Avro 504

The Avro 504 was a stable and reliable two-seater training aircraft. It was the first aircraft flown by No. 601 Squadron at its inception in 1926. It was considered ‘generally idiot-proof’ and said to be 'so safe it could only barely kill you’ by the squadron members, who started a contest requiring a pilot to take off in the rear cockpit, retrieve a handkerchief from the front cockpit, before landing with it in his pocket – as quickly as possible!

Many members of No. 601 Squadron were able to afford and fly their own aircraft. They would often attempt dangerous manoeuvres for entertainment. One example is Sir Dermot Boyle (then a Flight Lieutenant) who became one of the best pilots in the RAF. He often put on a show for his squadron, letting the tail of his Avro 504N rise off the ground until the propeller was cutting the grass during take-off. Sometimes he would even attach wooden sticks to his wings and break them off with pinpoint vertical turns only a few feet above the ground. Sir Dermot went on to become Marshal of the Royal Air Force and played a key role in the founding of the RAF Museum, becoming our first Chairman.