The Pilots
There are only three full-time pilots on the strength of the RAF BBMF : the Officer Commanding , Operations Officer and the Deputy Operations Officer . Additionally , there is one parttime reservist pilot , and all other BBMF aircrew are volunteers with primary duties in the wider RAF who fly the BBMF aircraft mainly in their own time – a considerable commitment . The BBMF Spitfires and Hurricanes are flown by RAF fighter pilots . There are normally five fighter pilots on the team , with one of these being the present Officer Commanding ( OC ). The Dakota and Lancaster are flown by RAF pilots with a background on heavy , multi-engine , multi-crew aircraft and they volunteer to bring those skill sets to the Flight whilst having permanent roles elsewhere in the RAF . There are normally 3 Lancaster / Dakota captains on the Flight and 2 Dakota captain / Lancaster co-pilots . The Flight also has volunteer Navigators , Flight Engineers and Air Loadmasters who are all essential to the safe and efficient operation of the Lancaster and Dakota .