Yellowjacks

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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.

1964Opgericht
Gnat T.1Vliegtuig
5In the display
Disbanded 1964Status
Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
OperatorKoninklijke LuchtmachtLandVerenigd KoninkrijkTypeFormation aerobatic teamHome baseRAF ValleyStatusDisbanded 1964
Het verhaal

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
In één oogopslag

Yellowjacks in numbers

The team

Formation
5 aircraft

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

Het vliegtuig

Flown
Folland Gnat T.1

  • Gnat T.1 (1964)

Thuis

Based at
RAF Valley

  • Vliegopleidingsschool nr. 4

The display

Aircraft in the display
5
Livery
yellow
Het vliegtuig

Every type Yellowjacks has flown

Vliegtuig Jaren Number Opmerking
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
Tijdlijn

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.

Vragen en antwoorden

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.

Vervolg de rondleiding

Around Yellowjacks

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Verified 2026-10-02.