Concluding my short series of blog posts on iconic RAF planes to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force we finally reach the period that most of us are best familiar with. The age of the jet engine. Frank Whittle invented the jet engine in 1930 though it was Germany that got the… Continue reading RAF Icons of the Jet-Age
Tag: RAF100
The legendary Sopwith Camel – Icon of WW1 fliers
The first really star plane of the Royal AirForce was the Sopwith Camel which was already in service for the Royal Flying Corps. The Camel grew out of the Sopwith Pup, a little fighter introduced in 1916, but which was soon outclassed by the German Albatroses and Halberstadts. Its name derived from the slight hump… Continue reading The legendary Sopwith Camel – Icon of WW1 fliers
100 Years of the RAF
This week sees the 100th anniversary of the oldest dedicated air force in the world, the Royal Airforce or RAF. The formation of the RAF was partly a bureaucratic cost-saving exercise by the Prime Minister Lloyd George. He wanted to bring down the expense of having two air forces in the Royal Flying Corps and… Continue reading 100 Years of the RAF