The Black Arrows, one of the predecessors of the current Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, were an aerobatic demonstration team formed in the 1950s by 111 Squadron (treble-one). One of the many memorable feats accomplished by the Black Arrows was the execution of a 22-plane formation loop in 1958 at the Society of British Aircraft Constructors' show at Farnborough This was a world record for the greatest number of aircraft looped in formation, and remains unbroken to this day.
No. 111 Squadron were formed at RAF North Weald where they received the Hunter before transfer to RAF Wattisham in Suffolk. Until 1961, the Black Arrows were the RAF's premier team. In the early years of the 1960s the Blue Diamonds of 92 Squadron and The Tigers of 74 Squadron started flying. The large number of squadron display teams led to their replacement by a single unit from the Central Flying School.
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