The Royal Air Force, which is known for its awesome aerial parades, is gearing up to mark its 100th anniversary with a big flyover of Buckingham Palace. The main event will have throngs of eyeballs peering up into the heavens around London as nearly 100 aircraft rumble by. But in order to make sure this goes off without a hitch, rehearsals are underway, with aviators getting their formations down in advance of the big day. Luckily, RAF photographers were also up in the air today to catch the practice session.
The route will run from Ipswich to The Mall with portions of it then branching off to nearby locales. The whole display will last about a half an hour but aircraft will be airborne and holding well before the precession begins.
Pretty much everything in the RAF’s inventory will be included in the aerial parade, as well as some awesome warbirds that connect the flying service’s heritage with the present. The UK’s newly arrived F-35B is sure to be a major center of attention and will be flying with a pair of Tornados off its wings.
Here are the photos shot over the Royal Air Force College from today’s rehearsal:
This is already an impressive display and it’s not anywhere near the size of the entire precession, but we’ll have to wait till July 10th to see that when London’s skies will fill with aircraft engine noise.
Happy birthday, RAF!
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