Beechcraft Texan T1 has replaced the Shorts Tucano on the fast jet training course at RAF Valley and the aircraft is performing to expectations, as demands on the training system expand. Paul E Eden reports
The number plate of 72 Squadron, Royal Air Force, latterly stationed at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire, passed to the Texan Integration Squadron (TIS) at RAF Valley, Anglesey on October 31, 2019. The occasion ensured the proud traditions of an important RAF unit would continue, but also marked the imminent closure of Linton as an active military airfield and the final withdrawal of the Shorts Tucano from the UK’s basic fast jet training role.
The final Tucano graduates had received their wings on October 25, after which a nine-aircraft formation bade the type’s farewell to the area. Those final students were the last of many who learned their trade on the aircraft during its 30 years of operational service.
Among them, Wing Commander Chris Ball followed the usual route from Linton to the Hawk T1 at Valley, before serving three tours on the Tornado GR4, including one as an instructor on XV (Reserve) Squadron, the type operational conversion unit. That experience, combined with a USAF exchange p…
