hi Errol tis Baz alias baz62 from Wings over NZ! Somewhere on the (woah we've just had a big aftershock!) anyway on the forum I think someone mentioned the Devon has been put on the civil register and will be joining the flight soon once she has been overhauled (by a civilian operator I would say.)
Cheers
Baz

[mike furline]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the USAF have at least one P-51 they operated into the late 70's?

The last U.S. military use of the F-51 was in 1968, when the U. S. Army employed a vintage F-51D (44-72990) as a chase aircraft for the Lockheed YAH-56 Cheyenne armed helicopter project. This aircraft was so successful that the Army ordered two F-51Ds from Cavalier in 1968 for use at Fort Rucker as chase planes. They were assigned the serials 68-15795 and 65-15796. These F-51s had wingtip fuel tanks and were unarmed. Following the end of the Cheyenne program, these two chase aircraft were used for other projects. One of them (68-15795) was fitted with a 106 mm recoilless rifle for evaluation of the weapon's value in attacking fortified ground targets.[47] Cavalier Mustang 68-15796 survives at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida, displayed indoors in World War II markings.

[Steve Nelson]

Cavalier Mustang 68-15796 survives at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida, displayed indoors in World War II markings.

I'll post a pic when I get home, but when I saw the aircraft last summer it was painted in overall flat metallic gray, with undersized post-1947 insignia.

SN

[Andy in West Oz]

The Royal Australian Navy has an historic flight with a very active Huey and a taxiable (to be flown in the near future?) Tracker being the only working aircraft I am aware of. There was talk of the Firefly 10 years ago but nothing seems to have eventuated there.

Do the Israelis still fly/run their Spitfire? Remember it looked quite stunning in black with red flash.

I don't think the Indian Air Force Historic Flight flies its aircraft at present? Happy to be corrected.

[WallyB]

Canadian Snowbirds' Tutors ?

First flight 51 years ago.

[Pogmusic]

NASA Operates former USAF/USN aircraft such as the T-38, F-16, SR-71, U-2, F-18, B-52, KC-135 etc...

[The Inspector]

I used to see the two ARMY P-51's a lot in the early 70's when I lived in BEEEOOOOOTTTIFUL downtown Lancaster Cal.and worked for Locoweed and Rotswell.

[gary1954]

Arguably

The use of this term gets on my nerves. If a specific thing is absolutely the best, or a person most authoritive in a specific subject matter, then why TF is that "thing" or "person" predicated as "arguably" the best or most knowledgeable if there is really no argument. I realize that there are a few "Lawyers" here that grace us with sound opinion and advice, but this term/word like "irregardless" sounds like a word that originated in a courtroom somewhere in California or Florida. *Ducks and runs for cover*