Tornado salutes the Tornado as aircraft finishes active service

PEPPERCORN ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado paid a symbolic tribute to the aircraft that gave it its name during its stay on the Wensleydale Railway. 

Three of the fighter bombers performed a nationwide farewell flypast from their base at RAF Marham in Norfolk on February 9, flying over Rutland, the West Midlands, north Wales, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire as they marked their withdrawal from active service. 

Here, the trio pass above Leeming Bar, as No. 60163 sounds a salute to mark the end of an era for the RAF. 

The ‘A1’ was named Tornado in honour of the RAF Tornado air crews flying in the first Gulf War at the time of the new-build project’s instigation. DAVE HEWITT

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