“One of the rarest and most celebrated planes in British military history will lead the finale at the Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant. In a spectacular finale to the grandest event ever staged on the River Thames, Swordfish bi-plane, the only one of its kind still flying, is planned to lead a ‘Diamond Nine’ flypast of Royal Navy helicopters to close the pageant, in a display of airborne military prowess… [T]he Swordfish torpedo bomber is considered a ‘legendary’ aircraft in the Royal Navy and is the oldest Naval aircraft still flying.”
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Fairey Swordfish Mk II, Blackburn built LS326 at SBAC show Farnborough 8 September 1962. Still flying 2009. Photo by TSRL