Yellowjacks

Order of Battle · Display teams · Royal Air Force

Yellowjacks

The yellow Folland Gnat team of No. 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley, flown for a single season in 1964 and reformed that November as the Red Arrows.

1964Founded
Gnat T.1Aircraft
5In the display
Disbanded 1964Status
Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
OperatorRoyal Air ForceCountryUnited KingdomTypeFormation aerobatic teamHome baseRAF ValleyStatusDisbanded 1964
The story

Yellowjacks: how the team came to be and what it flies today

Gnats at Valley

The two-seat Folland Gnat T.1 reached No. 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley on Anglesey in November 1962 for advanced pilot training. In May 1964 instructors there formed a display team led by Flt Lt Lee Jones, a former Black Arrows pilot, and named it the Yellowjacks after his call-sign. The team flew five yellow-painted Gnats during the 1964 season.

From yellow to red

Higher command disliked both the name and the yellow paint, and in November 1964 the team was officially reformed as the Red Arrows, the RAF’s new full-time aerobatic team. Lee Jones led it, and the Red Arrows kept the Gnat until 1979, moving to the BAe Hawk for the 1980 season. The Yellowjacks therefore did not so much disband as change their name and colours.

Higher command disliked both the name and the yellow paint, and in November 1964 the team was officially reformed as the Red Arrows, the RAF’s new full-time aerobatic team. Lee Jones led it, and the Red Arrows kept the Gnat until 1979, moving to the BAe Hawk for the 1980 season.Yellowjacks · verified 2026-10-02
At a glance

Yellowjacks in numbers

The team

Formation
5 aircraft

  • Five Gnat T.1s
  • Instructors of No. 4 FTS

The aircraft

Flown
Folland Gnat T.1

  • Gnat T.1 (1964)

Home

Based at
RAF Valley

  • No. 4 Flying Training School

The display

Aircraft in the display
5
Livery
yellow
The aircraft

Every type Yellowjacks has flown

Aircraft Years Number Note
Folland Gnat T.1 1964–1964 5
Known for

What Yellowjacks is known for

  • Named after leader Lee Jones’s call-sign (Wikipedia).
  • Reformed in November 1964 as the Red Arrows (Wikipedia).
The pilots

Who leads Yellowjacks

  • Flt Lt Lee Jones · Leader
Timeline

Yellowjacks, year by year

1962

Gnat T.1 arrives at RAF Valley for advanced training.

1964

Yellowjacks formed by No. 4 FTS instructors under Flt Lt Lee Jones.

1964

Display season with five yellow Gnats.

1964

Reformed as the Red Arrows.

Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about Yellowjacks

What aircraft did the Yellowjacks fly?
Five Folland Gnat T.1 trainers painted yellow.
Where were the Yellowjacks based?
RAF Valley on Anglesey, with No. 4 Flying Training School.
How are the Yellowjacks related to the Red Arrows?
In November 1964 the team was reformed as the Red Arrows, keeping the Gnat and its leader Lee Jones.
Why were they called the Yellowjacks?
The name came from the leader’s call-sign.

Continue the tour

Around Yellowjacks

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Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked

Verified 2026-10-02.