The artist is David Gibbings MBE. Founder member of the Guild of Aviation Artists and Senior Engineer on numerous projects at Westlands including the Lynx World Speed Record.

Sea King helicopters over Falkland Sound, May. 1982.

A tribute to the part played by Yeovil in the Falklands Crisis. Nearly 200 Westland Helicopters supported the Task Force, without them success would have been unlikely.

The artist, David Gibbings MBE concluded his illustrious career as Chief Flight Test Engineer at Westlands in 1993.

High quality dark blue polo shirt with a choice of de Havilland Sea Vixen, Hawker Sea Fury, Fairey Swordfish, Sea Harrier, Supermarine Seafire, Westland Sea King (Jungly  & SAR), Westland Wessex (Jungly & SAR), Gazelle, F35B / Lightning II, McDonnell Douglas Phantom, Blackburn Buccaneer, Westland Lynx, Fairey Gannet and Westland Wasp motif.

Legendary aircraft - Great Britain at its best.

Sizing:
Small = 36" / Medium = 39" / Large = 43" / XL = 47" / XXL = 51" / XXXL = 56"

 

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'Aviation Icons' Baseball Caps - 
Classic Heritage Aircraft Baseball Cap – Navy Wings Flight Store

'Fleet Air Arm' Classic Mug Collection -
Fleet Air Arm Classic Aircraft - Mug Collection – Navy Wings Flight Store

Navy Wings Series: Enamel Aircraft Badges -
Navy Wings Series Enamel Aircraft Badges – Navy Wings Flight Store

 

The special Navy Wings 'Big Logo' blouson style jacket has the ever popular Great British Take Off Logo emblazoned across the back. 

This jacket is waterproof, windproof and lined with super soft micro fleece for extra comfort and warmth. Its smart, contemporary fit lends itself to all occasions.

It has so many great features

• Insulated sleeves
• Two lower zipped pockets
• Concealed hood with adjustable toggles and Velcro adjustable flap
• Secure inner patch pocket
• Elasticated hem
• Taped seams

The shell is 100% waterproof coated fabric and the micro fleece lining is 100% polyester.

MADE TO ORDER - Please allow 10 working days for delivery.

Sizes available:

XS - 36-38 inch chest
S - 38-40 inch chest
M - 40-42 inch chest
L - 42-44 inch chest
XL - 44-46 inch chest
2XL - 46-48 inch chest
3XL - 50-52 inch chest
4XL - 52-54 inch chest

If you're in the Fleet Air Arm, then say 'Fly Navy' loud and proud to let everyone know that the Royal Navy has a proud heritage in aviation.

If you're a Royal Navy flying veteran, this polo shirt says it all. 'I was there. I flew in the Royal Navy. I'm proud of it.' High quality navy polo shirt with Navy Wings logo on sleeve.

Sizing: Small = 36" / Medium = 39" / Large = 43" / XL = 47" / XXL = 51" & XXXL = 56"

 

You may also like other items in this range - 
Flew Navy & Fly Navy – Navy Wings Flight Store

 

If you're in the Fleet Air Arm, then say 'Fly Navy' loud and proud to let everyone know that the Royal Navy has a proud heritage in aviation.

If you're a Royal Navy flying veteran, this polo shirt says it all. 'I was there. I flew in the Royal Navy. I'm proud of it.' High quality white polo shirt with Navy Wings logo on sleeve.

Sizing: Small = 36" / Medium = 39" / Large = 43" / XL = 47" / XXL = 51" & XXXL = 56"

You may also like other items in this range - 
Flew Navy & Fly Navy – Navy Wings Flight Store

If you're a Royal Navy/Fleet Air Arm Flying veteran or a current serviceman or woman, our baseball caps say it all. Either is a statement of pride. This is a high quality item with fabric adjustment and sandwich peak for longevity.

One size fits most.

To see more in our Flew & Fly Navy range please visit:

Flew Navy & Fly Navy – Navy Wings Flight Store

 

Encouraging people to 'Fly Navy' is great, but what if you've already been there and done that? 'Flew' Navy recognises your Naval flying career. High quality items that say it all.

Handwash recommended.
Capacity 330ml.

 

You may also like other items in this range - 

Flew Navy & Fly Navy – Navy Wings Flight Store

Ship's Bells

While not being on the scale of Big Ben, these are very substantial, heavyweight bells and have been supplied to world navies and shipping companies as well as pleasure boaters and home owners. Each is manufactured in the finest age old tradition - sand-cast solid brass turned and polished to an immaculate sheen. These are very solid and very sonorous bells, redolent of those on ships on which you may have served. They are unlacquered so they don't discolour, but will develop an attractive and authentic patina over time.

The Fly Navy motif is exclusive to Navy Wings

Lanyard supplied separately

These bell ropes are hand-tied in natural colour cotton with traditional knots, and make the essential finishing touch to a ship's bell.

Quayside Bells

This range of bells is also traditionally made in solid brass, but to a standard weight yet still with a loud and distinct tone. Quayside bells have a slightly smaller, triangular mounting (see image).

Quayside bells are supplied with a cotton bell rope.

 

 

Especially commissioned by 814 NAS at RNAS Culdrose and now available for the public.

High quality T with dramatic imagery of the squadron motif and the Tiger stripe Pinger Merlin. A proud squadron and a T to wear with pride.

This very popular motif sums up British Naval Aviation and flying from carriers through the decades. 

Can either be worn smart or casual and these quality polo's with neat embroidery will last for years.

Cold day at the shoot (or just a cold day)?

This attractive cartridge flask design is the perfect way to carry a few nips of your favourite tipple. Made in the UK from highly polished pewter and brass, this solid flask is engraved with 'Navy Wings' so that everybody knows you've contributed to 'Keeping Heritage Naval Aircraft Flying'!

• 4oz capacity
• brass screw-on top can be used as a nip cup.
  
• bright polished finish
• supplied in smart box and with cloth polishing pouch
  
• Height: 110mm
• Diameter: 40mm

Steev's classic cartoons capture the characters of some iconic British Naval Aircraft.

Each of the Limited edition of 200 is signed by artist 'Steev' himself.

Naval aviation fun for 365 days!

Great gift!

 

...including Jock Moffat and Bruce Vibert.

The Fairey Swordfish achieved legendary status in WWII and this evocative picture includes W5856 and LS326 in the snow with St Bartholomew's church (regarded as 'the Fleet Air Arm Church') at Yeovilton in the background.

This limited edition print (just 200) has the original signatures of two renowned WWII veterans and four pilots from the, sadly now defunct, Royal Navy Historic Flight. Both these aircraft reside in our Navy Wings hangar and with your ongoing support we hope to be flying them at public events for years to come.

This is your opportunity to own a piece of history that will look superb in any home.

Supplied with a certificate of authenticity.

 

Fairey Swordfish pilot – Lieutenant Commander Jock Moffat

Swordfish pilot Lt Cdr John ‘Jock’ Moffat was part of the attack that crippled the Bismarck on that fateful day in 1941.

 

Fairey Swordfish pilot - Lieutenant Commander Bruce Vibert DSC

The majority of Lt Cdr Vibert’s wartime career was spent in the cockpit of a Fairey Swordfish in the Battle of the Atlantic (where he sank U674) and on the Arctic convoys.

 

Commander Adrian Orchard OBE

Cdr Adrian Orchard was a Harrier Pilot, Deputy Commander of the British Harrier Force, CO at RNAS Culdrose and author of the bestselling ‘Joint Force Harrier’. He joined the Royal Navy Historic Flight as a Fairey Swordfish pilot.

 

Lieutenant Commander John Beattie

Lt Cdr John Beattie has flown myriad aircraft in his long flying career including Swordfish, Firefly and Sea Fury as a display pilot. John was CO of the Royal Navy Historic Flight and is still a very active flier on both fixed and rotary wing aircraft

 

Lieutenant Commander Mike Abbey

Lt Cdr Mike Abbey was originally a helicopter pilot in Lynx and Wessex and was later CO of the Royal Navy Historic Flight in which he flew the Fairey Swordfish.

 

Commander – Dave McKay

Commander Dave McKay was a Sea Harrier pilot and both a Naval Air Squadron Commander and CO of the Royal Navy Historic Flight.

 

Artist – Terrence Lee

Terrence Lee is a highly regarded artist who specialises in marine subjects and worked for a period at RNAS Yeovilton

 

Fairey Swordfish

Fairey Swordfish LS326 and W5856 are both members of the Navy Wings Heritage Flight and veterans of active service in WWII

Approx 59cm x 42cm

N.B. This item is supplied as a print. The image where it is depicted with a frame is for illustrative purposes only.

This is a wonderfully evocative print of a beautifully executed pencil drawing by renowned Stephen Fox. It's called 'The Office' because it's where Swordfish pilots went to work day after day, sometimes in the most appalling circumstances. 

Available professionally framed or just as a print, all are personally signed by the late Lt Cdr Jock Moffat who took part in the action that crippled the Bismarck.

This is a stunning artwork and only 50 have been printed.

Poster size, the prints are professionally mounted on board.

Framed option. The framed option has an unobtrusive contemporary black frame suitable for many domestic and office environments

Five terrific and challenging images which will make the completion of these puzzles doubly satisfying for any jigsaw enthusiast. Iconic images of iconic aircraft. Please help to keep them flying.

Thanks for the images to Andy Rouse (Sea Vixen), Stephen Ward (Swordfish/Sentinel), Jo Apple-Ayres (Phantom) and Lee Howard (Swordfish W5856).

500 pieces.

The evolution of naval flying has been as fascinating and complex as the evolution of flight itself. Flying from ships at sea presents unique challenges and this book casts an illuminating light on the process from the very first attempts to bring aviation on board ship.

Hardback.

This series is the definitive source of information about the aerial war over and around the Mediterranean Sea throughout WWII. Tactics, aircraft and operations - it's all there in enormous detail. 

Volume One: North Africa, June 1940 - January 1942
The first volume of this series deals with the initial 19 months of the air war over the Western Desert of North Africa.

Volume Two: North African Desert, February 1942 – March 1943
Picks up the story as the 8th Army, following its hard-fought success in Operation Crusader, was forced back to the Gazala area, roughly mid-way between the Cyrenaican/Tripolitanian border of Libya and the frontier with Egypt.

Volume Three: Tunisia and the end in Africa, November 1942 – May 1943
The third volume in this series returns to November 1942 to explain the background to the first major Anglo-American venture – Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. It deals with the fratricidal combats which followed the initial landings in Morocco and Algeria for several days. It then considers the efforts made – unsuccessfully in the event – to reach northern Tunisia before the Germans and Italians could get there to forestall the possibility of an attack from the west on the rear of the Afrika Korps forces, then beginning their retreat from El Alamein.

Volume Four: Sicily and Italy to the fall of Rome 14 May, 1943 – 5 June, 1944
The fourth volume in this momentous series commences with the attacks on the Italian island fortress of Pantellaria which led to its surrender and occupation achieved almost by air attack alone. The account continues with the ultimately successful, but at times very hard fought, invasions of Sicily and southern Italy as burgeoning Allied air power, now with full US involvement, increasingly dominated the skies. The successive occupations of Sardinia and Corsica are also covered in detail.

Volume Five: From the fall of Rome to the end of the war 1944-1945
During the final year of World War II, the defending Axis forces were steadily driven from southern skies by burgeoning Anglo-American power. This was despite the steady withdrawal of units to more demanding areas. In this fifth volume of the series the activities of the Allied tactical air forces in support of the armies on the ground – as their opponents were steadily extracted from northern Italy and the Balkans for the final defence of the central European homeland – are described in detail. The book commences with coverage of the final fierce air-sea battles over the Aegean which preceded the advance northwards to Rome and the ill-conceived British attempt to secure the Dodecanese islands following the armistice with Italy

 

Praise for previous editions

‘The start of a long-awaited, comprehensive and definitive set of books.’ Flypast

‘It is a valuable addition for the libraries of those with a serious interest in wartime military aviation.’ Air-Britain Aeromilitaria

‘A monumental book. This is only the first volume of the Mediterranean Air War and when the series is completed it will constitute the most complete record of this theatre of war to have been compiled. It is unlikely to be surpassed.’ Britain at War

‘Given the excellence of the History of the Mediterranean Air War series, and volume three in particular, readers should be clamouring for the next instalment. Highly recommended and quite likely to be nominated as one of the best new books of the year.’ Stone & Stone

Doing justice to the part played by the Royal Navy in WWII was always going to be a tricky task. Drawing on modern scholarship and original sources it retells some familiar sources, but also corrects some myths and fills in some less well-known episodes.

Hardback

 

This is a vivid and powerful story of life on board the last of our great Second World War-era aircraft carriers, modernised to serve beyond their time. It is a story of the Cold War which conveys the trials and tribulations of flying one of the best-loved military aircraft in history.

Steve Kershaw joined the Royal Navy in 1963. He began flying training in 1968 and progressed to the Blackburn Buccaneer - a world-class naval strike jet that was designed to fly very fast at ultra-low altitudes. In 1970, Steve joined 800 Naval Air Squadron, which embarked on HMS Eagle on its epic final cruise.

The voyage to the Far East was far from trouble-free - an aircraft crashed into the sea, there was a devastating explosion on board the carrier, and then two sailors were arrested for murder in Auckland. New year 1972 saw HMS Eagle decommissioned and 800 NAS disbanded.

Steve was transferred to 845 Naval Air Squadron, on which he flew Wessex helicopters. Embarked on HMS Hermes, the squadron supported Royal Marines Commandos during their deployment to the mountains of Norway under NATO plans for a European war. During this time, helicopters were strangely sabotaged on board and one of them crashed into a fjord at night.

By 1974, HMS Ark Royal was the last remaining Royal Navy fixed-wing aircraft carrier to which Steve returned to fly Buccaneers on 809 Squadron. It was in this period that he participated in a NATO exercise in Norway and a Mediterranean cruise.

On return, the squadron prepared for a bombing competition between the RAF and Royal Navy Buccaneers. As part of this, Steve flew a low-level sortie off the Lincolnshire coast. The light was fading, and he was struggling to see the target ahead. He failed to see they were losing height. The aircraft hit the sea. Steve and his observer, David, were ejected into the water.

In this book, Steve's story is revealed by his son, Simon, through the words of his father, drawn from a mass of letters sent by him, and the recollections of those who served alongside him.

• Publisher: ‎Air World 
• Language: ‎English
• Hardcover: ‎240 pages
• ISBN: 9781399040129

Admiral Andrew Cunningham, best remembered for his courageous leadership in the Mediterranean in the Second World War, he is often rated as our finest naval commander after Nelson, and indeed a bust of the Admiral was unveiled in Trafalgar Square close by his predecessor in 1967 by the Duke of Edinburgh. It was during the dark days of 1940–41, after the surrender of France and Italy’s entry into the War and when Britain was fighting single-handed, that Cunningham held the Eastern Mediterranean with a fleet greatly inferior to the Italian; his lack of ships and aircraft was more than made up for by his bold and vigorous command. Taranto, Matapan, Crete, North Africa – these are the critical battles and regions with which he is so closely associated. A Sailor’s Odyssey is the stirring autobiography of this great fighting seaman from his boyhood in Dublin and his early career in the Navy and his service in the First World War, through his commands in the inter-war years, to the great sea battles in the Mediterranean, and then his elevation to First Sea Lord in 1943 and his subsequent responsibility for the operational policy of the Royal Navy during the later stages of the War. He attended the conferences at Casablanca, Teheran, Quebec and Yalta, and gives revealing glimpses of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. His was, truly, a remarkable career. This is a beautifully written and absorbing naval memoir, and it made a significant contribution to the history of the Royal Navy in the Second World War when it was first published in 1951; this new paperback edition, with an introduction by his great nephew Admiral Jock Slater, will fascinate and delight a new generation of readers and bring into focus again a great British fighting admiral.

• Publisher‏: ‎ Seaforth Publishing (28 Feb. 2022)
• Language: ‎ English
• Paperback: ‎ 720 pages
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1399092951

Many books have been produced which detail the lives and thoughts of famous individuals. A View from the Wings is unique, recalling a wartime boyhood in which aircraft flying constantly overhead played a large part. This experience led to a lifetime career in the aviation industry both in the UK and overseas such as the US and South Africa. Mixed with events of a more personal nature often coated with whimsical humour, the author has evocatively captured the rise and demise of Britain’s aircraft industry in the post-war period. In setting out to be non-technical, A View from the Wings will appeal to those whose memories embrace the sound barrier-breaking years and the leap of faith and technology that saw Concorde defeat the Americans in the race to produce a practical supersonic airliner. All too often political procurement and technical failures have made for dramatic headlines and these too are subjected to much critical comments. Think of the critically acclaimed Empire of the Clouds (Faber and Faber, 2010), but instead of a boyhood observer, the author was an active part of the British aviation industry in its former prime and eventual implosion.

When Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands in April 1982, the British government responded by despatching a task force to the Atlantic to wrest back control of the islands. The resulting war saw modern weapon systems tested in combat for the first time, to tragic effect. In the aftermath, official documents were released, but many were heavily censored, and others withheld altogether, so that a full understanding of those events could not be gained. Drawing from recently declassified and previously unpublished reports from the official inquiry, Dr Paul Brown details the true story behind the dramatic events that led to the loss of six British ships – HMS Antelope, Ardent, Coventry and Sheffield, RFA Sir Galahad and SS Atlantic Conveyor – as well as the controversial sinking of the Argentinian cruiser ARA General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror.

Paperback

The moving story of youths turning to young men as they fight a well equipped and determined enemy with outmoded equipment and often in appalling conditions. Perhaps lacking the glamour of flying from the great carriers, those who flew from MAC ships (merchant ships converted to carry aircraft) nonetheless made a huge contribution to winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Sub Lt Stanley Brand pranged W5856, the world's oldest flying Fairey Swordfish, in 1944 due to an engine failure on take off. We're happy to report that W5856 currently resides in our hangar and is a very popular addition at air displays around the UK.

Paperback.

From the television footage shown in all its stark reality and the daily coverage and subsequent memoirs, the impression delivered from the air battles in the Falklands Conflict was that of heroic Argentine pilots who relentlessly pressed home their attacks against the British. While, by contrast, there is a counter-narrative that portrayed the Sea Harrier force as being utterly dominant over its Argentine enemies. But what was the reality of the air war over the Falkland Islands?

While books on the air operations have published since that time, they have, in the main, been personal accounts, re-told by those who were there, fighting at a tactical level, or back in their nation’s capital running the strategic implications of the outcome. But a detailed analysis of the operational level of the air war has not been undertaken – until now. At the same time, some analysts have inferred that this Cold War sideshow offers little insight into lessons for the operating environment of future conflicts. As the author demonstrates in this book, there are lessons from 1982 that do have important and continued relevance today.

Using recently released primary source material, the author, a serving RAF officer who spent two-and-a-half years in the Falklands as an air defence navigator, has taken an impartial look at the air campaign at the operational level. This has enabled him to develop a considered view of what should have occurred, comparing it with what actually happened. In so doing, John Shields has produced a comprehensive account of the air campaign that has demolished many of the enduring myths.

This is the story of not why, but how the air war was fought over the skies of the South Atlantic.

Imprint: Air World
Pages: 384
Illustrations: 16 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781399007528
Published: 30th October 2021

The Air War in the Falklands was another classic example of the importance of aerial superiority. How was that achieved? The numbers, the weapons, the equipment, the tactics and the people are all looked at in detail in this authoratitive book.

Paperback.

... From the First World War to the Present Day

Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare unlocks the history and theory behind the shadowy art of how aircraft hunt for submarines. Written by a veteran US Navy submarine hunting pilot, this book will take aviators, naval enthusiasts, and military scholars behind the scenes to understand how technical breakthroughs, the evolution of weapons, and advances in sensors have shaped this high-risk game of cat and mouse. On 15 September 1916, the French submarine Foucault was spotted and attacked by a pair of Austro-Hungarian flying boats in the Adriatic. During the bombing that followed, Foucault was so badly damaged that she was eventually abandoned by her crew – all of whom survived. This was the first time in history that a submarine had been sunk by an aircraft. It was an engagement which set in motion a constantly evolving aspect of underwater warfare. In this book, Michael Glynn explores a journey through the history of more than 100 years of aerial sub hunting. From the Great War, through the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War and on to the secret confrontations of the Cold War, the reader will witness the parallel evolution of both aircraft and submarine as each side tries to gain supremacy over the other. In so doing, he distils complicated oceanography, operations analysis, and technical theory into easily digested concepts, helping the reader understand how complex weapons and sensors function. By reviewing the steps of a submarine hunting flight, the reader can quickly understand how theory and practice fit together and how aviators set out to achieve their goal of detecting their submarine targets. Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare is a thrilling read for those seeking a glimpse into an arcane and high-stakes world.

• Publisher: ‎  Frontline Books (30 Mar. 2022)
• Language‏:  ‎English
• Hardcover‏: ‎345 pages
• ISBN: ‎         9781399092739