No. 7 Flying Training School
Hunting Jet Provost T.3A XP595 of No. 7 Flying Training School in 1989
Active	2 Dec 1935 - 26 Aug 1940 21 Dec 1944 - 14 Apr 1954 1 Jun 1954 - 15 Aug 1960 13 Mar 1962 - 30 Nov 1966 2 Apr 1979 - 31 Mar 1992 1 Apr 1992 – 30 Sep 1994
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Pilot training

No. 7 Flying Training School (7 FTS) is a formerRoyal Air Force flying training school that operated between 1935 and 1994.^[1]

From 1948 to 1954, No 7 Flying Training School was located atRAF Cottesmore, flying Tiger Moths, Harvards, Prentices and Balliols.

During 1950 many improvements were made to the hangars and buildings atRAF Valley and on 1 April 1951 No. 202 Advanced Flying School was reformed at Valley, withinNo. 25 Group RAF, to train fighter pilots onde Havilland Vampire andGloster Meteor jet aircraft. Vampire FB.5 and T.11 and Meteor T.7 marks were used until the unit was re-designated No. 7 Flying Training School (FTS) on 1 June 1954.^[2] On 15 August 1960 the unit was renumberedNo. 4 Flying Training School RAF.^[3]

The School was based atRAF Church Fenton, Yorkshire between 1962 and 1966 and again between 1979 and 1992, equipped withHunting/BAC Jet Provost T.3A and T.5A trainers.^[4] Its final iteration came atRAF Chivenor, Devon when 2 Tactical Weapons Unit was redesignated as 7 FTS with theBAe Hawk T.1 operated by 19(R) and 92(R) Squadrons. It was disbanded for the final time on 30 September 1994 with the closure of Chivenor as an RAF station and its transfer to theRoyal Marines.

2 Dec 1935 - Aug 1940

The flying training school was formed on 2 December 1935 atRAF Peterborough underNo. 23 Group RAF, usingAvro Tutors,Hawker Harts,Hawker Audaxs andHawker Furys until 3 September 1939 when after the outbreak of theSecond World War the school was renamed toNo. 7 Service Flying Training School RAF. TheAdvanced Training Squadron of the school for armament training was detached to various airfields for training.RAF Sibson was briefly used as a relief landing ground. The school moved to Canada to becomeNo. 31 Service Flying Training School, Canada RAF from 26 August 1940.^[3]

21 Dec 1944 – 14 Apr 1954

The school was reformed on 21 December 1944 as No. 7 SFTS at Peterborough from the disbandedNo. 7 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF with a relief landing ground at Sibson, a satellite airfield atRAF Sutton Bridge and a detachment atRAF Calveley. Their flewNorth American Harvards,Airspeed Oxfords &Avro Ansons. The school moved toRAF Kirton-in-Lindsey on 15 April 1946 and reverting to its original name on 1 January 1948 with the unit receivingde Havilland Tiger Moths andPercival Prentices. The unit moved toRAF Cottesmore on 16 April 1948 as part of No. 23 Group usingRAF Wittering,RAF Woolfox Lodge andRAF Spitalgate as relief landing grounds. TheBoulton Paul Balliol replaced the Harvard during February 1952 and the unit was disbanded on 14 April 1954.^[5]

1 Jun 1954 – 15 Aug 1960

The unit was reformed atRAF Valley on 1 June 1954 using the assets ofNo. 202 Advanced Flying School RAF still under 23 Group. The school flewde Havilland Vampires andGloster Meteors and usedRAF Mona as a relief landing ground. The school was transferred toNo. 25 Group RAF on 1 January 1957 and was renumbered asNo. 4 Flying Training School RAF on 15 August 1960.^[5]

13 Mar 1962 – 30 Nov 1966

The school was reformed atRAF Church Fenton on 13 March 1962 asNo. 7 (Basic) Advanced Flying School RAF as part of 23 Group. The unit flewBAC Jet Provosts and Vampires, usingRAF Elvington as a relief landing ground. The unit was disbanded on 30 November 1966 with the Vampire element moving toNo. 3 Flying Training School RAF.^[5]

2 Apr 1979 – 31 Mar 1992

The unit was reformed at Church Fenton again using Elvington as a RLG and flying Jet Provosts until 31 March 1992 when the unit was disbanded.^[5]

1 Apr 1992 – 30 Sep 1994

The unit formed for the last time on 1 April 1992 atRAF Chivenor using the assets ofNo. 2 Tactical Weapons Unit RAF with Nos. 63 & 151 Shadow Squadrons flying theBritish Aerospace Hawk while underRAF Support Command control.^[6] The shadow squadrons were renumberedNo. 19 Squadron RAF andNo. 92 Squadron RAF on 1 September 1992 and the unit was finally disbanded in October 1994.^[5]

• History of No. 31 Service Flying Training School, Canada RAF

The school was formed on 10 September 1940 atRCAF Station Kingston,Kingston, Ontario, Canada withFairey Battles and Harvards usingGananoque and Sandhurst as relief landing grounds, before the unit was disbanded on 14 August 1944.^[7]

• History of No. 7 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF

The unit was formed at Peterborough on 1 June 1942 under No. 21 Group withMiles Masters, Ansons,Hawker Hurricanes and Oxfords. The unit used relief landing grounds atRAF Sibson,RAF Horsey Toll,RAF Sutton Bridge,RAF Polebrook andRAF Kings Cliffe.^[8]

• History of No. 202 Advanced Flying School RAF

The school was formed on 15 March 1947 fromNo. 21 OTU at RAF Finningley under No. 91 Group withVickers Wellingtons until 1 December 1947 when it was disbanded intoNo. 201 Advanced Flying School RAF. The school was reformed on 1 April 1951 at RAF Valley under No. 23 using Vampires and Meteors until it became 7 FTS on 1 June 1954.^[2]

• History of No. 2 Tactical Weapons Unit RAF

The unit was formed on 31 July 1978 atRAF Lossiemouth withHawker Hunters and Jet Provosts until 1 April 1981 when it was disbanded. The unit was reformed from the Chivenor detachment of No. 1 Tactical Weapons Unit as part ofNo. 11 Group RAF which includedNo. 63 Squadron RAF.No. 151 Squadron RAF joined during September 1981 and was disbanded^[9] while under the command ofRAF Strike Command on 1 April 1992 to become 7 FTS.^[6]

• History of the Refresher Flying Flight

The unit was reformed during April 1984.^[10]

• Lake, A. (1999).Flying units of the RAF.Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife.ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
• March, P. (1993).Royal Air Force Yearbook 1993.Fairford, UK: Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997).Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007).Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.

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• Flying Training Schools,Air of Authority.

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• Flying training schools of the RAF
• Military units and formations established in 1935
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1994
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• Military units and formations established in 1954
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• Military units and formations established in 1962
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1966
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• Military units and formations established in 1992

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