Memorial flight to miss Trooping the Colour

42 minutes ago

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight has been grounded temporarily

PA Media A silhouetted image of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight — The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight has been grounded temporarily

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) will miss the Trooping the Colour flypast on Saturday.

The vintage planes, based at RAF Coningsby, were grounded last month following the death of Sqn Ldr Mark Long, who was flying a Spitfire when it crashed in a field in Lincolnshire.

In a statement, the RAF said that “after the tragic accident” the planes would “regretfully” not be participating in the flypast.

However, a “large number” of RAF planes would be taking part, including a Typhoon display jet in D-Day colours, which would use the BBMF call sign “MEMORIAL”.

The RAF took the decision to ground the BBMF while investigations take place into Sqn Ldr Long’s death on 25 May.

A visitor centre at RAF Coningsby is also closed until further notice.

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The planes, which include Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Lancaster bomber, are a popular sight at summer shows and military events.

Last week, the flight was unable to participate in events to mark 80 years since D-Day.

The King’s Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, is staged to celebrate the monarch’s official birthday.

The Red Arrows will be among planes taking part in the flypast.

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