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No. 4 Flying Training School is a
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
military flying training school, which manages Advanced Fast Jet Training (AFJT) from its base at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales. Its role is to provide fast jet aircrew to the Operational Conversion Units for the RAF's jet attack aircraft, the
Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...
and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. No. 4 FTS has primarily provided advanced flying and more recently jet aircraft training to aircrew students, although during World War II it was called upon to take part in offensive operations, a role it took on with great success.


History

On , No 4 Flying Training School opened at Abu Sueir in Egypt to train pilots, primarily for squadrons based in the Middle East Between 1935 and 1936, the expansion of the RAF in line with the increasing tensions in Europe led to major changes in how the RAF delivered flying training. Civilian flying training organisations were used to provide basic flying instruction, while the Service schools focused on the more advanced training. On 1 September 1939, two days before war was declared in Europe, it moved to RAF Habbaniya, the large RAF base in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, where intense flying training activities could take place in clearer skies. Because of its location, few aircrew students were sent out from the UK, and the school had to recruit from the Middle and Far East. After completing the course, pupils were sent to Abu Sueir for further training or directly to operational squadrons in theatre. In February 1940 the school was renamed No. 4 Service Flying Training School, to differentiate it from an Elementary Flying Training School. The school moved to a war footing, forming 'Y' Operational squadron to defend against air attack. The School also took on further training of Observers and air gunners, in line with requirements. By Spring 1941, other training schemes were beginning to produce sufficient pilots, and it was decided to close the school in September. However, the political situation in Iraq deteriorated, and the School was forced to fight. The Habbaniya Air Striking Force was created from the School (plus the 3 Vickers Valentia aircraft of Iraq Communications Flight) under the command of Group Captain W A B Saville. A rebel coup in Baghdad resulted in a British deployment in Basrah to protect Iraqi oil resources. The rebels began to gather troops and artillery south of Habbaniya airfield. The School's instructors combined with the more experienced pupils to man the aircraft and weaponise them. On 2 May 1941, the School attacked the enemy positions. The battle for Habbaniya lasted 5 days, during which the School's aircraft had flown 584 sorties, fired 100,000 rounds and dropped 45 tonnes of bombs on the enemy, finally forcing the rebel forces to retreat. Their overall contribution to the situation in Iraq led to the recapture of Baghdad by British forces, and during the emergency which lasted almost a month, 4 SFTS flew 1605 operational sorties, the majority crewed by student pilots. By June, the aircraft were redeployed elsewhere and on 1 July 1941, the School was disbanded.


Second Formation

On 3 February 1947, No 4 FTS reformed at Heany, near
Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...
in what was
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing colony, self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The reg ...
, using
Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ...
s,
De Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraf ...
and North American Harvards. By 1948, the School's role of training both pilots and navigators had become unworkable, and navigation training was moved to the new No. 3 Air Navigation School at Thornhill in Rhodesia, along with their Anson aircraft. In October 1949, the Air Council mandated changes to the status of cadets, and officer training became a part of the syllabus. Upon completion, those who qualified for their wings and met officer quality standards were commissioned. By November 1950 all pilot and navigator candidates were commissioned before they started their flying training as Acting
Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
s, and received full commissions upon gaining their wings. In October 1953, the final passing out parade took place, and the School disbanded again on 26 January 1954.


Third Formation

The RAF's Advanced Flying Schools operating in the early 1950s provided a step between elementary flying training and the operational conversion unit. The restructuring of flying training in the RAF led to a renumbering of AFSs, and on 1 June 1954, No. 205 AFS at Middleton St George operating
Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
jet aircraft, was renumbered as No. 4 FTS. In January 1955, the School re-equipped with the
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by ...
T.11 trainer. 4 FTS moved to Worksop in June 1956 and absorbed No. 211 FTS and its Meteor aircraft, which it operated alongside the Vampires for 18 months. On 9 June 1958, 4 FTS again disbanded.


Fourth Formation

From 1958, 4 FTS's role was carried on by No. 7 FTS on the Vampire at RAF Valley, until 15 August 1960, whereupon it was renumbered 4 FTS again. At this stage, the School took on the role of training students for Coastal and Transport Commands, using Varsity T.1s. This was short-lived, and by March 1962 this role was transferred to No. 5 FTS at Oakington. 4 FTS started to receive the new Folland Gnat T.1 on 7 November 1962, and the School was solely a Gnat unit by August 1963. Students from the Jet Provost stream came through onto the Gnat for advanced Jet training, and then proceeded onto No. 229 OCU at
RAF Chivenor Royal Air Force Chivenor or RAF Chivenor was a Royal Air Force station located on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton. Originally a civil airfield op ...
for air warfare training. In 1964, the School formed the Yellow Jacks aerobatic team. By 1965, this resulted in the formation of the
Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...
's
Red Arrows The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial team ...
. In 1967, the Hunter T.7 and F.6 were brought into service, supplementing the Gnat squadrons, and were involved in the training not only of 'long-legged' pupils who found the small Gnat constrictive, but also of foreign Air Forces. The Hawk T.1, which is currently flown by the School, was first delivered in 1976. The last Gnat course graduated on 24 November 1979, and in 17 years the School had flown more than 157,000 Gnat hours and trained 1421 students. Over 17 years, the School flew 89 Gnats, and 28 were written off in accidents. The Hawk was the first jet trainer in the Air Force that was not an adaptation of a fighter aircraft. It was extremely suited for its role, being designed to replace the several different types then in service with the RAF - the Jet Provost, the Gnat and the Hunter. The Hawk was so successful that it allowed the RAF to retire the Hunter and Gnat fleets a year earlier than planned. Easy to operate and simple to maintain, the Hawk was more economical than the Gnat, as well as having increased range and the ability to spin, a vital training task. In July 1977, the School's first Hawk course started.


Role and operations

Following Elementary Flying Training, fast jet students from the Royal Air Force and the
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...
of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
progress onto basic fast jet training on the Tucano T.1, upon which RAF students are awarded their 'wings', before being posted to 4 FTS at RAF Valley to complete the Advanced fast jet course in flying the Hawk jet trainer and learning air warfare and tactics. Upon passing the advanced course, they are streamed to one of the Operational Conversion Units, either No. 29 Squadron for the
Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
or (from July 2019) No. 207 Squadron for the
Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...
. Due to the obsolescence of the Hawk T.1 aircraft No. 208 Squadron was disbanded in April 2016. However, due to the introduction of the Lightning into service and a consequent need for greater numbers of pilots, it was announced in August 2018 that a second Hawk T.2 squadron would be formed under 4FTS at Valley. No. 25(F) Squadron will reform to assume the role of converting pilots from the Tucano to jet propulsion, with IV Squadron to focus on weapons and tactics training.


Units

Units forming No. 4 Flying Training School. * RAF Valley ** Headquarters No. 4 Flying Training School *** No. 4 SquadronBAE Hawk T2 *** No. 25 Squadron – BAE Hawk T2 *** No. 72 Squadron Beechcraft Texan T1 *** Central Flying School Advanced Training Unit


Aircraft operated


References


Citations


Bibliography

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External links


Flying Training Schools
''Air of Authority''. {{coord missing, Anglesey Military units and formations established in 1935 Aviation schools in the United Kingdom 04