Lincolnshire is full of RAF bases, some of them still active.  The most well known is RAF Coningsby, home of the Typhoon, the RAF’s current combat aircraft.  Coningsby is also home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). This was an opportunity to see almost 100 years of military aviation history, all in one place.

We knew the drill – drive to the designated car park for plane spotting.  Look for the van belonging to a YouTuber, and park near it.  He’ll be up on the roof, pointing his very big zoom lens in the direction of the anticipated action.  You can also listen to his live stream, and get a heads up when something is about to happen.  Once again the car park was full of plane spotters of all ages – and the obligatory ice cream van.

Before long we could see several Typhoons taxiing out towards the runway, and we watched them take off in quick succession.  They don’t do the dramatic vertical acceleration of the F-35s, but they take off loud and fast – and the noise certainly builds up when four of them tear down the runway one after another.

After that excitement there was a short lull, then we spotted our first returnee of the morning. Again they are not as loud as the F-35s when they fly overhead, but you certainly get a really good look as they come in low over the fields.  Today, several of them were practicing approaches and go-arounds.  They looked like they were landing, seeming to skim the runway; then the engines would roar again and they’d be soaring skyward, banking steeply in preparation for another approach.  It was an hour or so of non- stop action.

After lunch, we headed to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight visitor centre just up the road, and signed up for a guided hangar tour.  This is a working RAF base, so security is tight and there is no wandering around on your own. Established in 1957, BBMF’s core objective is to maintain heritage aircraft in flying condition, as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men and women who gave their lives during WW2. 

All of the BBMF aircraft perform at various displays around the country. The collection includes one of two Lancaster bombers which are still flying, but it’s currently undergoing servicing at Duxford.  The 10 remaining aircraft consist of two Hurricanes, five Spitfires, a Dakota, and two Chipmunks which are used for training.  Flying these veteran aircraft is very different from flying a modern fighter.

BBMF is staffed by volunteer RAF personnel, who undertake maintenance and training in their free time.  Our volunteer guide was Eric, a 38-year veteran engineer who worked on a range of aircraft, right up to Harriers, before retiring. Eric was a bit softly spoken and not very quick, so the tour was slow moving and hard on the feet – but we did get up close to these irreplaceable aircraft, some of which flew in the Battle of Britain.  We also saw samples of the enormous bombs which the Lancasters carried as payloads.  These giants were used towards the end of the war, and did significant damage to German transport and infrastructure.