RAF Cosford Air Show ready for take-off

RAF Cosford will host the most spectacular and interactive Air Show tribute to the Royal Air Force’s centenary, with the spectacular RAF Red Arrows taking centre stage with their nine Hawk jets.

The RAF Falcons Parachute Display will be dropping in, carrying the RAF100 Baton, and modern aircraft such as the Typhoon, Chinook and Tutor will also be performing thrilling solo displays.

The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will fly Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster and Dakota to honour those who served in the Second World War.

An assortment of other historic aircraft from throughout the Royal Air Force’s history will also be on display.

On the ground, entertainment will include a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the 100 years of the RAF story told through a static line up of 100 aircraft. Eight planes usually kept inside will be joining the outdoor line-up.

The RAF Museum will be rolling out the planes from its collection to be exhibited outside on the airfield as part of the static ground displays.

Aircraft confirmed to appear include the Bristol M1C a First World War monoplane introduced into the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to compete with the Fokker monoplanes. Displayed alongside the Bristol and representing the early days of aviation will be the Sopwith Strutter, while the Wolverhampton-built a two-seat multi-role aircraft used widely by the RFC, the Royal Naval Air Service and by the French, Belgian and United States Air Forces.

The Wolverhampton-built Boulton Paul Defiant, a two-seat turret fighter operated by No 307 (Polish) Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain, will be rolled out of the Museums ‘War in the Air’ Hangar to represent the Second World War era in the shows ground displays.

Joining the Defiant will be the Gloster Gladiator 1, the first enclosed cockpit and last bi-plane to enter into RAF service, most successfully employed overseas particularly in the defence of Malta.

A collection of post Second World War and Cold War transport aircraft, the de Havilland Devon C2, Percival Pembroke C1, both lightweight communications and transport aircraft and the Scottish Aviation Jetstream T1 pilot trainer, will also be joining the ground displays.

Michelle Morgans, of RAF Museum Cosford, said: “We are delighted to be able to support the show again this year and celebrate the RAF centenary in such a spectacular way.

“In addition to the aircraft being moved out of our hangars for display on the airfield, we will also be bringing the Gloster Meteor F9/40 out of storage exclusively for the show, which we hope will prove popular with visitors.”

Advice for drivers

Drivers travelling to Cosford tomorrow are being encouraged to plan their journey.

Highways England is advising motorists to leave plenty of extra time to travel as the local area is expected to start getting busy from as early as 7.30am with the peak period from 8am onwards and again from 4.30pm to 8.30pm.

Frank Bird, West Midlands emergency planning officer for Highways England, said: “We’re reminding road users to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys with roads leading to the event likely to be very busy, particularly the M54 westbound and the M6.

"We’d also advise people to check our traffic and travel information channels before setting off.”