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, BAe 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"

 

You may also like:

'Aviation Icons' Baseball Caps - 
https://navywingsflightstore.org/products/high-quality-baseball-cap

'Fleet Air Arm' Classic Mug Collection -https://navywingsflightstore.org/products/plane-simple-rotary-mug-collection

Navy Wings Series: Enamel Aircraft Badges -
https://navywingsflightstore.org/products/navy-wings-series-enamel-aircraft-badges

 

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 - 

https://navywingsflightstore.org/collections/flew-navy-fly-navy

 

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 - 

https://navywingsflightstore.org/collections/flew-navy-fly-navy

 

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

Comfortable, versatile and very long lasting.

Wear it on the beach, in the garden, in the pub, walking the dog, for the BBQ, lounging around the house or even for sport!

Featuring the proud zigzag and 'Fly Navy' logo of the Fleet Air Arm, these tough shirts have a collection of iconic British naval fixed and rotary wing aircraft on the back. Made to our own design by Badger, a company that makes shirts for top league and national teams. 

If they can stand that sort of wear they will last you for years.

N.B. The men's designs are a traditional 'comfort' fit for those of us with a less than honed athletic frame! The ladies designs are more shaped.

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.

Take your pick from Supermarine Seafire, Hawker Sea Fury, Fairey Swordfish, de Havilland Sea Vixen, Westland Wasp, BAe Sea Harrier, Westland Sea King (Jungly or SAR), Westland Wessex (Jungly or SAR), Gazelle, F35B and Blackburn Buccaneer. They say we should 'Fly the Flag' and these icons of British aviation are aircraft of which we can be justly proud.

Pictures taken by great photographers like Lee Howard and Andy Rouse.

Handwash recommended
330ml capacity

 

You may also like other items in this range - 

https://navywingsflightstore.org/collections/flew-navy-fly-navy

 

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

Featuring the proud zigzag pattern of the Fleet Air Arm these tough ladies shirts have the Sea Vixen on the front and Swordfish and Sea Fury on the reverse.

They are made to our own design by Badger, a company who make shirts for top league and national teams - if they can stand that sort of wear, they will last for years.

Raise a glass… and a smile!

Whether for a boating-themed party, a gift for those hard-to-buy for ‘Yachties’, or simply keeping track of which drink is whose on board, this fun nautical glass tumbler & tankard with jaunty blue and gold designs are sure to raise a smile.

Cheers!

Cartoonist 'Steev' humorously captures the great spirit of the aircraft and crews of the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm.

Steev (aka aeroengineer extraordinaire Steve George) is a great supporter of Navy Wings (he works as a volunteer in our hangar) and all things Fleet Air Arm. We are very grateful that he has allowed us to use his fantastic artwork and a proportion of the proceeds will go to a charity of which he is a Trustee, the Fleet Air Arm Memorial Church Trust, to facilitate their new memorial walkway.

...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.

Ever since its foundation in 1943, the Lockheed Martin Skunk works has been at the forefront of aviation innovation and technology.

This fascinating book takes you on a journey through the history of this legendary facility from its foundation at the height of World War II under the talented engineer, Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson, through to the present day.

Illustrated with over a thousand photographs and drawings. It details the 46 unclassified programmes developed by the Skunk Works, following them through prototype build-up, first flight and. if they reached the frontline, operational service. Projects include the XP-80, U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

Larger than A4 (L30cm x W25cm x H3cm), with 384 pages and weighing over 2.5 kilos, this is a serious work.

Hardback 

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

The same skills, but flying very different missions. An interesting insight into a very different flying career.

The book charts the unusual life of the author from a young boy experiencing life 'below stairs' in a large country house, through his early education by the nanny of the household and later into secondary technical education. His first job in the early 1960's was with a Jaguar car dealership which led to a love of performance cars. A career change in the late 1960's saw him joining the police force in Somerset and experiencing the strict regime that existed in the force in those days. (He required the permission of the Chief Constable to get married!)

Early and regular promotion saw him rising through the ranks until he later retired as a Superintendent in 1998.

The book describes a number of unusual postings and experiences and in particular his first ever flight in an aeroplane in 1976. It was in a two seat jet fighter! That flight brought about a new fire in his lifestyle and became the cause of yet another turn in his career.

The development of Police Air Support became a passion, eventually leading to a second career as an International Police Air Support advisor. 

Finally an interest in local politics saw him elected as a local councillor 2001. He had the honour of Chairing South Gloucestershire Council in 2019 and will soon celebrate a total of 50 years in Public Service.

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

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.

This tea towel was designed from a limited-edition print created by Royal College of Art-trained Paul Martin. Colourful, witty and thought provoking, and sure to raise a smile among fans of agile wordplay and striking imagery.

100% cotton and digitally printed, rather than screen printed, for vivid colours and crisp fine detail.

Each measures 70x50cm.

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