No. 1 Flying Training School RAF

No. 1 Flying Training School RAF
Unit name	No. 1 Flying Training School RAF
Caption	Badge of No. 1 Flying Training School
Dates	1919–present (with disbandments and re-formations)
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Elementary and basic pilot training
Garrison	Various
Notable commanders	See section

No. 1 Flying Training School RAF is the Royal Air Force establishment responsible for elementary and basic pilot instruction, with origins in the immediate post-First World War era and continuations through the interwar period, Second World War, Cold War and into the 21st century. The School has trained generation after generation of RAF aircrew alongside personnel from the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and allied air forces. Over its history the unit has been associated with major aviation developments linked to figures and institutions such as Sir Hugh Trenchard, Sir John Salmond, Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, Imperial Defence College, and aircraft manufacturers including Fairey Aviation Company, de Havilland, Hawker Siddeley, and Britten-Norman.

History

Formed in 1919 at RAF Upavon following the demobilisation after the First World War, the School was an early element in implementing reforms advocated by Sir Hugh Trenchard and the Air Ministry. During the 1920s and 1930s it operated amid debates involving the Ten Year Rule, interactions with the Royal Flying Corps legacy, and coordination with the Central Flying School. In the lead-up to the Second World War the School contributed to expansion plans associated with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and worked alongside commands such as RAF Training Command and RAF Flying Training Command. Throughout the Second World War it adapted to wartime exigencies, sharing instructors and pupils with units engaged in the Battle of Britain and the wider air campaigns over North Africa and Europe. Post-war reorganisations tied the School to Cold War priorities, coordinating with NATO structures including Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and supporting modernization programs driven by manufacturers like Gloster Aircraft Company and English Electric. Subsequent disbandments and re-formations reflected changing policy during the reforms of the Options for Change defence review and the later Strategic Defence Review, before the School continued to provide elementary flying training into the era of the Joint Helicopter Command and integrated pilot pipelines.

Role and Operations

The School's core role has been elementary flying training and the initial selection and conversion of pilot candidates destined for fast jets, transport or rotary-wing streams, cooperating with establishments such as Empire Test Pilots' School, RAF College Cranwell, Royal Air Force College, No. 3 Flying Training School RAF, and Central Flying School. It has delivered syllabi that bridge aptitude assessments from organisations like the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and officer commissioning paths tied to Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre processes. Operationally the School has been networked with training establishments at RAF Halton, RAF Cranwell, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, and civil contract partners including Bristow Helicopters and Serco Group in later outsourcing phases. During major conflicts the School provided cadres to operational conversion units involved in campaigns such as the Korean War and the Falklands War.

Bases and Locations

Stations associated with the School include initial formation at RAF Upavon, long periods at RAF Ternhill, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Leeming, and RAF Linton-on-Ouse, as well as satellite use of RAF Shawbury and RAF Valley for rotary-wing and fast-jet pipelines. Overseas detachments and exchange arrangements linked the School with Commonwealth airfields such as RAAF Base Point Cook, CFB Trenton, and RNZAF Base Ohakea, and with wartime training sites in Canada and South Africa under agreements like the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Aircraft Operated

Over a century the School operated a wide spectrum of types spanning early biplanes to modern turboprops and trainers. Notable types include the Avro 504K, De Havilland Tiger Moth, Hawker Hart, Gloster Gladiator, North American Harvard, Percival Provost, de Havilland Chipmunk, BAC Jet Provost, Hawk T1, Short Tucano, Britten-Norman Islander, Pilatus PC-9, Siai-Marchetti SF.260, and Grob Tutor. The inventory changes reflected procurement by the Ministry of Defence and collaborations with firms such as British Aerospace, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce plc, and Messrs Fairey for allied training and evaluation tasks.

Training Structure and Curriculum

The School's syllabus evolved from elementary aerobatics, navigation and formation flying to include instrument flying, basic tactical employment, night operations, and survival training coordinated with institutions like the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, and the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine. Courses have been tailored to produce pilots for fast-jet conversion units such as No. 4 Flying Training School RAF and Operational Conversion Units, as well as rotary conversion at Defence Helicopter Flying School. Training integrated simulator instruction from companies like CAE Inc. and standards influenced by NATO training directives at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe; assessment incorporated selection outputs from the Aircrew Selection Centre and medical screening guided by the Civil Aviation Authority criteria when relevant.

Commanders and Notable Personnel

Commanders and staff historically included senior RAF figures who later held appointments at institutions such as RAF College Cranwell, Air Ministry, and Ministry of Defence. Alumni and instructors progressed to operational commands in theatres connected to the Battle of Britain, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Granby, and NATO deployments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. Notable associated personnel have included test pilots who moved to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment and instructors who subsequently served with the Red Arrows aerobatic team and in exchange roles with the United States Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.

Category:Royal Air Force schools Category:Military units and formations established in 1919