{"id":31501832,"date":"2026-11-06T16:55:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/black-arrows-22-hawker-hunter-loop-farnborough-1958-111-squadron\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T16:57:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:57:41","slug":"black-arrows-22-hawker-hunter-loop-farnborough-1958-111-squadron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/black-arrows-22-hawker-hunter-loop-farnborough-1958-111-squadron\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Arrows: The 22-Hunter Loop That Still Holds the Record"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Then they went over the top and down the other side, still locked in formation, and did it again.<\/p><p>That was the Black Arrows of No. 111 Squadron, Royal Air Force, at the Society of British Aircraft Constructors' show in September 1958. Their 22-aircraft loop of <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/hawker-hunter\/\">Hawker Hunter<\/a> fighters set a world record for the greatest number of aircraft looped in formation. More than six decades later, it has still not been beaten.<\/p><p>It was not a stunt dreamed up by a public relations office. It was the work of an ambitious squadron commander and of young pilots who practised until they could fly wingtip to wingtip through a vertical circle in a 1950s fighter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>Team:<\/strong> Black Arrows, No. 111 Squadron RAF (Treble One)<\/li><li><strong>Formed:<\/strong> 1956, by Sqn Ldr Roger Topp<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Hawker Hunter F.6, painted black<\/li><li><strong>Record:<\/strong> 22 Hunters looped in one formation<\/li><li><strong>Where and when:<\/strong> SBAC show, Farnborough, September 1958<\/li><li><strong>Follow-up:<\/strong> Barrel roll with 16 Hunters<\/li><li><strong>Base in 1958:<\/strong> RAF Wattisham, Suffolk (from June 1958)<\/li><li><strong>Successors:<\/strong> Blue Diamonds, then the Red Arrows (formed 1964)<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Treble One and Its Commander<\/h2><p>No. 111 Squadron, known throughout the RAF as Treble One, was reformed at RAF North Weald on 2 December 1953 with <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/gloster-meteor\/\">Gloster Meteor<\/a> F.8s. In 1955 the Meteors gave way to the Hawker Hunter F.4, and by the end of 1956 the squadron was flying the Hunter F.6, powered by the Rolls-Royce Avon 203 of about 10,000 lbf thrust.<\/p><p>The Hunter itself had entered RAF service in 1954 as a manoeuvrable single-seat day interceptor, quickly replacing first-generation jets such as the Meteor and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/de-havilland-venom\/\">de Havilland Venom<\/a>. Swept, clean and responsive, it was exactly the kind of fighter a formation team could push hard, and two RAF display teams would make their names on it.<\/p><p>Squadron Leader Roger Topp formed the Black Arrows in 1956 while he commanded the squadron. Before Treble One took on the job, the RAF's official team had come from No. 43 Squadron, the Fighting Cocks at Leuchars, flying four aircraft. Paddy Hine, who joined the team as a young pilot, recalled that Topp added a fifth jet very early on, which opened up far more formation shapes than a four-ship could manage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/black-arrows-22-hawker-hunter-loop-farnborough-1958-111-squa-img1.jpg\" alt=\"Four camouflaged Hawker Hunter jets flying in echelon formation\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Four Hawker Hunters in echelon, a period photograph from Wattisham Station Heritage's Hunter-era archive. Photo: period photograph, via Wattisham Station Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>The squadron's Hunters were painted black. In June 1958 Treble One and its black jets moved from North Weald to <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/wattisham\/\">RAF Wattisham<\/a> in Suffolk as the Fighter Command aerobatic team of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-kingdom-royal-air-force\/\">Royal Air Force<\/a>.<\/p><h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From Nine to Twenty-Two<\/h2><p>By the middle of 1957 Topp had decided the team would fly a diamond nine at Farnborough. Hine, only about two months on the squadron, flew as number six, the aircraft in the middle of the diamond. From then on the diamond nine was the team's basic shape, splitting and rejoining through the display.<\/p><p>For 1958 Topp wanted something far bigger. In February 1958 the Pakistan Air Force's Falcons team had looped 16 <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-86-sabre\/\">F-86 Sabres<\/a>, a feat Wikipedia records as the previous world record. Treble One would have to go beyond that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bvquc9NC8yw\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">vIT Media's two-hour documentary on Roger Topp, Paddy Hine and the pilots and ground crew of 111 Squadron.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Topp's first idea was twenty Hunters: a front rank of five in arrowhead, with three aircraft in line astern behind each. The squadron did not have twenty formation-aerobatic pilots, so he had to persuade the Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command to provide extra aircraft. The twenty would not work in the air.<\/p><p>The fix was to widen the front rank from five aircraft to seven and put only two in each stem, giving 21, then tuck a fourth aircraft into the leader's own stem. That made 22. As Hine told it, the very next day they tried the new shape, and it worked first time and every time after.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;We had to do more than 16. 16 was a good number incidentally, because you have a bigger diamond.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Air Chief Marshal Sir Patrick Hine<\/strong> &mdash; Black Arrows pilot 1957-1959, interviewed on the Batting the Breeze podcast, 'Twenty-two Black Arrows', 2024<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Over Farnborough<\/h2><p>Guinness World Records dates the record loop, flown in front of spectators, to 4 September 1958; Hine remembered it as the first day of the show. The Hunters took off four at a time. In Batting the Breeze's telling, they orbited RAF Odiham while the formation assembled, then headed for Farnborough. About three miles out they entered a shallow dive to reach the right height for the run-in, with the rearmost aircraft only 50 feet off the ground.<\/p><p>They ran in from the west, down the main runway, and pulled up. As Batting the Breeze recounts it, Topp later described the climb as a matter of total concentration and steady throttle, drawing a clean, even arc as the airspeed bled away, until all 22 Hunters were standing vertically on their tails. Over the top they came, down the back of the loop and straight into a second one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/black-arrows-22-hawker-hunter-loop-farnborough-1958-111-squa-img2.jpg\" alt=\"Several black-painted Hawker Hunters in close formation seen from above over fields\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Black-painted Hunters in close formation over the English countryside, from Wattisham Station Heritage's history of 111 Squadron's Black Arrows era. Photo: period photograph, via Wattisham Station Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>Six aircraft then peeled away, leaving 16. Topp flew a wingover, brought the formation back and led a barrel roll with all 16 Hunters, another feat no team had shown before, according to the Black Arrows' Wikipedia history. Seven more broke off for the diamond nine, and the last manoeuvres were flown by five.<\/p><h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the Record Still Stands<\/h2><p>Looping a big formation is brutally hard because each jet is flying a different-sized circle. The aircraft on the outside of a turn or roll must cover more distance than the leader at its centre, so their pilots are constantly juggling power to hold position, adding throttle on the way in and taking it off on the way out. Multiply that by 22 swept-wing fighters with 1950s engines and no fly-by-wire, and the margin for error becomes tiny.<\/p><p>Hine described how new pilots were built up to it. A trainee started as number two to an experienced formation pilot, flying steeper climbs and wingovers, then loops, then barrel rolls, over several sorties. Only then did he become one of three, then one of four, and finally a slot in the big formation. The best formation pilots, in his view, were the smoothest ones, making the fewest small corrections.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Flying in an actual display is a little bit like playing an important cup match or something like that. It's not the standard league game.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Air Chief Marshal Sir Patrick Hine<\/strong> &mdash; Black Arrows pilot 1957-1959, interviewed on the Batting the Breeze podcast, 'Twenty-two Black Arrows', 2024<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Today's national display teams fly far smaller formations, and gathering two dozen fast jets and trained formation pilots for a single manoeuvre would be a huge undertaking. Wattisham Station Heritage, which still displays Topp's own aircraft, Hunter F.6 XG194, says the 1958 record still stands.<\/p><p>The Farnborough show in those years ran for seven days in a row, and Batting the Breeze reports that the team performed its 22-plane loop twice in front of a euphoric crowd.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YF-WOPgamA0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">British Path\u00e9 newsreel from the 1958 Farnborough show, including an RAF aerobatic team passing in formation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">After the Loop<\/h2><p>Topp handed the team to Squadron Leader Peter Latham in late 1958, and Latham led the Black Arrows until 1960. Until 1961 they remained the RAF's premier aerobatic team. In April 1961 Treble One received its first <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/english-electric-lightning\/\">English Electric Lightning<\/a>, and the squadron's Hunter years came to an end.<\/p><p>Other squadron teams followed: the Blue Diamonds of No. 92 Squadron, also on Hunters, the Tigers of No. 74 Squadron on Lightnings, the Red Pelicans on <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/bac-jet-provost\/\">Jet Provosts<\/a> and the Yellowjacks on <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/folland-gnat\/\">Gnats<\/a>. The RAF eventually replaced them all with a single, dedicated team, the Red Arrows, formed in late 1964.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/odQSWmIa-ws\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Avialogs archive film on the Black Arrows, the Hunter team that came before the Red Arrows.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Paddy Hine went on to become an Air Chief Marshal and joint commander of British forces in the 1990 Gulf War, yet still counted that 1958 season among his proudest moments. Roger Topp, the man who started it all, retired as an Air Commodore and died in 2020.<\/p><p>Their record is still there, written in a single formation over a Hampshire airfield. Twenty-two Hunters, one loop, and nobody has looped more jets together since.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Black Arrows, No. 111 Squadron RAF, Hawker Hunter, Peter Latham, Patrick Hine, Red Arrows), Batting the Breeze podcast, Wattisham Station Heritage, British Path\u00e9, vIT Media<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Who were the Black Arrows?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Black Arrows were the aerobatic team of No. 111 Squadron, Royal Air Force, known as Treble One. Squadron Leader Roger Topp formed the team in 1956 while commanding the squadron. They flew black-painted Hawker Hunter F.6 fighters and were the RAF's premier display team until 1961, a few years before the Red Arrows formed.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many Hawker Hunters did the Black Arrows loop at Farnborough?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Black Arrows looped 22 Hawker Hunters in a single formation at the SBAC show at Farnborough in September 1958, a world record for the greatest number of aircraft looped in formation. They flew the loop twice in succession, then reduced to 16 aircraft and performed a barrel roll with all 16.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Has the Black Arrows 22-aircraft loop record been beaten?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. The 22-Hunter loop flown by the Black Arrows at Farnborough in 1958 is still the record for the most aircraft looped in one formation, according to Wikipedia and Wattisham Station Heritage. Today's national display teams fly far smaller formations, which makes a challenge unlikely.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did the Black Arrows fly 22 Hunters instead of 20?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Roger Topp first planned 20 Hunters, with a front rank of five and three aircraft in line astern behind each, but it did not work in the air. Widening the front to seven with two jets per stem gave 21, and a fourth aircraft in the leader's stem made 22. According to Paddy Hine, that shape worked straight away.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who led the Black Arrows during the 1958 record loop?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Squadron Leader Roger Topp, commanding officer of No. 111 Squadron, led the 22-Hunter loop at Farnborough in 1958. His aircraft, Hunter F.6 XG194, is displayed by Wattisham Station Heritage. Topp handed the team to Squadron Leader Peter Latham in late 1958, and Latham led the Black Arrows until 1960.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in a Jet Provost?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. MiGFlug offers flights in a BAC Jet Provost T.5A, the British jet trainer family that also equipped the Red Pelicans display team. The aircraft is based permanently in Italy and available all year, and its side-by-side seating gives the passenger a clear view outside and of the pilot at work. Details are on the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/l-39-mb-326-jet-provost-in-italy\/\">Jet Provost flights in Italy<\/a> page.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who were the Black Arrows?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Black Arrows were the aerobatic team of No. 111 Squadron, Royal Air Force, known as Treble One. Squadron Leader Roger Topp formed the team in 1956 while commanding the squadron. They flew black-painted Hawker Hunter F.6 fighters and were the RAF's premier display team until 1961, a few years before the Red Arrows formed.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many Hawker Hunters did the Black Arrows loop at Farnborough?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Black Arrows looped 22 Hawker Hunters in a single formation at the SBAC show at Farnborough in September 1958, a world record for the greatest number of aircraft looped in formation. They flew the loop twice in succession, then reduced to 16 aircraft and performed a barrel roll with all 16.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Has the Black Arrows 22-aircraft loop record been beaten?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The 22-Hunter loop flown by the Black Arrows at Farnborough in 1958 is still the record for the most aircraft looped in one formation, according to Wikipedia and Wattisham Station Heritage. Today's national display teams fly far smaller formations, which makes a challenge unlikely.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the Black Arrows fly 22 Hunters instead of 20?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Roger Topp first planned 20 Hunters, with a front rank of five and three aircraft in line astern behind each, but it did not work in the air. Widening the front to seven with two jets per stem gave 21, and a fourth aircraft in the leader's stem made 22. According to Paddy Hine, that shape worked straight away.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who led the Black Arrows during the 1958 record loop?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Squadron Leader Roger Topp, commanding officer of No. 111 Squadron, led the 22-Hunter loop at Farnborough in 1958. His aircraft, Hunter F.6 XG194, is displayed by Wattisham Station Heritage. 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Details are on the Jet Provost flights in Italy page.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hawker-hunter-most-beautiful-jet\/\">The Hawker Hunter: Britain's Most Beautiful Jet<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/\">Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to the Last Red Tigers<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/formation-flying-explained-fingertip-echelon-blue-angels-red-arrows\/\">Formation Flying Explained: How Pilots Hold Position Inches Apart<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/golden-hawks-rcaf-sabre-aerobatic-team-1959-1964\/\">Golden Hawks: Canada's Gold Sabre Display Team Before the Snowbirds<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In September 1958, No. 111 Squadron&#8217;s Black Arrows looped 22 Hawker Hunters in a single formation at Farnborough. Nobody has looped more jets together since.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":31501742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31501832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Black Arrows: The 22-Hunter Loop Record of 1958 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Black Arrows of 111 Squadron looped 22 Hawker Hunters at Farnborough in 1958, a formation record that still stands. 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