List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
Aircraft impressed into RAF service -- Civil aircraft
Table:
Civil aircraft[229]

Aircraft type
Number
impressed
Unit(s)/location/purpose

Aeronca 50 Chief
1
India

Airspeed AS 5 Courier[230]
9

Airspeed AS 6 Envoy[230]
2

Airspeed Ferry
2
One used by RAF Halton in 1940, then both used as instructional airframes.[231]

Armstrong Whitworth Atlanta[230]
5
31 Squadron in India and Iraq, ex-Imperial Airways/BOAC

Armstrong Whitworth Ensign[230]
2
24 Squadron, ex-Imperial Airways/BOAC

Avro 504N[230]
7
glider tug

Avro 642 Eighteen
1

Avro 652[230]
2
navigation training

Avro Cadet
32
No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at RAF Hamble and RAF Watchfield

Avro Commodore[230]
1
RAF Cranfield Communications Flight

Avro 619 Five
1
No. 11 Air Observer Navigation School (AONS) at RAF Hamble

Beech 17 Traveller
4

Bellanca Pacemaker
1

British Aircraft Double Eagle
2

British Aircraft Eagle[230]
4

British Aircraft Swallow[230]
9
some converted into gliders

British Aircraft Company Drone
1
608 Squadron

Blackburn B-2
31
No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at Brough

Boeing 247D[230]
1
Telecommunications Research Establishment, ex-RCAF

Using the accompanying table and the relevant paragraphs listed.

Give the answer to the question: What is the aircraft type of the unit ( s ) /location/purpose that is now used for business aviation , private flights , and for research and development activities ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Impressment , colloquially the press or the press gang , is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion , with or without notice . Navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means . The large size of the British Royal Navy in the Age of Sail meant impressment was most commonly associated with Great Britain and Ireland . It was used by the Royal Navy in wartime , beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries as a means of crewing warships , although legal sanction for the practice can be traced back to the time of Edward I of England . The Royal Navy impressed many merchant sailors , as well as some sailors from other , mostly European , nations . People liable to impressment were eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 55 years . Non-seamen were impressed as well , though rarely . Impressment was strongly criticized by those who believed it to be contrary to the British constitution ; unlike many of its continental rivals at the time , British subjects were not subject to conscription for military service , with the exception of a brief experiment with army impressment from 1778 to 1780 . Though the public opposed conscription in general , impressment was repeatedly upheld by the courts , as it was deemed vital to the strength of the navy and , by extension , to the survival of the British influence and realm . Impressment was essentially a Royal Navy practice , reflecting the size of the British fleet and its substantial manpower demands . While other European navies applied forced recruitment in times of war , this was generally done as an extension of the practice of formal conscription applied by most European armies from the Napoleonic Wars on . The U.S. Continental Navy also applied a form of impressment during the American War of Independence .
The Aeronca Model 50 Chief was an American light plane of the late 1930s . Consumer demand for more comfort , longer range and better instrumentation resulted in its development in 1938 , powered by a 50-horsepower ( 37-kilowatt ) Continental , Franklin or Lycoming engine . A 65-horsepower ( 48-kilowatt ) Continental engine powered the Model 65 Super Chief , which was also built in a flight trainer version , the Model TC-65 Defender , with its rear seat positioned nine inches ( 23 centimeters ) higher than the front for better visibility .
The Airspeed AS.5 Courier was a British six-seat single-engined light aircraft that saw some use as an airliner . Production aircraft were built by Airspeed ( 1934 ) Limited at Portsmouth . It first flew on 10 April 1933 and was the first British type with a retractable undercarriage to go into production , with a total of 16 built .
The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light , twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. in the 1930s at Portsmouth Aerodrome , Hampshire .
The Airspeed AS.4 Ferry was a 1930s British three-engined ten-seat biplane airliner built by Airspeed Limited at York .
Royal Air Force Halton , or more simply RAF Halton , is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom . It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover , Buckinghamshire . The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by 2025 . The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton .
The Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta was a 1930s British four-engine airliner built by Sir W.G . Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Limited at Coventry .
Number 31 Squadron , known as the 'Goldstars ' , was a squadron of the Royal Air Force . The Squadron lays claim to being the first military unit to fly in India , where it was based from 1915 to 1947 . Throughout the Cold War , No . 31 Squadron was based in West Germany , flying from RAF Laarbruch and RAF Brüggen . Between September 1984 and March 2019 , the Goldstars operated the Panavia Tornado GR1/4 , initially from RAF Brüggen and after August 2001 from RAF Marham , Norfolk . No . 31 Squadron was disbanded on 14 March 2019 at RAF Marham and will reform sometime in 2024 at RAF Waddington operating the General Atomics Protector RG1 .
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline , operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but principally the British Empire routes to South Africa , India and the Far East , including Malaya and Hong Kong . Imperial Airways was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation ( BOAC ) in 1939 , which in turn merged with the British European Airways ( BEA ) in 1974 to form British Airways .
The Armstrong Whitworth Ensign was a British four-engine airliner built during the late 1930s for Imperial Airways . It could seat 40 passengers and was designed for European and Asian routes , connecting Britain with further seaplane flights to Australia and South Africa . In the Second World War , they were used for transport duties to and from the area of Middle East command . After the war , they were withdrawn from service and - with no buyers forthcoming - scrapped .
No . 24 Squadron ( also known as No . XXIV Squadron ) of the Royal Air Force is the Air Mobility Operational Conversion Unit ( AMOCU ) . Based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire , 24 Squadron is responsible for aircrew training ( C-130J Hercules and A400M Atlas ) and engineer training ( C130J Hercules , A400M Atlas and C17 Globemaster ) .
The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others . Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years , making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in the First World War , in any military capacity , during that conflict . More than 10,000 were built from 1913 until production ended in 1940 .
The Avro 642 Eighteen was a 1930s British monoplane airliner . Only two were built - one twin-engined and the other four-engined .
The Avro 652 was a 1930s British light airliner , built by A.V . Roe and Company . It was a twin-engine , low-wing monoplane with a retractable undercarriage , and a tailwheel . Although only two were produced , it formed the basis for the successful Avro Anson .
The Avro Cadet was a single-engined British biplane trainer designed and built by Avro in the 1930s as a smaller development of the Avro Tutor for civil use .
RAF Watchfield is a former Royal Air Force station which was located 7.2 miles ( 11.6 km ) north east of Royal Wootton Bassett , Wiltshire , England . The airfield opened in 1940 using grass runways and operated by the RAF until 1950 , after which it was used by the army for parachute training and development of vehicle air drop with planes flying from RAF Abingdon and using the former airfield as a drop zone . In 1961 16 Parachute Heavy Drop company ( RAOC ) was formed there . This company moved to RAF Hullavington in February 1971 and the site was closed in 1972 .
The Avro 641 Commodore was a British single-engine five-seat cabin biplane built by Avro in the mid-1930s for private use . A total of only six were built , including the prototype .
Cranfield Airport ( ICAO : EGTC ) is an airfield just outside the village of Cranfield , in Bedfordshire , England . It is 7 NM ( 13 km ; 8.1 mi ) south-west of Bedford and 5.5 NM ( 10.2 km ; 6.3 mi ) east of Milton Keynes . It was originally a World War II aerodrome , RAF Cranfield . It is now used for business aviation , private flights , and for research and development activities .
The Avro 618 Ten or X was a passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s . It was a licensed version by Avro of the Fokker F.VIIB/3m .
The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger ( the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing ) . It first flew in 1932 .
The Pacemaker name was applied to a number of related Bellanca aircraft in the 1920s and 1930s :
The British Aircraft B.A.IV Double Eagle was a British twin-engined six-seater monoplane designed and built by the British Aircraft Manufacturing Company of London Air Park , Hanworth , England .
The B.A . Eagle was a light aircraft manufactured in the United Kingdom during the 1930s . It was a three-seat low-wing monoplane built by the British Klemm Aeroplane Company ( which later became known as the British Aircraft Manufacturing Co. ) Production was limited , with 43 aircraft built .
The B.A Swallow was a British light aircraft of the 1930s . It was a license-built version by the British Klemm Aeroplane Company ( which later became known as the British Aircraft Manufacturing Co. ) of the German Klemm L.25 . A total of 135 were built .
The B.A.C . Drone was a British ultralight single-seat aircraft of the 1930s .
No . 608 ( North Riding ) Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War . It flew during its existence as a bomber , fighter and reconnaissance unit and was the only RAF squadron to be equipped with the unsuccessful Blackburn Botha torpedo bomber .
The Blackburn B-2 was a British biplane side-by-side trainer aircraft of the 1930s . Designed and built by Blackburn Aircraft , 42 were built .
The Boeing Model 247 was an early United States airliner , considered the first such aircraft to fully incorporate advances such as all-metal ( anodized aluminium ) semimonocoque construction , a fully cantilevered wing and retractable landing gear . Other advanced features included control surface trim tabs , an autopilot and de-icing boots for the wings and tailplane . Ordered off the drawing board , the 247 first flew on February 8 , 1933 and entered service later that year . Subsequent development in airliner design saw engines and airframes becoming larger and four-engined designs emerged , but no significant changes to this basic formula appeared until cabin pressurization and high altitude cruise were introduced in 1940 , with the Boeing 307 Stratoliner .
The Telecommunications Research Establishment ( TRE ) was the main United Kingdom research and development organization for radio navigation , radar , infra-red detection for heat seeking missiles , and related work for the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) during World War II and the years that followed . The name was changed to Radar Research Establishment in 1953 , and again to the Royal Radar Establishment in 1957 . This article covers the precursor organizations and the Telecommunications Research Establishment up to the time of the name change . The later work at the site is described in the separate article about RRE .
The Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ; French : Aviation royale canadienne , ARC ) is the air force of Canada . Its role is to provide the Canadian Forces with relevant , responsive and effective airpower . The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Armed Forces . As of 2013 , the Royal Canadian Air Force consists of 14,500 Regular Force and 2,600 Primary Reserve personnel , supported by 2,500 civilians , and operates 258 manned aircraft and 9 unmanned aerial vehicles . Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger is the current Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Chief of the Air Force Staff . The Royal Canadian Air Force is responsible for all aircraft operations of the Canadian Forces , enforcing the security of Canada 's airspace and providing aircraft to support the missions of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army . The RCAF is a partner with the United States Air Force in protecting continental airspace under the North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ) . The RCAF also provides all primary air resources to and is responsible for the National Search and Rescue Program . The RCAF traces its history to the Canadian Air Force , which was formed in 1920 . The Canadian Air Force was granted royal sanction in 1924 by King George V to form the Royal Canadian Air Force . In 1968 , the RCAF was amalgamated with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army , as part of the unification of the Canadian Forces . Air units were split between several different commands : Air Defence Command ( interceptors ) , Air Transport Command ( airlift , search and rescue ) , Mobile Command ( tactical fighters , helicopters ) , Maritime Command ( anti-submarine warfare , maritime patrol ) , as well as Training Command .