THEIR sleek lines made them some of the most elegant aircraft ever to take to the skies and, as they roared over the Solent, their pilots became heroes.

The legendary Schneider Trophy planes were a familiar sight in the skies above Southampton in the 1920s and early 1930s when the flying aces and their machines were based at Calshot.

The Naval Air Station at Calshot officially came into being on March 29, 1913, and played a vital role in the development of flying throughout the First World War.

After hostilities in Europe ended, the School of Naval Co-operation and Aerial Navigation was based at Calshot and in 1927 the Royal Air Force High Speed Flight arrived for a two-month period of training for the Schneider Trophy Race that was to be held in Venice. This further perpetuated Calshot’s long association with the flight.

The flight was under the command of Squadron Leader L Slatter, and the pilots were flight-lieutenants S Kinkhead – later to die tragically – E Worsley and S Webster, who flew the winning circuit and brought the trophy back to Britain.

The flight returned the following year to stage an attempt on the world air speed record.

In September, a new British air speed record was established when Flight Lieutenant D D’Arcy Grieg reached a speed of more than 319mph, just failing to set a new world record.

The High Speed Flight returned in 1929 to successfully defend its right to hold the trophy. as the country followed the exploits of Squadron Leader Orlebar, Flight Lieutenants D’Arcy Grieg and G Stainforth, together with Flying Officers H Waghorn and R Atcherley.

Two years later the flight won the right to retain the trophy permanently in Britain and had set up a new world speed record of more than 407mph in a supermarine aircraft.

As war clouds gathered again, Calshot prepared for conflict with beach huts being cleared, anti-aircraft guns installed and barrage balloons installed on the spit.

Calshot played its part in the Dunkirk evacuation by sending five sea-plane tenders to help rescue the troops from the beaches, and the station became a hive of activity carrying out repairs and training personnel

On April 1, 1961 RAF Calshot ceased operations bringing to a close another chapter of Hampshire’s long association with aviation, but the station’s 48-year contribution to the history of the RAF will never be forgotten.