The outbreak of World War II in 1939 led to the replacement of the Envoy III with an armed Lockheed Hudson.
As The Queen's Flight from 1952, the unit operated a variety of aircraft for the transportation and pilot training of members of the Royal family, including Vickers Viking, Avro York, de Havilland Heron and Devon, Westland Whirlwind, Westland Wessex HCC.4,