|
VIP RAF Voyager
The Royal Air Force VIP Voyager, identified with the United Kingdom military aircraft registration number, military aircraft registration ZZ336, and more recently named by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as ''Vespina'' since June 2020, is a customised Airbus A330 MRTT, RAF Voyager KC3 owned by AirTanker Services, AirTanker Holdings Limited and operated under lease by the Royal Air Force. It is the primary transport aeroplane for the British royal family, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister, and List of government ministers of the United Kingdom, British government ministers. The RAF operates a number of Voyagers which are militarised multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft; ZZ336 ''Vespina'' is a specific Voyager KC3 aircraft painted in a 'Global Britain' Aircraft livery, livery, and fitted with secure satellite communications system, missile detection, fifty-eight business-class seats (front cabin), one hundred 'premium economy' standard seats (rear cabi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Airbus A330 MRTT
The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refueling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 15 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 82 aircraft, of which 64 had been delivered by 31 May 2025. A version of the A330 MRTT, the EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45, was selected by the United States Air Force for its KC-X, aerial tanker replacement programme, but the programme was cancelled. Design and development The Airbus A330 MRTT is a military derivative of the Airbus A330, A330-200 airliner. It is designed as a dual-role air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft. For air-to-air refuelling missions, the A330 MRTT can be equipped with a combination of any of the following systems: * Refuelling other aircraft ** Airbus Military Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS) for Aerial refueling#Flying boom, receptacle-equipped receiver aircraft. ** Cobham plc, Cobham 905E under-wing refuelling pods for Aerial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Air Command
Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The equivalent in the Royal Navy is Navy Command Headquarters at Portsmouth and the equivalent in the British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ... is Army Headquarters at Andover. History Air Command was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training commands on 1 April 2007. Initially, it was under a four-star Air Chief Marshal, Commander-in-Chief, Air Command. At that time, there were two Deputy Commanders of Air Marshal rank: the Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Personnel) and the Dep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997 and held various shadow cabinet posts from 1987 to 1994. Blair was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency), Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007, and was special envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East from 2007 to 2015. He is the second-List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure, longest-serving prime minister in post-war British history after Margaret Thatcher, the longest-serving Labour Party (UK), Labour politician to have held the office, and the first and only person to date to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories. Blair attended the independent s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cobham (company)
Cobham Limited is a British aerospace manufacturing company based in Bournemouth, England. Cobham was originally founded by Sir Alan Cobham as Flight Refuelling Limited (FRL) in 1934. During 1939, British airline Imperial Airways performed several non-stop crossings of the Atlantic using equipment provided by FRL. During the late 1940s, the company's aerial refuelling equipment broke new ground, including a round-the-world flight by specially-equipped Boeing B-50 Superfortresses in 1948 and the demonstration of the now-widely used 'probe and drogue' method of air-to-air refuelling for the first time in 1949. A wide range of aircraft have since been equipped with Cobham's refuelling equipment. The company has grown and diversified into various markets, often through acquisitions. Michael Cobham, Alan's son, took over its leadership during 1969. During 1994, the firm was formally renamed Cobham plc; by this point, the company had in excess of 10,000 employees and had operat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purser
A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. Frequently, the cooks and stewards answer to the purser as well. They were also called a pusser in British naval slang. History The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early 14th century and existed as a naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040, when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain privileges. They also furnished crews whose officers were the master, boatswain, carpenter and cook. Later these officers were "warranted" by the British Admiralty. Pursers received no pay but were entitled to profits made through their business activities. In the 18th century a purser would buy his warrant for £65 an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flight Attendant
A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attendants are also known as a steward () or stewardess (), or air host () or air hostess () and are collectively referred to as cabin crew. History The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar positions on passenger ships or Passenger railroad car, passenger trains, but has more direct involvement with passengers because of the confined quarters on aircraft. Additionally, the job of a flight attendant revolves around safety to a much greater extent than those of similar staff on other forms of transportation. Flight attendants on board a flight collectively form a ''cabin crew'', as distinguished from Aircraft pilot, pilots and Flight engineer, engineers in the cockpit. The German Heinrich Kubis was the world's first flight a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flight Number
In the aviation industry, a flight number or flight designator is a code for an airline service consisting of two-character airline designator and a 1 to 4 digit number. For example, QF9 is a Qantas Airways service from Perth, Australia to London Heathrow. A service is called "direct" if it is covered by a single flight number, regardless of the number of stops or equipment changes. For example, QF1 flies from Sydney to Singapore to London on Qantas Airways. A given flight segment may have multiple flight numbers on different airlines under a code-sharing agreement. Strictly speaking, the flight number is just the numerical part, but it is commonly used for the entire flight designator. The flight designator of the operating carrier of a commercial flight is used as a call sign. This is distinct from the aircraft's registration number, which identifies a specific airplane. Conventions A number of conventions have been developed for defining flight numbers, although these var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military Call Sign
Military call signs are call signs (or callsigns) or specialized form of nickname assigned as unique identifiers to military communications. In wartime, monitoring an adversary's communications can be a valuable form of intelligence. Consistent call signs can aid in this monitoring, so in wartime, military units often employ tactical designator, tactical call signs and sometimes change them at regular intervals. In peacetime, some military stations will use fixed call signs in the international series. United States military The United States Army uses fixed station call signs which begin with ''W'', such as WAR, used by U.S. Army Headquarters. Tactical call signs are often assigned to a Company (military unit), company sized unit or higher. For example, the collective "Checkmate" might be assigned to an entire company and thus "Checkmate Red 6" would be the first platoon leader (platoons are red for first, white for second, blue for third, black for headquarters, and often addi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Logbook
A logbook (or log book) is a record used to record states, events, or conditions applicable to complex machines or the personnel who operate them. Logbooks are commonly associated with the operation of aircraft, nuclear plants, particle accelerators, and ships (among other applications). The term ''logbook'' originated with the ship's log, a maritime record of important events in the management, operation, and navigation of a ship. The captain was responsible for keeping a log, as a minimum, of navigational wind, speed, direction and position. Format Logbooks come in many varieties, but they are sometimes standardized in form and/or content within certain organizations or industries. In some applications like flight training or trucking hours of service, they contain specific information used to satisfy legal requirements. Electronic logbooks Prior to the advent of mobile computing, logbooks were almost exclusively printed and bound in hard copy form. While physical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Brize Norton
Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the towns of Carterton, Oxfordshire, Carterton and Witney. The station is the base for air transport, air-to-air refuelling and military parachuting, with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Airbus A400M Atlas and Airbus A330 MRTT, Airbus Voyager operating from the station. Major infrastructure redevelopment began in 2010, ahead of the closure of RAF Lyneham in 2012, and Brize Norton became the sole air point of embarkation for British troops. History Royal Air Force Construction of RAF Brize Norton began in 1935 with the official opening taking place on 13 August 1937. The station was originally to be named RAF Carterton, given its proximity and relationship with the town of the same name, but was instead named RAF Brize Norton to avoid possible ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military Aircraft Insignia
Military aircraft insignia are insignia applied to military aircraft to visually identify the nation or branch of military service to which the aircraft belong. Many insignia are in the form of a circular roundel or modified roundel; other shapes such as stars, crosses, squares, or triangles are also used. Insignia are often displayed on the sides of the fuselage, the upper and lower surfaces of the wings, as well as on the fin or rudder of an aircraft, although considerable variation can be found amongst different air arms and within specific air arms over time. History France The first use of national insignia on military aircraft was before the First World War by the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'', which mandated the application of roundels in 1912. The chosen design was the French national cockade, which consisted of a blue-white-red emblem, going outwards from centre to rim, mirroring the colours of the French flag. In addition, aircraft rudders were pain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Air Force Roundels
The air forces of the United Kingdom – the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, the Army's Army Air Corps and the Royal Air Force use a roundel, a circular identification mark, painted on aircraft to identify them to other aircraft and ground forces. In one form or another, it has been used on British military aircraft from 1915 to the present. Background When the First World War started in 1914 it was the habit of ground troops to fire on all aircraft, friend or foe, so that the need for some form of identification mark became evident.Robertson 1967, p 89 At first the Union Flag was painted under the wings and on the sides of the fuselage. It soon became obvious that at a distance the St George's Cross of the Union Flag was likely to be confused with the Iron Cross that was already being used to identify German aircraft. After the use of a Union Flag inside a shield was tried it was decided to follow the lead of the French who used a tricolour cockade (a roundel of red and whit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
