Largest all-female RAF flypast marks new display
An A400M crew from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire joined a Prefect T1 and Eurofighter Typhoon in the historic flypast.
The demonstration marked the unveiling of the new Women in War exhibition at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln.
Ten steel silhouettes of women during wartime, created by Witney-based Standing with Giants, feature in the exhibition.
Standing with Giants was previously responsible for the display of 1,475 figures in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year.
Every aircraft in the flypast marking the opening of the new display was flown by an all-female crew, making it the largest flypast performed solely by female aircrew.
The Atlas A400M from RAF Brize Norton was captained by Sqn Ldr Stewart, who previously flew an all-female crew over Wembley ahead of the Lionesses' European Championship Final victory over Germany in 2022.
"Today was really important to me because it gave us a chance to honour the work that women have done before us," she said.
"To commemorate and celebrate the pioneering work of women in defence that came before was so important to me."
She said it was a "fantastic atmosphere on the flight deck" with everyone on-board "really proud to put on a good show".
Following the flypast, the crews of the A400M and Prefect landed at nearby RAF Waddington to meet guests on the ground and take in the display for themselves.
You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hero nurse among 10 WW2 women being commemorated
D-Day servicemen silhouettes return from Normandy
Royal Air Force
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Last surviving Second World War Victoria Cross recipient dies aged 105
Britain's last surviving Second World War Victoria Cross recipient has died aged 105. Flight Lieutenant John Cruickshank, from Aberdeen, received the VC for bravery during an attack on an enemy submarine that left him seriously injured. A total of 181 people received Britain's highest military decoration for their actions during the war. The RAF captain's family told the BBC he died last week and that a funeral would be held in private, the news outlet reported on Saturday. Flt Lt Cruickshank was the captain of a Catalina flying boat with 210 Squadron, flying submarine-hunting missions from RAF Sullom Voe, in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. On July 17 1944, aged 24, he was sent on a patrol to protect the British Home Fleet as it returned from an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. A U-boat was spotted on the surface near Norway and the aircraft he was captaining and piloting launched an offensive. The first bombs failed to release but Flt Lt Cruickshank turned the plane to face enemy fire and attack again. He dropped depth charges during the second attempt, sinking the U-boat. Flt Lt Cruickshank sustained 72 injuries including two to his lungs and 10 to his lower limbs during the assault. The navigator was killed, three other crew members were severely injured, and the badly damaged aircraft was filled with fumes from exploding shells. After the victory, Flt Lt Cruickshank left the cockpit but refused painkillers and continued to advise his second pilot who had taken control. The surviving crew members spent five and a half hours flying back to Sullom Voe. Despite losing consciousness multiple times during their return, he assisted the second pilot with the landing which took an hour. In 2013, Flt Lt Cruickshank said: 'It was just normal, we were trained to do the job and that was it. 'I wouldn't like to say I'm the only one that has an amazing story, there are plenty of other stories coming from that time. 'It wasn't that wonderful in those days, I can tell you that. We could only think in those days there were better days to come.' After the war ended Flt Lt Cruickshank returned to his career in banking.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sonic boom heard over Essex as RAF intercept private jet
A sonic boom was heard over Essex after two RAF fighter jets scrambled to intercept a private jet that lost contact with air traffic control. Two Typhoon jets took off from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, to make the intercept of a San Marino-registered aircraft over Cambridgeshire on Friday morning. Residents of southern Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Kent and parts of London reported hearing the loud bang at around 11.35am. Jenny Coxal, of Dartford, Essex, was at home when she heard a loud 'vacuum-style' bang and thought someone had hit her garage. 'I thought it was someone hitting our garage, but when I went outside, all our neighbours were on the street, wondering what had happened,' she told Kent Online. A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, generating shockwaves that rapidly compress and decompress the air. The speed of sound is about 660mph (1,060km/h) at 60,000ft (18,300m) but can vary depending on altitude. One witness took to social media, saying: 'Sonic boom just heard over Hornchurch. Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 went overhead,' chimed another. Another person posted a picture of flight tracker, saying: 'Eurofighter typhoon escorting a plane to Stansted. Causing the sonic boom all over Essex. People heard it as far as bexleyheath!' A woman in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk said it "rattled" her back door, while in north Kent one person commented that it "shook the whole house - we thought there had been an explosion". In Burwell, Cambridgeshire, another woman wrote: 'Thought something blew up in my loft'. An RAF spokesperson said the civilian aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted Airport after it lost contact with air traffic control. It said: 'We can confirm that RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched today to investigate a civilian aircraft which was not in contact with air traffic control. 'Communications were re-established and the aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted. The Typhoons are returning to base.' An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'A flight has been escorted into Stansted Airport after it lost contact with the ground. 'Contact was re-established with the plane, which had been travelling from Nice, and was escorted into the airport by RAF aircraft. On the ground, our officers determined there was nothing of concern.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Sonic boom heard over Essex as RAF intercept private jet
A sonic boom was heard over Essex after two RAF fighter jets scrambled to intercept a private jet that lost contact with air traffic control. Two Typhoon jets took off from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, to make the intercept of a San Marino-registered aircraft over Cambridgeshire on Friday morning. Residents of southern Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Kent and parts of London reported hearing the loud bang at around 11.35am. Jenny Coxal, of Dartford, Essex, was at home when she heard a loud 'vacuum-style' bang and thought someone had hit her garage. 'I thought it was someone hitting our garage, but when I went outside, all our neighbours were on the street, wondering what had happened,' she told Kent Online. A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, generating shockwaves that rapidly compress and decompress the air. The speed of sound is about 660mph (1,060km/h) at 60,000ft (18,300m) but can vary depending on altitude. One witness took to social media, saying: 'Sonic boom just heard over Hornchurch. Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 went overhead,' chimed another. Another person posted a picture of flight tracker, saying: 'Eurofighter typhoon escorting a plane to Stansted. Causing the sonic boom all over Essex. People heard it as far as bexleyheath!' A woman in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk said it "rattled" her back door, while in north Kent one person commented that it "shook the whole house - we thought there had been an explosion". In Burwell, Cambridgeshire, another woman wrote: 'Thought something blew up in my loft'. An RAF spokesperson said the civilian aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted Airport after it lost contact with air traffic control. It said: 'We can confirm that RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched today to investigate a civilian aircraft which was not in contact with air traffic control. 'Communications were re-established and the aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted. The Typhoons are returning to base.' An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'A flight has been escorted into Stansted Airport after it lost contact with the ground. 'Contact was re-established with the plane, which had been travelling from Nice, and was escorted into the airport by RAF aircraft. On the ground, our officers determined there was nothing of concern.'
