This year mark 50 years since the Hawker Siddeley Hawk entered service in 1976, 70 years since the Gloster Javelin and Avro Vulcan entered service in 1956, and 80 years since the de Havilland Vampire first entered service in 1946. 

This year is also 30 years since the death of Sir Frank Whittle (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force officer who is credited with co-creating the jet propulsion engine. In 2002, Whittle was ranked number 42 in the BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.