Trouping of the Colour Flypast 2007

A military flypast above The Mall in London celebrating the Queens Birthday. Element 1: The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, will be flying seven of its historic aircraft, with the Dakota leading the Lancaster, flanked by two Spitfires, with a third Spitfire flanked by two Hurricanes bringing up the rear. This formation will be flying at a speed of 140 knots (160 mph). Element 2: Nine Typhoon fighter aircraft also from RAF Coningsby, representing the four squadrons there which have so far converted to this new aircraft. The overall Formation Leader will be Typhoon pilot Wing Commander Lol Bennett, Officer Commanding No 3 (Fighter) Squadron. He joined the RAF in 1987, and flew 1,500 hours in Tornado GR4s, including on operations in the Middle East, before eventually transferring to the Typhoon. His is the first operational Typhoon squadron and it will assume the air defence of the southern part of UK airspace from terrorist attack from the end of the month (June). Element 3: A VC-10 in-flight refuelling tanker from 101 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, flanked by four Tornado F3s from 25 (Fighter) Squadron based at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire. The VC-10 Captain is Flight Lieutenant Al MacBrayne, who joined the RAF as a pilot in 1998 after graduating from Glasgow University in veterinary medicine. He has undertaken numerous deployments to the Falkland Islands and to the Middle East to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lead Tornado F3 pilot is Squadron Leader Paul Vicary, who has served on operations in the Balkans, the Middle East and the Falkland Islands, and his navigator is Squadron Leader Blythe Crawford, who has just arrived back with his squadron after a tour training NATO fighter aircrew. Element 4: A Nimrod MR2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft of 42(Reserve) Squadron based at RAF Kinloss, Morayshire, Scotland, flanked by four Tornado GR4s from 31 Squadron based at RAF Marham, Norfolk. The ...