809 Naval Air Squadron ???

[rafloo]

I heard a rumour today that a new Naval Air Squadron is about to be formed.

809 NAS will be a new RN Lynx Squadron (which seems a bit strange seeing as the 800 series is allocated for single seat fighters - Never let tradition get in the way though eh????)

Any one else heard/got any Buzzes on this?

[Wiretensioner]

Think you will find the 800 series is for all Operational navy squadrons and not just those noisy, pointy nosed ego transporters.

examples 849 Sqn Sea King AEW, 846 Sqn Sea King 4.

regards

Wire Tensioner

[Jobza Guddun]

And IIRC 809 were also a Buccaneer sqn on the old Ark Royal, when 892 were aboard with Phantoms?

Pains me to defend the Rogered Nightly but then the RAF has to now doesn't it?

JG

[airborne_artist]

Did raflloo mean 80x, rather than 8xx?

[Archimedes]

For those unfamiliar with the RN squadron numbering system, it started out as:

800-809 for fighter squadrons
810-819 for Torpedo bomber recce squadrons
820-859 for Spotter Reconnaissance squadrons
860-869 for Torpedo bomber recce, reserved for Dutch manned units
870 - 879 for fighters, then for RCN units
880-899 for fighter squadrons
1700-1749 for torpedo bomber recce squadrons, later for 'amphibian bomber recce' units
1750-1769 for fighter squadrons (but never used)
1770-1799 for two-seater fighter squadrons
1800-1809 (not used)
1810-1829 for dive bomber squadrons
1830-1899 for fighter squadrons, later for RNVR air units.

[Spurlash2]

Right RAFLOO
You asked for it
Standby for some helo 800 series:
Lost the plot when Merlin came in!
810 SeaKing
814 SeaKing
815 Lynx
819 SeaKing
820 SeaKing (Ringbolt)
824 SeaKing
826 SeaKing
829 Wasp/lynx
845 Wx 5/Sk
846 Wx 5/Sk
847 Wx 5/Sk
848 Wx 5/Sk
849 SeaKing
...and I only served on 7 of them Any types other than mentioned are outside the remit of my answer, which is fuelled by something other than Avcat.
I shall have to leave the room now, a wave of nostaglia has swept over me.

[bakseetblatherer]

I hope they resurrect 807 instead, my Grandad was a TAG on the mighty 807 flying the Fairey Fulmar during WW2. He managed to down 2 SM79's and a BR20 in the med (pretty good for a 'fighter' with a single engine and 2 seats!). I still have his log book starting with the words:Total time " Brought forward from logbook lost in Ark Royal 13th Nov 1941"!

[rafloo]

So, the new Lynx Squadron should be a number from 81.... upto 8199....and so cannot be 809, as that is for single seat fighters