'Seeing Trooping the Colour flypast come to life is really special'

Aircraft engineers have been working at RAF Cranwell ahead of Saturday's Trooping the Colour flypast, which takes place as part of King Charles's birthday celebrations. Five Phenom 100s were being prepared, with one expected to be chosen to mark the occasion in the sky above Buckingham Palace.

"Hours and hours go into preparing the aircraft to get it ready for those couple of seconds you see it in the sky," said aircraft technician Jacob Jarvis, 18.

The event is watched by thousands on the streets of London and millions on TV but less visible are the months of planning it has taken to get to this stage.

Jacob, who has been working at the Lincolnshire site for just under a year, said they prepared the aircraft every evening for the following day.

Some of the work includes checking tyre pressures, making sure systems work and ensuring everything is up to date.

Jacob added: "Seeing it all come to life is really special. It's something I want to do for the rest of my life."

Iain Chalmers, 62, is a former pilot who has taken part in the flypast in previous years.

He said: "You're focused on flying really good formation when you go over the palace itself. You see it on video afterwards and go 'oh, that was me'.

"It's absolutely brilliant to be involved in the flypast for the monarch. We're thrilled to be able to do it this year."

Ian Greer, 45, aircraft maintenance manager and former RAF engineer, said the preparation included a support team who "work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure every detail is checked".

Trooping the Colour is an annual military spectacle from the Horse Guards Parade that marks the Sovereign's official birthday.

Celebrations culminate with the traditional appearance of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, followed by the annual RAF flypast.

Coverage of the event will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 10:30 BST.

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