What time the Red Arrows flyover is and London flight path explained
A bumper-sized flypast – including the Red Arrows – will take place on Saturday for the King’s birthday parade.
It will be Charles III’s first Trooping the Colour parade as King, and will be larger than normal birthday displays to make up for his coronation flypast being scaled down due to bad weather.
Roughly 70 aircraft will take to the skies above the crowds on The Mall and over Buckingham Palace, watched by the King and Queen alongside other members of the Royal Family.
What is the flypast route?
The aircraft will take off from 15 locations throughout the UK before joining up across the south-east of England and flying across the capital.
They will tour over the vicinity of the North Sea, East Anglia, Essex and London, before flying over Buckingham Palace at around 1pm.
The exact route has not been revealed, but the map belows shows the areas through which the plane will travel.
Here are the times the places are expected to be in each area:
- Area A – between 11.45am and 1.30pm BST, not below 17,500ft
- Area B – between 12.15pm and 1.30pm BST, not below 5,500ft
- Area C – between 12.15pm 1.30pm BST, not below 7,000ft
- Area D – between 12.15pm and 1.15pm BST
- Area E – between 12.4pm and 1.15pm BST, not below 2,500ft
- Area F – between 12.50pm and 1.30pm BST, not below 2,500ft
- Area G – between 12.50pm and 1.30pm BST
- Area H – between 12.50pm and 1.30pm BST, not below 10,500ft
- Area I – between 12.50pm and 1.30pm BST, not below 10,500ft
Which planes will be involved in the flypast?
The event will feature a mix of aircraft ranging from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight dating back to the 1940s and the C-130 Hercules on its final ceremonial flight before retiring from service, to multiple Typhoon fighter jet aircraft and the Envoy IV CC1, making its flypast debut.
At the front of the flypast will be a Juno HT1 piloted by Flight Lieutenant Tom Knapp from 60 Squadron, No1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury.
The flypast will end with the iconic display of red, white and blue from the Red Arrows.
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, said: “We are very proud to be able to showcase our capabilities to our Commander-in-Chief, on this historic occasion for His Majesty the King.
“We have planned a fitting and appropriate tribute for our monarch, that should be a true spectacle for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
