List of schools within the Royal Air Force
This is a list of schools within the Royal Air Force , including the empire flying training scheme, civilian and service elementary training schemes, and gliding schools.
The Royal Air Force operated many schools to train aircrew in the many and various skills required to operate an air force.
Air Gunners School
Air Navigation School
Air Observers School
Air Observers Navigation School
Bombing and Gunnery School
Civil Air Navigation School
Fighting School
Lancaster Finishing School
Middle East Training School
Radio School
Signals School
Technical Training schools
Aerial Fighting and Gunnery schools
Navigation and Bomb Dropping schools
Recruit Training schools
Various schools
No. 1 (Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery RAF (1917–18) became No. 1 (Observer) School of Aerial Gunnery RAF
No. 1 (Coastal) Engine Control Demonstration Unit RAF (1943–44) became Engine Control Instruction Flight RAF
No. 1 (Middle East) Central Gunnery School RAF (1943) became Royal Air Force (Middle East) Central Gunnery School RAF
No. 1 (Observers) School of Aerial Gunnery RAF (1918–19, 1919)
No. 1 (Training) Wireless School RAF (1917–19) became Electrical and Wireless School RAF
No. 1 Air Armament School RAF (1937–44)
No. 1 Air Electronics School RAF (1957–60) became Air Electronics School RAF
No. 1 Air Gunnery School (India) RAF (1943–45)
No. 1 Air Signallers School RAF (1951–57) became No. 1 Air Electronics School RAF
No. 1 Basic Air Navigation School RAF (1951–53)
No. 1 Beam Approach School RAF (1941–46)
No. 1 Blind Approach School RAF (1941) became No. 1 Beam Approach School RAF
No. 1 Coastal Defence Training Unit RAF (1933–35) became Coastal Defence Development Unit RAF
No. 1 Electrical and Wireless School RAF (1938–40) became No. 1 Signals School RAF
No. 1 Grading School RAF (1951–52) became Airwork Grading Unit RAF
No. 1 Ground Defense Gunners School RAF (1939–42) became No. 3 RAF Regiment School
No. 1 Initial Training School RAF (??-1947, 1948–53, 1953–66) became Aircrew Officers Training School RAF
No. 1 Marine Observers School RAF (1919)
No. 1 Observers School RAF (1918) became No. 2 Marine Observers School RAF
No. 1 Officers Advanced Training School RAF (1944–46) became Officers Advanced Training School RAF
No. 1 Parachute and Glider Training School RAF (1947–50) became No. 1 Parachute School RAF
No. 1 Parachute School RAF (1950–53) became No. 1 Parachute Training School RAF
No. 1 Parachute Training School RAF (1944–47, 1953–)
No. 1 School of Aerial Fighting (1917–18) became No. 1 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery RAF
No. 1 School of Air Navigation RAF (1940) became No. 31 Air Navigation School RAF
No. 1 School of Army Co-operation RAF (1939–41) became No. 41 OTU
No. 1 School of General Reconnaissance RAF (1940) became No. 61 Air School SAAF
No. 1 School of Photography RAF (1942–45) became School of Photography RAF
No. 1 Torpedo Refresher School RAF (1943–44)
No. 2 (Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery (1917–18) became No. 1 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery RAF
No. 2 Air Armament School RAF (1937–38, 1938–40) became No. 3 Ground Armament School RAF
No. 2 Air Signallers School RAF (1952–53)
No. 2 Aircrew Grading School RAF (1951–52)
No. 2 Basic Air Navigation School RAF (1951–53)
No. 2 Electrical and Wireless School RAF (1938–40) became No. 2 Signals School RAF
No. 2 Grading School RAF (1951–52) became Airwork Grading Unit RAF
No. 2 Marine Observers School RAF (1918–19)
No. 2 Observers School RAF (1918–19) became No. 1 (Observers) School of Aerial Gunnery RAF
No. 2 Officers Advanced Training School RAF (??-1946)
No. 2 School of Aerial Fighting (1917–18) became No. 2 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery RAF
No. 2 School of Air Navigation RAF (1940–42) became Central Navigation School RAF . Advance air party proceeded from St Athan to RAF Cranage in October 1940; courses commenced within a few days; disbanded by redesignation in 1942.
No. 2 School of Army Co-operation RAF (1939–41) became No. 6 OTU
No. 2 School of General Reconnaissance RAF (1940)
No. 2 Torpedo Refresher School RAF (1943)
No. 2 Wireless School RAF (1917–19)
No. 24 Bombing, Gunnery and Air Navigation School RAF (1943–45)
No. 29 Elementary Navigation and Air Gunnery School (Southern Rhodesia) RAF (1941–45)
No. 3 (Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery (1917–18) became No. 1 (Observer) School of Aerial Gunnery
No. 3 Electrical and Wireless School RAF (1940) became No. 3 Signals School RAF
No. 3 Parachute Training School RAF (1944–47) passed to Indian Control
No. 3 Radio Direction Finding School RAF (1942) became No. 11 Radio School RAF
No. 3 School of General Reconnaissance RAF (1940–46) became School of General Reconnaissance RAF
No. 4 (Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery RAF (1917–18) became No. 2 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery RAF
No. 4 Parachute Training School RAF (1944–45)
No. 93 Group Screened Pilots School RAF (1943–44)
Advanced Air Firing School (1917–18)
Advanced Bombing and Gunnery School (Middle East) RAF (1943–45)
Aerial Erector School RAF [citation needed ]
Aerial Fighting and Gunnery School (1918–19)
Aerial Fighting School, Heliopolis (1917–18) became No. 5 Fighting School RAF
Air Armament School (1932–37) became No. 1 Air Armament School RAF
Air Electronics and Air Engineers School (1967–76)
Air Electronics School (1960–67) became Air Electronics and Air Engineers School
Air Electronics, Engineer and Loadmaster School (1983–97) became Navigator and Airmen Aircrew School
Air Fighting School (Middle East) (1941–42)
Air Landing School (1941–44)
Air Navigation and Bombing School (1944–45) became No. 5 Air Navigation School RAF
Air Navigation School, India (1942) became General Reconnaissance and Air Navigation School RAF
Air Navigation School (1935–36) became School of Air Navigation
Air Observation Post School (1950–53) became Light Aircraft School
Air Observers School, North Coates (1936–37) became No. 2 Air Armament School RAF
Air Pilotage School (1919–23, 1931–32, 1933–35) became Air Navigation School
Airborne Interception School (1952) became No. 238 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
Airborne Interception/Air-to-Surface Vessel School (1940) became No. 3 Radio School RAF
Aircrew Officers Training School (1967–67)
Airfield Controllers School (1942–48)
All-Weather Fighter Leaders School (1950–58) became All-Weather Fighter Combat School
Armament and Gunnery School (1922–32) became Air Armament School
Artillery and Infantry Co-operation School (1917–18) became Royal Air Force and Army Co-operation School RAF
Artillery Observation School, Egypt (1918–19)
Artillery Observation School (1917–18) became Artillery Observation School, Egypt
Blind Approach School (1940–??) became No. 1 Blind Approach School RAF
Bomber Command Bombing School (1952–68) became Strike Command Bombing School
Central Air Traffic Control School RAF (1963–)
Central Gunnery School (1939–54) became Fighter Weapons School RAF and the Coastal Command Gunnery School RAF
Central Landing School (1940) became Central Landing Establishment
Central Navigation and Control School RAF (1950–63) became Central Air Traffic Control School RAF
Central Navigation School RAF (1942–44, 1949–50) became Central Navigation and Control School RAF
Central Squadron and Flight Commanders School (1945–46)
Coastal Command Anti U-Boat Devices School RAF (1945)
Coastal Command Flying Instructors School RAF (1945) became Coastal Command Instructors School RAF
Coastal Command Gunnery School RAF (1955)
Coastal Command Instructors School RAF (1945–46)
Coastal Command Landplane Pilots Pool RAF (1939–40) became No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF
Coastal Command Tactical Development Unit RAF (1940) became Coastal Command Development Unit RAF
Coastal Defence Development Unit (1935–36)
Electrical and Wireless School (1919–38) became No. 1 Electrical and Wireless School RAF
Empire Air Armament School (1944–49)
Empire Air Navigation School (1944–49) became Central Navigation School RAF
Empire Central Flying School (1954–46) became Empire Flying School
Empire Flying School (1946–49)
Empire Radio School (1946–49) became Royal Air Force Technical College , Signals Division
Empire Test Pilots' School (1944–)
Fighter Command Control and Reporting School (1945–53) became School of Control and Reporting RAF
Fighter Leaders School (1943–44)
Fighter Weapons School (1955–1958)
Fleet School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery (1918–20) became RAF Base, Leuchars
Franco-Belgium Air Training School (1940–41)
General Reconnaissance and Air Navigation School (India) (1942–44)
General Reconnaissance School (1942) became General Reconnaissance and Air Navigation School (India)
Grand Fleet School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery (1918–??) became Fleet School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery
Ground Defence Gunners School (1939) between No. 1 Ground Defence Gunners School RAF
India Detachment, Chinese Air Force Cadet School (??-1946)
Light Aircraft School RAF (1953–57) Control Passed to the Army Air Corps
Machine Gun School (1915–16) became School of Aerial Gunnery
Marine Observers School RAF, Aldeburgh (1918–19) became No. 1 Marine Observers School RAF
Marine Observers School RAF, Leysdown (??-1918)
Navigation School (1926–36) became School of Air Navigation RAF
Navigation Training School RAF (1939–40)
Observers School of Reconnaissance and Aerial Photography RAF (1918–19)
Officers Advanced Training School (1944) became No. 1 Officers Advanced Training School RAF
Parachute Training Centre (1940) became Central Landing School RAF
Parachute Training School (India) (1941–42)
Rhodesian Central Flying School (1941–42) became No. 33 Flying Instructors School RAF
Royal Air Force (Belgian) Training School (1944–46) transferred to Belgian Air Force control
Royal Air Force (Middle East) Central Gunnery School (1943–45)
Royal Air Force and Army Co-operation School RAF (1918–19) became School of Army Co-operation RAF
Royal Air Force and Navy Co-operation School (1919) became Royal Air Force Seaplane Establishment
Royal Air Force School of Army Co-operation (1943–44) became School of Air Support RAF
Royal Air Force School, India (1921–22)
School for Anti-Submarine Inshore Patrol Observers RAF (1918) became Marine Observers School RAF
School for Marine Operational Pilots RAF (1918–19)
School for Wireless Operators (1916–17) became Wireless School
School of Aerial Co-operation with Coastal Artillery RAF (1918–19) became Coastal Battery Co-operation School RAF
School of Aerial Fighting (Canada) (1918)
School of Aerial Fighting and Bomb Dropping RAF (1918) became No. 4 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery RAF
School of Aerial Gunnery and Bombing (1921–22) became Armament and Gunnery School RAF
School of Aerial Gunnery, (Canada) (1917–18) became School of Aerial Fighting (Canada)
School of Aerial Gunnery, Aboukir (1917–18) became No. 5 Fighting School RAF
School of Aerial Gunnery, Hythe (1916–17) became No. 1 (Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery
School of Aerial Gunnery, Loch Doon (1917–18)
School of Aerial Navigation RAF (1920) became School of Naval Co-operation and Aerial Navigation RAF
School of Air Navigation (1936–40) became No. 1 School of Air Navigation RAF
School of Air Pilotage (1919) became Air Pilotage School RAF
School of Air Sea Rescue (1943–45) became Survival and Rescue Training Unit RAF
School of Air Support (1944–47) became School of Land/Air Warfare RAF
School of Air Traffic Control (1946–50) became Central Navigation and Control School RAF
School of Air Transport (1944–46)
School of Army Co-operation (1919–20, 1920–39) became No. 1 School of Army Co-operation RAF
School of Artillery Co-operation (Canada) (1918)
School of Aviation Medicine RAF (1945–50) became RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine
School of Control and Reporting RAF (1953–57) became School of Fighter Plotting RAF
School of Fighter Control RAF (1957–61)
School of General Reconnaissance (1938–40, 1946–47)
School of Land/Air Warfare (1947–63) became Joint Warfare Establishment
School of Naval Co-operation and Aerial Navigation (1920–28)
School of Naval Co-operation (1919–20, 1923–39)
School of Photography, Maps and Reconnaissance (1917–19) became Photographic Park, Farnborough RAF
School of Photography RAF (1919–41, 1945–72)
Specialised Low Attack Instructors School (India) RAF (1943–45) became Ground Attack Training School RAF
Specialised Low Attack Instructors School RAF (1942–44) became Fighter Leaders School RAF
Staff Navigators School (Middle East) RAF (1944–45)
Strike Command Bombing School RAF (1968–74)
Temporary Air Observer's School RAF (1938)
Test Pilots School RAF (1944) became Empire Test Pilots' School
The Officers Advanced Training School RAF (1946–62) became Junior Command and Staff School
Torpedo Aeroplane School RAF (1918) became No. 201 Training Depot Station RAF
Torpedo Bombing School (1942) became No. 5 Middle East Training School RAF
Torpedo Training School (1919–20)
Wireless and Observers School, Brooklands (1916–17) became Artillery and Infantry Co-operation School
Wireless and Observers School, Eqypt (1919)
Wireless School, Brooklands (1916) became Wireless and Observers School, Brooklands
Wireless School, Egypt (1918–19) became Wireless and Observers School, Eqypt
Wireless Telephony School (1918)
Flying training schools [ edit ]
To train pilots for the Royal Air Force, there have been many flying training schools, which are listed here.
British Flying Training School
Central Flying School
Advanced Flying School
Basic Flying Training School
(Basic) Flying Training School
(Advanced) Flying Training School
Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School
Elementary Flying Training School
Flying Instructors School
Flying Refresher School
Flying Training School
1 (Indian) , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 207 , 211
Refresher School
Reserve Flying School
School of Special Flying
Service Flying Training School
1 (Indian) , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 (Polish) , 17 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41
Advanced Flying School (India) (1946–47)
Central Flying School (India) (1944–45)
Central Flying School (Southern Rhodesia) (1944–45)
Defence Helicopter Flying School (1997–)
Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Kenya (1940) became No. 30 Elementary Flying Training School RAF
Empire Flying School (1946–49) became Royal Air Force Flying College
Flying Instructors School, El Khanka (1918–19)
Flying Instructors School (India) (1944) became Central Flying School (India) RAF
Flying Instructors School, The Curragh (1918–19)
Flying Instructors School, Upavon (1919–20) became Central Flying School
Flying Instructors Training School (1943–44) became No. 11 Flying Instructors School RAF
Flying Refresher School (1949–51) became No. 101 Flying Refresher School RAF
Joint Elementary Flying Training School (1993–)
Midland Area Flying Instructors School (1918–19)
Midland Area School of Special Flying (1918) became Midland Area Flying Instructors School
Netheravon Flying School (1919) became No. 1 Flying Training School RAF
Northeastern Area Flying Instructors School (1918–19)
Northern Area Flying Instructors School (1919–20)
Northwestern Area Flying Instructors School (1918–19)
Refresher Flying Training School (1942) became No. 1 Refresher Flying Training School RAF
Reserve Flying School, Brough (1924–35) became No. 4 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF
Reserve Flying School, Coventry (1923–31) became Reserve Flying School, Hamble
Reserve Flying School, Filton (1923–35) became No. 2 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF
Reserve Flying School, Hamble (1931–35) became No. 3 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF
Reserve Flying School, Renfrew (1924–28)
Reserve Flying School, Stag Lane (1923–35) became No. 1 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF
Royal Air Force College Service Flying Training School (1939–44) became No. 17 Service Flying Training School RAF
Royal Air Force Liaison Office, Chinese Elementary Flying Training School (1943–46)
Royal Navy Elementary Flying Training School (1973–93) became Joint Elementary Flying Training School
School of Refresher Flying (1962–77) became Refresher Flying Squadron RAF
School of Special Flying (Canada) (1918)
School of Special Flying, Gosport (1917) became No. 1 School of Special Flying
Southeastern Area Flying Instructors School (1918–19)
Southwestern Area Flying Instructors School (1918–19)
As well as powered aircraft, the Royal Air Force has operated a large number of gliders both for military tasks and for Cadet training.
Royal Air Force
Fleet Air Arm
Others
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918–1988 . Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9 .
Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 . Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6 .
Lake, Alan (1999). Flying Units of the RAF . Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-086-6 .
Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units . UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1 .
Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912 . Tonbridge , UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59 .
formations and units
branches and components reserve forces equipment personnel appointments symbols and uniform associated civil organisations
Royal Air Force Training Establishments
Flying schools and units
Advanced Flying Schools Basic Flying Training Schools (Basic) Flying Training Schools (Advanced) Flying Training Schools British Flying Training Schools Elementary and Reserve Flying Training Schools Elementary Flying Training Schools Gliding schools Instructor schools Flying Refresher Schools Flying Training Schools Reserve Flying Schools Service Flying Schools Special Flying Schools
Operational and Conversion Units Officer training establishments Ground-based training schools
Royal Air Force unit types