Aircraft Lengths of Service
 

Reading the Tonka Tails thread got me to wondering how many years each of the different aircraft the RAF have flown had actually been in-service. Does anyone have a list/link or is prepared to do the research?

There would probably have to be some rules regarding what classifies as in-service but otherwise I think it would be interesting to see the differences and there may be a few surprises.

Just a thought - on the desk and it's quiet/repetetive. :zzz:

At a guess, the Spitfire (entered sevice 1938, retired by Irish Air Force 1961).

Of course, only if you count out the Tiger Moth........which will fly for ever.

D.

RAF Pumas have been in service for about 44 years and are expected to last another 10.

The VC10 C.1s were in service for around 44 years too.

Canberra's did 55 years service.


Technically, LF363 has done 71 years ;-)

Chipmunk did 43 if you don't include those from BBMF & RNHF (still in use) or the Harvard at Boscombe (1944 and counting)

Arc

The Canberra - 58 years 1951 to end July 2009

The Hercules first entered RAF service in 1967 and nearly 50 years later, it's still in RAF service and will be until the beginning of the next decade.

the second Chipmunk to be delivered to the RAF, WB550 entered service in 1949 and retired 45 years later in 1994 when it was still be used to train ab-initio RAF pilots. Some Sqns liked to make a fuss when their pilots were younger than the aircraft that they were flying. But one day in about 1993, WB550 had a crew whose combined age didn't exceed that of the venerable old girl!

And the odd, and much modified, Canberra still working in the US (and elsewhere)

A reasonably short time on google provided the following list. RAF jet aircraft, starting with the Meteor for obvious reasons...
(disclaimer - all dates are taken from sources various and may not be 100% accurate, but it'll give a rough idea...)

Meteor - 1944-1977
Vampire - 1945-1972
Canberra - 1951-2006
Venom - 1952-1962
F-86 Sabre - 1953-1956
Hunter - 1954-1994
Jet Provost - 1955-1993
Valiant - 1955-1965
Comet - 1956-1975
Javelin - 1956-1968
Victor - 1957-1993
Vulcan - 1957-1984
Lightning - 1959-1988
Gnat - 1962-1979
BAe 125 - 1956-2015
Dominie - 1965-2011
VC10 - 1966-2013
Buccaneer - 1969-1994
Harrier - 1969-1994
Nimrod - 1969-2011
Phantom - 1968-1992
Jaguar - 1974-2007
Hawk - 1976-
Tornado - GR1/4 - 1981-
TriStar - 1984-2013
Tornado - F2/3 - 1985-2011
BAe 146 - 1986-
Harrier II - 1989-2010
Sentry - 1990-
C-17 - 2001-
Typhoon - 2005-
Sentinel - 2008-
Voyager - 2012-


-RP

Some times in service quoted are 'honest' whereas others are the first year the first of type and last year of last of type. The Dominie for instance certainly remained in active use for the whole of that time.

Vulcan 1957-1984 is not 'honest'. The Mark 1 Vulcan indeed entered service in 1957 but was retires in 1967. The Mark 2 fared better and there is an excellent book (upstairs) that lists the in-service date and disposal for each airframe. The actual RAF ownership of each however is less than the whole.

Command Stats in 1960s showed a number of aircraft in ADA. No idea what it meant but they were in reserve somewhere. Then there were aircraft returned to factory for mod programmes or conversions.

The Herc, not listed, shoulds be separated wit Ks and Js as two marks and different buy.

Lots of the early aircraft as a mark had short lives though some would then have been modified to become a later mark - Hunter F4-T7 for instance.

WA638 - 1949? - Present.

125
 

Rhino,

The 125 was around from the 1960s onwards, with the first prototype flew in 1962 and later on the 60s , deliveries commenced ,

Cheers

Chopper, I was suggesting airframe time in service rather than length of service from the basic type.

29 years for the Lightning seems impressive until we look at the F4 - 1967-1992 25 years for the one buy.

Some Puma airframes are 1971 to present.

The DC3/C47/Dakota, still in service TODAY with the South African Air Force.

The SAAF took the electronics out of their Shackleton's and fitted it into Turbo Daks and called them Dakleton's!

The South African Air Force

Well, if we're going foreign..some regular visitors to our (off)shores..the TU-95. 64 years and counting.
Do we consider the BoB Flight a/c as 'serving'?

B52...still going - and planned to go for some time yet...I think 2040 was mentioned?

I would have to agree with Danny42c, #2, in that the Spitfire (possibly Hurricane) might hold the record as both are still in service with BBMF, it may have been retired by the Irish Air Force in 61, the RAF still operate the type, and certainly precede the Lanacaster for in service date. Are there any Tigers still in RAF service ? I would like to think that the Hercules could lay claim to some serious longevity (not reflected in Rhino's post) but equally accept that the K was a different beast to the current "plastic" Albert. I do remember that on joining White team, Base 3 servicing team RAF Colerne in 1971, after a few weeks our new Flight Sgt arrived from an operating Meteor squadron (target towing I believe). I also once flew a fairly ancient ASK8 and maybe it doesn't count as it belonged to the RAFGSA, not the RAF. Crikey, there's so many that did their bit, for ages, because before the throw away economy we "made do and mend", the Shackleton was surely an example of that. Look at the Provist, can you go from the Percival provost to JP5 as a continuous service ? All in all, my guess would have to be that unless you regard BBMF as non RAF, then their Hurricanes and Spitfires must hold the accolade of longest in service. Cat, pigeons GO :eek:

Smudge :ok:

If you take the Harvard as a type, they first entered RAF Service in 1938