Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford | |
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Established | 1 May 1979 |
Location | RAF Cosford, Shropshire |
Type | Aviation museum |
Website | http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk |
The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford in Shropshire, is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity.[1] The museum is spread over two sites in England; the other site is at the Royal Air Force Museum London at Colindale (near Hendon) in north London.
History
The London museum was officially opened at the Colindale (then part of Hendon) London site on 15 November 1972 by Her Majesty The Queen. The hangars housed just 36 aircraft at opening. Over the years, the collection increased and aircraft were stored at RAF stations around the country when they were not on display. While they were being so stored, these aircraft were not publicly displayed.
On 1 May 1979, the Cosford site was opened at RAF Cosford, one of the RAF stations which had been used to store the museum's collection of aircraft. On opening, the museum initially exhibited airframes which had been used for technical training at RAF Cosford. In the following years additional aircraft were added to the collection and in 1980 it was agreed that the British Airways Collection be displayed at Cosford. On 21 June 1998 four additional galleries were opened, housing art, temporary exhibitions and other aviation subjects. 13 May 2002 saw the relocation of the RAF Museum Conservation Centre from Cardington, Bedfordshire to Cosford. The Centre, costing £2.4 million, was opened by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham and is named after him.[2]
The Cosford site includes several developmental aircraft such as those that led to the English Electric Lightning and the second prototype of the BAC TSR-2.
British Airways collection
In 1980, the Cosford site agreed to house the British Airways Museum collection. In 2006 British Airways withdrew funding from the collection, after which the RAF Museum did not take on the costs of maintaining the aircraft. Several of the jet airliners have subsequently been broken up, including the only Boeing 707 that was preserved in the UK, a Vickers VC10 and a Hawker Siddeley Trident.
National Cold War Exhibition
The National Cold War Exhibition opened at Cosford in February 2007. The exhibition houses the museum's V bombers and other Cold War aircraft in a newly constructed 8,000m2 exhibition building designed by architects Fielden Clegg Bradley.[3] The exhibition concept and design was developed by Neal Potter and includes 'silo theatres' which depict, in a variety of media, the key tensions of the Cold War period.
The first Director of the Museum was Dr John Tanner who retired in 1987. In 1988 Dr Michael A Fopp (who had previously directed the London Transport Museum) was appointed and is currently Director General of all three sites covered by the Museum.
The site can be reached by public transport via the neighbouring Cosford railway station on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line.
Aircraft on display
List from Royal Air Force Museum Cosford official website.[4]
Hangar 1 (Transport & Training)
Aircraft | Serial | On Display? |
---|---|---|
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.1 | XP411 | Yes |
Auster T.7 Antarctic | WE600 | Yes |
Avro Anson C.19 | TX214 | Yes |
BAC Jet Provost T.5A | XW418 | Yes |
Boulton Paul Sea Balliol T.21 | WL732 | Yes |
Bristol Sycamore HR.14 | XJ918 | Yes |
CASA 352L (Junkers Ju 52) | G-AFAP | Yes |
Comper CLA.7 Swift | G-ACGL | Yes |
de Havilland Chipmunk T.10 | WP912 | Yes |
de Havilland Comet 1XB | G-APAS | Yes |
de Havilland Devon C.2 | VP952 | Yes |
Fairchild Argus II | G-AIZE | Yes |
Hawker Cygnet | G-EBMB | Yes |
Hawker Siddeley Andover E.3A | XS639 | Yes |
Hawker Siddeley Gnat T.1 | XR977 | Yes |
Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.1 | XD574 | Yes |
Hunting Percival Pembroke C.1 | WV746 | Yes |
Mignet HM.14 | G-AEEH | Yes |
Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1 | XX654 | Yes |
Scottish Aviation Jetstream T.1 | XX496 | Yes |
Vickers Varsity T.1 | WL679 | Yes |
Westland Dragonfly HR.3 | G-AJOV | Yes |
Westland Wessex HC.2 | XR525 | Yes |
National Cold War Exhibition
Aircraft | Serial | On Display? |
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Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.14 | WS843 | Yes |
Avro York C.1 | TS798 | Yes |
Canadair Sabre F.4 | XB812 | Yes |
Douglas Dakota C.4 | KN645 | Yes |
English Electric Canberra PR.9 | XH171 | Yes |
English Electric Lightning F.1/P.1B | XG337 | Yes |
General Dynamics F-111F-CF | 74-0177 | Yes |
Gloster Javelin FAW.1 | XA564 | Yes |
Handley Page Hastings T.5 | TG511 | Yes |
Handley Page Victor K.2 | XH672 | Yes |
Hawker Hunter T.7A | XL568 | Yes |
Hawker Siddeley B.2 | XM598 | Yes |
Mikoyan MiG-15bis | 001120 | Yes |
Mikoyan MiG-21PF | 7105 | Yes |
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC.1 | XL993 | Yes |
Short Belfast C.1 | XR371 | Yes |
Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low IV | 68-8284 | Yes |
Vickers Valiant B.1 | XD818 | Yes |
Externally displayed exhibits
Aircraft | Serial |
---|---|
Bristol Britannia 312 | G-AOVF |
Hawker Siddeley Dominie T.1 | XS709 |
Hawker Hunter F.6A | XG225 |
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1 | XV249 |
Lockheed C-130 Hercules C.4 | XV202 |
Lockheed SP-2H Neptune | 204 |
Test Flight (Research & Development Collection)
Aircraft | Serial | On Display? |
---|---|---|
Avro 707c | WZ744 | Yes |
BAC TSR-2 | XR220 | Yes |
British Aerospace EAP | ZF534 | Yes |
Bristol 188 | XF926 | Yes |
English Electric P.1A | WG760 | Yes |
Fairey Delta 2 | WG777 | Yes |
Gloster Meteor F8 Prone Position | WK935 | Yes |
Gloster Meteor T7 (Modified) | WA634 | No |
Hawker-Siddeley Kestrel FGA.1 | XS695 | Yes |
Hunting H.126 | XN714 | Yes |
Panavia Tornado P02 | XX946 | No |
Saunders-Roe SR.53 | XD145 | Yes |
SEPECAT Jaguar ACT | XX765 | Yes |
Short SB.5 | WG768 | Yes |
War in the Air Collection
Aircraft | Serial | On Display? |
---|---|---|
Avro Lincoln B.2 | RF398 | Yes |
BAe Harrier GR9A | ZG477 | Yes |
Bristol M.1c | C4994 | Yes |
Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina | L-866 | Yes |
de Havilland Mosquito TT.35 | TA639 | Yes |
de Havilland Venom FB.4 | J1704 | Yes |
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch | VP746 | Yes |
FMA 1A58 Pucara | ZD485 (A-515) | Yes |
Focke Achgelis FA330 | n/a | Yes |
Folland Gnat F.1 | XK724 | Yes |
Hawker Afghan Hind | n/a | Yes |
Hawker Hurricane IIc | LF738 | Yes |
Kawasaki Ki-1001b | n/a | Yes |
Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet | 191614 | Yes |
Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 | 420430 | Yes |
Mitsubishi Ki-46 'Dinah' | n/a | Yes |
North American P-51D Mustang | 44-73415 | No |
Sopwith 1½ Strutter | A8226 | Yes |
Sopwith Pup | N5182 | No |
Supermarine Spitfire I | K9942 | Yes |
Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka | n/a | Yes |
Engines on display
The Cosford museum houses a large collection of aero engines, the majority are located in Hangar 1, a small side room of this hangar contains a display of rocket engines.
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Missile collection
The museum holds a large collection of missiles and rocket-powered weapons, including several rare German World War II types. The majority are located in the National Cold War Exhibition, with the German collection on display in Hangar 1.
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Michael Beetham Conservation Centre
Also on the museum site is the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre. The centre restores aircraft and artefacts for display at both Cosford and London. It is named in honour of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham and was opened by him on 13 May 2002.[5]
Aircraft currently in storage or long-term restoration include:
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, Registered Charity no. 244708 at the Charity Commission
- ↑ Ellis 2004, p. 179.
- ↑ Spicer, Graham (7 February 2007). "Cold War Exhibition Opens in Spectacular New RAF Cosford Building". wwww.culture24.org.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ Royal Air Force Museum Cosford exhibit list Retrieved: 20 April 2015
- ↑ Ellis 2004, p. 179.
Bibliography
- Ellis, Ken. Wrecks and Relics – 19th Edition, Midland Publishing, Hinckley, Leicestershire. 2004. ISBN 1-85780-183-0
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Museum Cosford. |
- RAF Museum website
- RAF Museum Photo website
- Royal Air Force website
- Photo galleries of aircraft at the RAF Museum and a virtual tour of RAF Cosford
- The National Cold War Exhibition
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