![]() Although the civilian BAe 146-100 has 70-94 seats, the two BAe 146 CC.2 are configured for 19 or 26 passengers in comfort. ![]() These jets, also known as the BAe 146 Statesman, had a specially designed Royal Suite cabin. In 2002, one of these BAe 146s was sold as surplus. The trial was a success, and three VIP-configured BAe 146-100s entered service with The Queen's Flight (as BAe 146 CC.2s) from 1986 as the flight's first jet aircraft. In 1983, the Royal Air Force leased two BAe 146 aircraft to assess their suitability as replacements for The Queen's Flight's Andovers. That occasion was also the first visit by a Concorde aircraft to Barbados. She then flew from the Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados, to London Heathrow, England. On 2 November 1977, Queen Elizabeth II travelled for the first time aboard Concorde (aircraft G-BOAE). Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip disembark from a British Airways Concorde at Bergstrom Air Force Base near Austin, Texas, on their state visit to the United States in 1991. Īs The Queen's Flight from 1952, the unit operated a variety of aircraft for the transportation and pilot training of members of the royal family, including Vickers Viking, Avro York, de Havilland Heron and Devon, Westland Whirlwind, Westland Wessex HCC.4, Douglas Dakota (for the Royal Visit to Nepal in 1960), de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, Beagle Basset, and Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft. The King's Flight was reformed on at RAF Benson with a single aircraft, a de Havilland Dominie and, soon after, with four Vickers Viking C.2. 161 Squadron was an operational military squadron, involved in the dropping of supplies and agents over occupied Europe throughout the War. In 1942, The King's Flight was disbanded and its responsibilities transferred to No. A de Havilland Flamingo was added to The King's Flight in September 1940. The outbreak of World War II in 1939 led to the replacement of the Envoy III with an armed Lockheed Hudson. collapsing in a coma of fatigue directly the door was shut, grey faced and utterly exhausted". of radiant people who had opened a Town Hall and shaken a thousand hands. When Nevil Shute Norway of Airspeed queried the need for a steward on flights of up to two or three hours, he was told by the captain of the flight, Wing Commander Fielden "of the fatigue that royal personages must endure. The King's Flight Envoy had seats for four passengers plus a pilot, wireless operator, and steward. In May 1937, an AS.6J Envoy III replaced the Rapide. The flight was commanded by the prince's personal pilot, Edward 'Mouse' Fielden, who continued to lead the flight before and after the war. This unit initially used the King's own de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide. In contrast the first flight of a sitting U.S. When the Prince ascended to the throne in 1936 as Edward VIII, The King's Flight was formed as the world's first head of state aircraft unit. ![]() Although the Royal Air Force maintained at least one of these aircraft for a time, the Prince of Wales eventually became solely responsible for the aircraft. 24 Squadron at RAF Northolt in April 1928. The first aircraft ordered specifically for transport of the royal family, two Westland Wapitis, were delivered to No. The last surviving Airspeed Envoy, operated by Private Charter Ltd at Manchester (Ringway) Airport in 1948.
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