Andy Marden wrote:
Just to clarify the BBMF situation. With the exception of the Boss, the aircrew are not on a posting to the BBMF. They fly the aircraft as a "second job". The fighter pilots are Typhoon pilots from Coningsby, the transport crews come from the E-3 fleet at Waddington and the training fleet at Cranwell.
Thanks for the correction Andy, my error. Overriding point beyond that, is that they are all serving RAF people.
It's perhaps also worth pointing out here that the BBMF is one of the most significant active aviation preservation or commemorative organisations by any measure, going for longer than almost any other warbird organisation, and covering a remarkable (and it seems ever increasing) number of events over their half-century of operation.
My emphasis:
Quote:
Records show that for many years after its formation the Flight conducted relatively low-key operations; typically making 50-60 appearances per season, a situation that continued into the mid-1960s. By 1992 participation was up to 150 appearances, growing to 200 in 1995 and exceeding 500 in 1996. Since 2003 the Flight has been tasked for over 700 individual aircraft appearances during each year’s display season and this is now considered the norm. The demand for appearances by the BBMF’s aircraft shows no sign of decline and indeed appears to be increasing. In 2008 the BBMF were tasked with 944 individual appearances at 529 separate events. These events included 127 air displays and 402 flypasts of various sizes ranging from the Queen’s Birthday Flypast over London through commemorative flypasts for veterans such as the 65th Anniversary of the Dams Raid and the 60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift to small village fetes. The Flight’s aircraft appeared live in front of an estimated total audience of 7 million people not to mention those that saw them in transit and through the media.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/history/historyofflight.cfmComparisons may be invidious, but any military commemorative organisation achieving that exposure for so long and so well would have something to be very proud of.
Regards,
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