Yellowjacks

Ordem de batalha · Equipes de exibição · Força Aérea Real

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.

1964Fundada
Gnat T.1Aeronave
5Na tela
Disbanded 1964Status
Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
OperadorForça Aérea RealPaísReino UnidoTipoEquipe de acrobacias aéreas em formaçãoBase de origemRAF ValleyStatusDisbanded 1964
A história

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
À primeira vista

Yellowjacks in numbers

A equipe

Formação
5 aeronaves

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

A aeronave

Voou
Folland Gnat T.1

  • Gnat T.1 (1964)

Lar

Com sede em
RAF Valley

  • Escola de Treinamento de Voo nº 4

A exibição

Aeronaves em exposição
5
Libré
yellow
A aeronave

Every type Yellowjacks has flown

Aeronave Anos Número Observação
Folland Gnat T.1 1964–1964 5
Conhecido por

What Yellowjacks is known for

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

Who leads Yellowjacks

  • Flt Lt Lee Jones · Leader
Linha do tempo

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.

Perguntas e Respostas

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 a excursão

Around Yellowjacks

O operadorForça Aérea RealFrota, bases e ordem de batalha do serviço que opera a equipe.Leia a página da Força Aérea Real.Equipe de acrobacias aéreas em formaçãoVoo Memorial da Batalha da Grã-BretanhaOs aviões da RAF em condições de voo durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, liderados pelo Lancaster PA474, voaram de Coningsby para homenagear aqueles que tombaram sob o lema "Para que não...Leia a página do Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.Equipe de acrobacias aéreas em formaçãoFlechas NegrasOs Hunters pretos brilhantes do Esquadrão nº 111, a principal equipe da RAF no final da década de 1950 e a única formação a realizar um looping com 22 aeronaves, em Farnborough, em 1958.Leia a página das Flechas NegrasEquipes de exibiçãoTodas as equipes de demonstração militarTodas as formações, equipes solo e equipes de helicópteros na Ordem de Batalha, ativas e desmobilizadas.Abra a lista
Fontes e Leitura Complementar

Todos os fatos foram verificados.

Verificado em 02/10/2026.