A much-anticipated flypast of historic World War 2 aircraft has been cancelled due to engine trouble. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, including a Lancaster and Spitfires was due to visit a number of locations in the country today to mark Armed Forces Day.
But the Royal Air Force said a fault had been found on a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and flying had been paused. In a statement the Royal Air Force said: “The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is currently investigating a fault on a Merlin engine and has taken the decision to temporarily pause flying. Several of our aircraft are powered by the Merlin and as a result, these historic aircraft will be unable to support Armed Forces Day events around the country as we would have liked. This is hugely disappointing for us and to all those who love to see these iconic aircraft, however, safety remains our paramount concern.”
The move was “hugely disappointing”, it said, but safety was “paramount”. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and its aircraft, also including Hurricanes and a C47 Dakota, regularly participate in flying displays.
