1FTS - Oldest Flying School Opens for 90th Birthday

[ArtistsRifles]

This is taken from the Forces Reunited weekly newsletter:

 

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the world's oldest military pilot academy - No 1 Flying Training School (1 FTS). More than half of its existence has been spent in North Yorkshire.

 

1 FTS is based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse and, as part of commemorations to mark nine-decades of pilot training, Linton is offering the public a glimpse of its history as a wartime bomber base and subsequent role teaching RAF fast jet pilots; firstly on Piston and Jet Provosts and now Tucano aircraft.

 

Tours of the Memorial Room, which houses the base's unique collection, will be conducted on the last Sunday of each month, beginning on March 29, and will run until October.

 

RAF Linton-on-Ouse was one of Yorkshire's most important wartime bases. Squadrons there began the war by dropping propaganda leaflets over Germany and later took part in the 1000 bomber raids. Flying legend Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC was the commanding officer of 76 Squadron which today at Linton is part of 1 FTS.

 

The memorial room commemorates the 2009 airmen from Linton and its satellite airfields at East Moor and Tholthorpe who were killed while serving with Bomber Command during the first part of the war and with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943.

 

Founded by the late Bill Steel, the room offers a fascinating snapshot of photographs, stories and artefacts from the wartime era as well as mementoes and pictures which tell the story of 1 FTS from its formative years in 1919 when it was based at Netheravon, Wiltshire, (pictured) to the present day at Linton.

 

The memorial room will be open to members of the public on a pre-booked basis at 2.00pm and 3.30pm on one Sunday each month from March to October; normally this will be the last Sunday of the month.

 

For further information, and to book a visit, please phone Passes and Permits at RAF Linton-on-Ouse on 01347 747660. Visitors will need proof of identity to gain access to the station.