No. 1417 Flight RAF

No. 1417 Flight RAF
A Hunter FR.10 similar to those used by 1417 flt. in Aden
Active	1 March 1941 – 18 march 1941 18 January 1942 – 4 April 1942 1950–1955? 1963–1967 July 1979 – 1993
Role	General Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare Communications Fighter Reconnaissance Ground Attack/Air Defence
Garrison/HQ	RAF St Athan RAF Chivenor RAF Muharraq RAF Khormaksar RAF Belize
Equipment	Avro Anson I Vickers Wellington GR Mk VIII Percival Pembroke C Mk 1 Hawker Hunter FR Mk10 / T Mk7 Hawker-Siddeley Harrier GR3

No.1417 (General Reconnaissance) Flight RAF (1417 Flt) was formed on 1 March 1941 from No. 417 (General Reconnaissance) Flight RAF (417 Flt) as a General Reconnaissance unit at RAF St. Athan, but dis-banded shortly afterwards on 18 March 1941. This Flight has probably had the most interesting incarnations of all the independent aircraft flights of the Royal Air Force, introducing new technologies and operating complex fast jet aircraft in challenging and austere conditions, across the globe.

1417 (General Reconnaissance) Flight was first formed at RAF St. Athan, from No. 417 (General Reconnaissance) Flight RAF, on 1 March 1941, flying Avro Anson I aircraft on maritime patrols. The flight had a very short life, being disbanded on 18 March 1941.

No 1417 (Leigh Light Trials) Flt was a Royal Air Force flight established to carry out trials and develop tactics for the use of ASV Radar/Leigh Light equipped Vickers Wellington GR Mk VIII maritime reconnaissance-bombers. Formed on 8 January 1942 at RAF Chivenor 1417 Flt was re-formed as No. 172 Squadron RAF from 4 April 1942 onwards.

1417 (Communication) Flight was re-incarnated on 1 November 1953, as a communications unit in the Middle East, at RAF Muharraq, Bahrain with Avro Anson XIX and Percival Pembroke C.1. Once again 1417 Flt formed the basis of a full squadron when No. 152 Squadron RAF (152 Sqn) was formed at Bahrain on 1 October 1958 under the command of Flt. Lt. F. Rimmer, flying Percival Pembroke C Mk.1 transport aircraft,

From 1956 Gloster Meteor FR Mk.9 aircraft from No. 208 Squadron RAF (208 Sqn) were deployed to Aden for operations against rebel tribesmen and Yemeni insurgents. This Squadron was withdrawn at the time of the Suez Crisis, but some aircraft returned from 1958 to 1960 operated by the Arabian Peninsular Reconnaissance Flight.