RAF Hercules Retirement Flypast on Wed 14 June 2023:
There will be a flypast by three RAF Hercules aircraft (ZH868, ZH870, ZH871 - Omen) on Wednesday 14th June 2023 to mark its forthcoming retirement at the end of June 2023.
Flypasts will take place over several locations of significance to the Hercules service and 47 Squadron.
The first Hercules arrived at Marshall's of Cambridge in December 1966 and the type will officially retire from RAF service on 30th June 2023.
The Hercules, a four-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, was used intensively during Operation Telic in Iraq and Operation Herrick in Afghanistan and accumulated many flying hours. The C-130K Hercules was retired in October 2013 leaving the RAF with the C-130J Hercules which will now be retired at the end of June 2023.
There will now be a transition to the twenty two RAF A400M Atlas aircraft, a larger four-engined turboprop military transport, which has a better range and payload than the Hercules and also has a very impressive short-runway performance. However, there have been concerns over some niche areas which are required by special forces missions and also some reliability issues with the A400M.
The transition from the Hercules to the A400M Atlas has been ongoing for some time and the RAF Hercules will continue to deliver on operations until 30th June 2023. Both the C-130J Hercules and A400M Atlas are currently based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
3x C-130J Hercules Flypasts - 14th June 2023:
01 • 10:00 - Depart RAF Brize Norton
02 • 10:25 - National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas
03 • 10:34 - RAF Cosford
04 • 11:22 - RAF Valley
05 • 11:48 - FS Aldergrove
06 • 12:51 - RAF Lossiemouth (with Typhoon escort)
07 • 14:08 - RAF Leeming
08 • 14:10 - RAF Topcliffe
09 • 14:23 - Beverley
10 • 14:35 - RAF Waddington
11 • 14:38 - RAF College Cranwell
12 • 14:58 - Cambridge Airport
13 • 15:04 - RAF Mildenhall
14 • 15:15 - Colchester Garrison
15 • 16:22 - MOD Boscombe Down
16 • 16:25 - Salisbury Plain (West Down Camp)
17 • 16:32 - MOD Lyneham
18 • 16:36 - Royal Wootton Bassett
19 • 16:39 - Defence Academy of the UK, Shrivenham
20 • 16:43 - Dalton Barracks, Abingdon
21 • 16:51 - RAF Halton
22 • 16:55 - RAF High Wycombe
23 • 17:05 - RAF Brize Norton
Timings and route may change due to weather or other requirements.
• Royal Air Force News.
C-130J Hercules Flypasts (Updated) - 14th June 2023
This is an approximate map showing the possible route based on the waypoints.
NOTAMS (Times in BST):
C-130J Hercules Retirement Flypast - 14th June 2023
1. 51 45 14N 001 33 42W RAF BRIZE NORTON AD - 10.00am
2. 51 50 58N 001 50 28W TURKDEAN - 10.05am
3. 52 29 38N 001 13 31W ASHBY PARVA - 10.18am
4. 52 43 39N 001 43 40W NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM - 10.25am
5. 52 45 30N 002 12 48W CHURCH EATON - 10.31am
6. 52 38 40N 002 18 45W RAF COSFORD AD - 10.34am
7. 52 05 04N 002 47 40W 2NM SW OF BURGHILL - 10.45am
8. 52 37 32N 003 44 01W 1NM SW OF CEMMAES - 11.01am
9. 52 57 13N 004 34 36W CARREG DDU - 11.16am
10. 53 15 00N 004 32 21W RAF VALLEY - 11.22am
11. 54 08 40N 005 35 36W 6NM SE OF ST JOHNS POINT - 11.39am
12. 54 31 19N 006 17 51W AGHALEE - 11.45am
13. 54 39 08N 006 13 12W BELFAST-ALDERGROVE AD - 11.48am
14. 55 25 48N 005 39 02W MAC DME - 12.05pm
15. 56 02 56N 005 06 55W 2NM E OF CONCHRA - 12.13pm
16. 57 57 20N 002 57 20W 20NM NE OF LOSSIEMOUTH AD - 12.43pm
17. 57 53 56N 003 19 52W 11NM N OF LOSSIEMOUTH AD - 12.46pm
18. 57 42 43N 003 19 30W RAF LOSSIEMOUTH AD - 12.51pm
19. 55 29 57N 003 21 10W TLA DME - 1.22pm
20. 54 40 03N 003 15 33W DUBWATH - 1.29pm
21. 54 17 09N 002 57 08W 2NM W OF CARTMEL FELL - 1.49pm
22. 54 21 40N 001 43 00W SCOTTON - 2.06pm
23. 54 17 37N 001 32 11W RAF LEEMING - 2.08pm
24.
42 12 33N 001 23 19W RAF TOPCLIFFE - 2.10pm
25. 54 01 42N 000 30 18W GARTON ON THE WOLDS - 2.20pm
26. 53 50 38N 000 27 29W BEVERLEY RACECOURSE - 2.23pm
27. 53 17 51N 000 26 28W DUNHOLME - 2.33pm
28. 53 09 35N 000 31 42W RAF WADDINGTON - 2.35pm
29. 53 02 13N 000 30 38W RAF CRANWELL - 2.38pm
30. 52 12 33N 000 23 03W COLMWORTH - 2.52pm
31. 52 06 51N 000 01 30W 1NM SE OF WIMPOLE - 2.56pm
32. 52 12 02N 000 10 01E CAMBRIDGE AIRPORT - 2.58pm
33. 52 23 17N 000 18 01E 1NM NE OF STUNTNEY - 3.02pm
34. 52 21 22N 000 28 58E RAF MILDENHALL - 3.04pm
35. 52 05 12N 000 37 25E CAVENDISH - 3.09pm
36. 51 52 26N 000 53 37E COLCHESTER GARRISON - 3.15pm
37. 51 44 09N 001 25 36E 9NM SE OF FRINTON ON SEA - 3.20pm
38. 51 09 11N 001 24 56E ST MARGARETS BAY - 3.30pm
39. 50 56 28N 000 15 35E HORAM - 3.44pm
40. 50 46 03N 000 08 47E 1NM E OF SEAFORD - 3.48pm
41. 50 35 14N 001 19 56W BLACKGANG - 4.03pm
42. 50 39 26N 001 34 19W 2NM SW OF TOTLAND - 4.05pm
43. 50 43 14N 002 01 25W UPTON - 4.12pm
44. 50 58 28N 002 03 28W TOLLARD ROYAL - 4.16pm
45. 51 09 44N 001 44 03W MOD BOSCOMBE DOWN - 4.22pm
46. 51 13 42N 001 56 29W SALISBURY OPERATIONS - 4.25pm
47. 51 16 42N 002 13 33W HAWKERIDGE - 4.27pm
48. 51 23 07N 002 16 25W MONKTON FARLEY - 4.29pm
49. 51 30 18N 001 58 10W MOD LYNEHAM - 4.34pm
50. 51 32 28N 001 54 21W ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT - 4.35pm
51. 51 36 34N 001 38 05W DEFENCE ACADEMY, SHRIVENHAM - 4.39pm
52. 51 41 22N 001 18 59W DALTON BARRACKS - 4.43pm
53. 51 51 14N 000 51 58W AYLESBURY - 4.47pm
54. 51 46 40N 000 43 15W RAF HALTON - 4.51pm
55. 51 44 44N 000 41 00W ST LEONARDS - 4.53pm
56. 51 40 55N 000 48 03W RAF HIGH WYCOMBE - 4.55pm
57. 51 48 16N 001 16 15W GOSFORD - 5.00pm
58. 51 45 14N 001 33 42W ARRIVAL RAF BRIZE NORTON - 5.05pm
Timings and route may change due to weather or other requirements.
