No. 6 Squadron RAF
| No. 6 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 31 January 1914–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Quick Reaction Alert |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Lossiemouth |
| Nickname(s) | "The Flying Can Openers" |
| Motto(s) |
Oculi Exercitus ("The Eyes of the Army") |
| Aircraft | Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | An eagle, wings elevated, preying on a serpent |
| Squadron roundel |  |
No. 6 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 at RAF Lossiemouth. It was previously equipped with the Jaguar GR.3 in the close air support and tactical reconnaissance roles, and was posted to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk until April 2006, moving to RAF Coningsby until disbanding in May 2007. The squadron officially reformed as a Typhoon squadron on 6 September 2010.
No. 6 Squadron's motto Oculi Exercitus (The Eyes of the Army) and the badge depicting an eagle attacking a serpent were gained as a result of fighter defence of army units during the First World War.
The squadron was formed on 31 January 1914, at Farnborough as No. 6 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. Its first squadron commander was Major John Becke. The squadron had an initial aircraft inventory of two Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s and two Farmans, with the squadron also initially incorporating a flight operating man-lifting kite.
The bird depicted on the squadron badge is a falcon, with the snake serving two purposes, one the then (First World War) obvious anti-Central Powers symbolism, the second to circumvent the rules about squadron badges featuring a squadron's number. The cunningly coiled snake (rumoured to have been cooked up by No. 6 Squadron members Louis Strange and Lanoe Hawker) neatly sidestepped the regulations.
The squadron were pioneers in military aviation, being blessed with the presence of Louis Strange and Lanoe Hawker VC - the former an "ideas man" - almost a mad professor - the latter a skilled engineer who became the first British flying ace. Their dual talents led to some ingenious mountings for machine guns, the use of which won Hawker the first air combat Victoria Cross for his actions on 25 July 1915 and nearly cost Strange his life, when he reached up to change the drum on a Lewis gun he had mounted on the top plane of his Martinsyde (long before the Foster Mount became de rigueur) and the machine flipped on its back, threw Strange from the cockpit and went into a flat spin from 10,000 ft (3,000 m). Strange, hanging for dear life to the drum of the Lewis gun, managed to get back into the cockpit and right the aircraft within 500 ft (150 m) of the ground. He returned to the aerodrome and quietly disappeared, sleeping for the best part of 24 hours, telling no-one of the incident. Unfortunately for Strange, the German machine he had been firing at witnessed the whole incident and assumed that their brave attacker had perished. As was the custom, they dropped a wreath and with it a letter describing the manner of Strange's death and a bashful Strange found his escapade written into aviation history. Needless to say, his next invention was a pilot's safety harness!
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Wikipedia