From the collection of
Established in 1992, the South West Film & Television Archive collection spans from 1893 to the present day containing more than 250,000 items. Formed from a variety of depositors, including broadcast news and programmes material from the Westward and TSW archive. In 2018 the archive collection transferred to The Box in Plymouth.
RAF Chipmunk Formation Flyers are in the air over Exeter.
Chipmunk aircraft are in formation above the Exeter and the River Exe. The aircraft was used for training RAF pilots from 1947 to 1956. They were made by de Havilland in Hatfield and Broughton near Chester. The Royal Air Force received 735 Chipmunk T10s and some remained in service until 1996. Chipmunk aircraft or their cockpits survive to this day and are used in to train pilots in the different technique of tailwheel flying. It took over from the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane of the 1930s.
RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire since 1976 keeps and flies heritage planes including a Lancaster bomber, Spitfires and the last two Chipmunks in military service. It was from Lincolnshire bases that RAF 617 Squadron under Guy Gibson carried out Operation Chastise using Barnes Wallis' bouncing bomb to destroy the Ruhr dams in Germany at the end of the Second World War.