Express & Star

When and where to see legendary Hercules warplanes in farewell national flypast over region

Today is the last chance to catch a flying glimpse of the legendary Hercules plane, as a monumental flypast marks its forthcoming retirement from the RAF.

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Aviation enthusiasts will have a final chance to see the famous plane in flight when three Hercules C-130Js tour the UK today, including a flypast of RAF Cosford.

Residents across Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire will be among the first in the UK to spot the Hercules at the start of the day. It then heads off to as far as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Salisbury Plain near Stonehenge.

A staple of the RAF since 1966, the planes have been used around the world in support of UK military and humanitarian relief operations.

After over half a century in service, they are being replaced by 22 Atlas A400 planes.

Today, three of the recognisable planes are set to fly out from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 10am, before heading to their first destination over the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

From there, the route moves towards Cosford at 10.34am, before flying northwest towards Anglesey, flying over Shifnal and Telford.

After touring the skies across Wales, the planes will head to Ireland and Scotland before moving back south towards Yorkshire, across London, and back up to its starting point in Oxfordshire.

10.00am - Depart RAF Brize Norton

10.25am - National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas

10.34am - RAF Cosford

11.22am - RAF Valley

11.48am - FS Aldergrove

12.51pm - RAF Lossiemouth (with Typhoon escort)

14.08pm - RAF Leeming

14.10pm - RAF Topcliffe

14.23pm - Beverley

14.35pm - RAF Waddington

14.38pm - RAF College Cranwell

14.58pm - Cambridge Airport

15.04pm - RAF Mildenhall

15.15pm - Colchester Garrison

16.22pm - MOD Boscombe Down

16.25pm - Salisbury Plain (West Down Camp)

16.32pm - MOD Lyneham

16.36pm - Royal Wootton Bassett

16.39pm - Defence Academy of the UK, Shrivenham

16.43pm - Dalton Barracks, Abingdon

16.51pm - RAF Halton

16.55pm - RAF High Wycombe

17.05pm - RAF Brize Norton