(The Royal) Squadron The Road to The GOLDEN ORB Flypast

After 4 months of planning and hard work, Saturday 6th May 2023 had finally arrived. Most people have never seen a Coronation before, and this was going to be a historic moment.

Preparations of the Envoy IV CC Mk1 participation in the flypast began in January of 2023. There were numerous meetings which were conducted remotely and face to face and with three scheduled practises. A flypast takes a lot of preparation, both in the air and on the ground. Precision is paramount as there is no room for error. The decision was made that the RAF Envoy would be the lead aircraft of the final element and finale; the Red Arrows. A normal crew complement for an RAF Envoy is a Captain, a Co-pilot, and a single Cabin Crew. On this occasion the crew complement and the responsibilities were slightly different. The aircraft captain for the flypast was Flt Lt “Dusty” Dearing. His main responsibility was to fly the aircraft, manage the timing for the route and keep the aircraft, as well as the Red Arrows, away from the other platforms. Flt Lt Trev Grant was the Co-pilot, tasked with handling the aircraft, communication, navigation and ensuring coordination with the other aircraft. The third pilot on the flight deck was Captain Neil Jackson from Centreline AV Ltd. A very experienced Falcon 900LX (Envoy) pilot, he would maintain visual with the other aircraft at low level, supporting Dusty and Trev in keeping exact timings. I was the operating Cabin Crew, with my main role being the safety of the crew and passengers, acting as the eyes and ears in the cabin.

The first practise flight was all about testing the aircraft performance and handling at low level. This had never been done before so it was vital to the task to see how the aircraft reacted to flying lower and faster than it normally does. Flying at 5 miles per minute at 1000 feet is something normally reserved for fast jets. The second practise was the formal Kings’ Coronation Flypast rehearsal on the 25th April. It began with a full brief, given by Dusty to the crew. This included a full explanation of the route, critical timings, and a full rundown of the route from start to finish. The final practise on the 2 May was about coordination with the Red Arrows. A trip to RAF Waddington saw us receive a thorough briefing with the Red Arrows followed by a flight out to a restricted area for formation practise. The Red Arrow pilots also used this time to visit an Envoy close up on the ground to find their points of reference, which is what they use to maintain their formation position in the air. This was another vital piece of the puzzle to mitigate risk and ensure the flypasts’ success. Once the aircraft landed there was a final debrief before the aircraft returned to Northolt to continue with routine tasking.

On Coronation Day the weather was less than ideal, visibility and cloud base for a fly past is vital and this is what we lacked on the day. Unfortunately, the cloud base was too low for us. However, we still launched with the intent to complete the flypast. Aborting would not come until 20 minutes before the “push time”. We took off at 1300hrs and headed for the North Sea, eagerly awaiting the decision. After being in the hold for around 45 minutes the flight deck did get the call, which was an “abort”. This meant we had to turn around and go back to Northolt. We may not have been able to do our flypast but despite the weather the flight deck and eight passengers on board the Envoy were treated to a first-class VIP Coronation Tea Party, non-alcoholic of course!

On this occasion it was not meant to be. However, we hope to be a part of the Kings’ Birthday fly past, so watch this space…!

Cpl Charlotte Medcraft