Swordfish flies on civil register

摘要

The Navy Wings Heritage Flight's Fairey Swordfish I W5856/G-BMGC made a successful first flight for more than three years from RNAS Yeovilton on 2 September, the first time it had been airborne since becoming a civilian-registered machine following the disbandment of the Royal Navy Historic Flight in 2019. It has taken up the G-BMGC registration originally allotted to W5856 during the summer of 1977, when it was imported from Canada by William Roberts for his Strathallan Aircraft Collection at Auchterader, near Perth, Scotland. It never flew while with the Strathallan Collection, being roaded to BAe Brough in December 1990 and making its first flight on 5 December 1993 before moving to Yeovilton to be operated by the RN Historic Flight.