Which is the oldest British aircraft still flying?

Short answer

The Blackburn Type D, also known as the Single Seat Monoplane, which Robert Blackburn built in Leeds in 1912. It first flew late that year and, after restoration, flew again on 17 September 1947; it still flies on calm days with the Shuttleworth Collection, as Britain's oldest airworthy aircraft.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Which is the oldest British aircraft still flying?

Blackburn Type DTSRL (CC BY SA), vía commons

A monoplane built in Leeds

The Blackburn Type D, also known as the Single Seat Monoplane, was built by Robert Blackburn in Leeds in 1912. The aircraft made its first flight at the end of that year, with Harold Blackburn at the controls in December 1912.

From the 1914 crash to a farm in Wittering

In 1914 it was crashed by its then owner, Glew, with damage beyond his ability to repair. The wreckage lay untouched on his family's farm in Wittering until Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth discovered it and bought it in 1938.

Flying again since 1947

After the Second World War, Shuttleworth's engineers restored the machine. The restored Type D flew on 17 September 1947. It still flies on calm days with the Shuttleworth Collection, as the oldest airworthy aircraft in Britain.