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THIS MONTH’S QUESTIONS
RAF centenary — the long and the short of it
Q Bob Millichap has been working out which types carry the accolades for the longest and shortest-serving aircraft over the 100 years of the RAF. The English Electric Canberra surely wins with 55 years from 1951 to 2006, while of current types the Westland Puma tactical support helicopter has notched up 47 years since joining No 33 Squadron in June 1971. If it serves in updated form until its scheduled withdrawal in 2025, it will nearly equal the Canberra. The Lockheed Hercules in C-130K guise from 1967 to 2013 and C-130J form from 1999 to date has made 51 years in name only, but not in original airframe form.
“The shortest-serving type is more difficult to calculate”, says Bob, “but one candidate is the Handley Page O/400 bomber, which entered service in April 1918 before withdrawal from front-line use 18 months lat…
