Published on July 10th, 2018 | by Jasmine Evans

The RAF100 Parade and Flypast – Everything You Need to Know

Today is the day that the world’s oldest independent air force, the RAF, marks its 100^th anniversary with the RAF100 Parade and Flypast.

Exactly 100 days after their official 100^th birthday on 1^st April 2018, this spectacular commemorative event will feature a parade of more than 1,000 RAF members and an impressive aerial display above London.

The 10^th July celebrations will first begin with a parade on The Mall at 11:25am. Following this, Her Majesty The Queen will present a new Queen’s Colour to the Royal Air Force on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, accompanied by The Prince of Wales.

At 1:00pm the historic flypast will bless the skies above Buckingham Palace and The Mall, featuring up to 100 aircraft to celebrate RAF’s proud history. The infographic below presents the aircraft and the order they will fly in.

The flypast will originally form above Suffolk at around 12:45, before travelling towards the City of London and Buckingham Palace. Thousands of spectators can watch in awe as it is also expected to cover areas of Bethnal Green, Heathrow, Maidenhead and Windsor. See the infographic below for a route map of the performance.

If you live in the surrounding areas of London, keep your eyes on the skies. For those that can’t make it to London to watch the spectacle in person, you can watch live coverage on BBC One or BBC iPlayer. Alternatively, you can also listen to live coverage on BBC Radio 2 – a perfect solution for those trapped at work!

To celebrate a century of service in your own unique way, the Post Office Shop has a generous range of RAF Centenary Collectibles for you to choose from. Whether you’re a coin collector and would love The RAF Centenary Gold Plated 50p Coin, or if you’re an avid stamp philatelist and would appreciate a RAF Centenary Presentation Pack, we’ve got you covered.

*Infographic Credit: RAF