Iconic App Brings the Historic RAF Centenary Flypast to Your Front Door

An iconic flypast of more than 100 military aircraft which marked the Royal Air Force’s centenary anniversary celebrations can be experienced anywhere using augmented reality thanks to a new app.

In a British military first, the RAF has created a free to download app in partnership with the University of Lincoln that enables the public to experience the flypast which took place over Buckingham Palace this week for themselves through their own smartphone and tablet devices, with fully realistic 3D planes flying over their gardens.

Users can create their own flypasts, capture and collect aircraft, view them in scaled augmented reality and learn more about their technical specifications and history.

There are 35 types of aircraft featured on the app, spanning the entire history of the RAF, from the latest state of the art F35 Lightning through to the iconic Spitfire and the Sopwith Camel. The planes will be released in tranches to mark the different stages of the RAF100 Aircraft Tour, which is open to the public and will be touring the country over the coming months.

The RAF100Flypast app is available to download from the App Store and Google Play. It was developed with academic and student expertise from the University’s School’s of Design and Computer Science. Tested at every stage, feedback from local Lincolnshire school students and Air Training Corps cadets has ensured the app is designed to inspire and engage new and younger audiences.

Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln, Julian Free, said: “As a University we are located in the heart of Bomber County, and celebrating the county’s RAF heritage and the milestone of 100 years of service is of immense importance. The key goal of the app was to engage as many people, from as many generations, as possible and spark an interest in aviation.  We are delighted with the App’s interactivity and the entertaining way it brings our Nation’s aviation history alive.  There will be further updates to the App throughout the summer leading up to the Duxford Airshow”

The app also allows users to delve into the stories behind the aircraft featured, with historical information researched and compiled by a team at the University’s School of English and Journalism.

To drive awareness of the 100th anniversary celebrations, users are encouraged to share images and video of their favourite flypasts in the best locations over the summer with the #RAF100 hashtag. The RAF will then choose the best content from younger users and invite them to display their achievements on the big screen in the RAF100 Inspire Zone at the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow & RAF100 finale on 22nd to 23rd September 2018.

Air Commodore Chris Jones said: “The RAF100Flypast app allows users to see the historic formation flypast over Buckingham Palace in the comfort of your garden, at school or even in your front room. Users will be able to find out about the history of each plane through the app, as well as being able to create and collect their own planes. The app is a fun way to showcase the RAF’s use of innovation and technology, and we hope it will inspire the next generation of aerospace pioneers.”

This week up to 100 RAF aircraft performed a flypast on an epic scale over central London to mark the centrepiece of the Royal Air Force’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Historic aircraft, including Spitfires, joined some of the RAF’s most state-of-the-art aircraft in this unique event.

The flypast was the largest concentration of military aircraft seen over the capital in recent memory. The mass display will feature a range of aircraft, marking different eras of the RAF’s proud 100-year service history.