5 March 2011
Spitfire Appearance 1.00pm
FREE Admission

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, home to the world’s oldest Spitfire, will be marking the 75th Anniversary of the first Supermarine Spitfire flight on Saturday 5th March 2011. Attending the event will be a host of special guests including three Spitfire Pilots and an Engine Fitter. This 1936 Anniversary will be marked with a day packed full of events, activities and exhibitions for the whole family to enjoy.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet with a number of Spitfire pilots including; female pilot Margaret Frost from Wales. Margaret is one of only 15 women and 100 men to have a special merit award for serving in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) flying replacement fighters to RAF bases during WWII.

Pilot Tony Pickering from Rugby who flew both Spitfires and Hurricanes was aged just 19 when he was fast tracked into active service in July1940, after just three short flights in a Hurricane. Tony has flown in the Mk1 Spitfire currently on display in the Museum.

Also attending will be pilot Ken Wilkinson from Solihull and Spitfire Engine Fitter Sid Lenthall from Albrighton. All three Pilots and Engine Fitter will be speaking with visitors on the day during a Question and Answers session taking place the in the Lecture Theatre.

Another exciting treat for visitors on the day will be an appearance from a MK9 Spitfire at 1pm, Courtesy of The Aircraft Restoration Company, based at Duxford Airfield.

As an extra incentive members of the public will be given a free ticket on arrival to enter a prize draw, to win a limited edition Spitfire print by Richard Broom signed by the RAF pilots who will be visiting the Museum on the day. Tickets will be handed out to visitors on arrival and the draw will take place at the end of the day and the winner will be notified.

The Museum is open daily from 10am. Entry to the event and to the rest of the Museum is FREE. For more information on this event and details of the activities and exhibitions on display please contact the Museum on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org. (Charges may apply for some of the activities)

5th March 2011
10.00am – 4.00pm
FREE Admission

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, home to the world’s oldest Spitfire, will be marking the 75th Anniversary of the first Supermarine Spitfire flight on Saturday 5th March 2011. This 1936 Anniversary will be marked with a day of events, activities and exhibitions for the whole family to enjoy.

Members of the public will have the chance to ride in a replica Spitfire cockpit simulator and to compete against their friends and family as you go into combat against a Messerschmitt. Children and adults can find out what it was like to be a 1940’s RAF pilot by sitting inside a replica Spitfire, complete with flying jacket and goggles; and will have the opportunity to have their photo taken professionally as a memento of the day (charges apply). In addition to this visitors can also try out in yet another replica Spitfire its controls and to get a feeling of what it was like to fly this much loved aircraft.

Especially for this event will be a display of artefacts from the collection of Second Officer Eric Crowder, an Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) pilot. Crowder delivered over 350 different aircraft during his ATA service, including 40 Spitfires and he regularly flew to and from RAF Cosford. The items will be on display in the Museum’s Model Room.

In the Warplanes Hangar the Museum will be displaying a collection of artefacts relating to Reginald J. Mitchell, designer of the Spitfire, including photographs, drawings, Schneider Trophy memorabilia and aircraft models. These will be complimented with a display relating to the prototype Supermarine Spitfire, serial number K5054, including photographs, models and the knee pad notebook used by test pilot Jeffrey Quill when evaluating the aircraft in the air.

At regular intervals throughout the day the Museum will be showing a short documentary in the Lecture Theatre ‘A Story Of Fighter Development’; whilst children will have the opportunity to make for free their own Spitfire glider to take home and keep. Don’t forget when visiting to view the 1:1 scale model Spitfire built by James May or the specially commissioned images of the Museum’s Spitfire by Richard Broom, which will be on sale in the Museum Shop.

* Special guests are being lined up for the event – more details to be released soon.

The Museum is open daily from 10am. Entry to the event and to the rest of the Museum is FREE, charges may apply for some of the activities. For further information on this and other events scheduled for 2011, please contact the Museum on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford took delivery of its latest acquisition, an RAF Dominie T.MK.1 on Friday 11th February. The aircraft was flown in from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, by Flt Lt Andy Owen and Flt Lt Andy Preece both of 55 squadron. The aircraft will now undergo some preparation work prior to going on display at the museum in the next few weeks.

Al McLean, Curator at the RAF Museum Cosford says:

“We are pleased to have received a Dominie aircraft. It will be a significant addition to the museum collection as it is at present, the longest serving aircraft in the RAF. We hope that the aircraft will be popular with our visitors.”

The Dominie T.MK.1 was built as a navigation training aircraft and has been in RAF service since 1965. A total of twenty Dominies were built in the 1960’s to replace the Meteor NF (T) 14 and it could reach speeds over 320MPH.

Initially it flew in a silver/day-glow colour scheme which later changed to the red, white and grey scheme and finally to today’s black, grey and white. They were used to train Navigators and other air crew members in systems management, air leadership, decision making and teamwork. The retirement date for the Dominie was brought forward by two years due to cancellation of the Nimrod and the planned reduction of the Tornado fleet.

The RAF Museum Cosford is home to over 70 aircraft and the award winning National Cold War Exhibition. The Museum is open daily from 10am, admission is FREE. For more information on the Museum please call 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be taking delivery of its latest acquisition, an RAF Dominie T.MK.1, on Friday 11th February 2011 at 11.30am, when it makes its final flight into RAF Cosford. This particular aircraft is significant because it was the first Dominie to enter RAF Service.

The Dominie T.MK.1 was built as a navigation training aircraft and has been in RAF service since 1965. On arrival at RAF Cosford, the aircraft will undergo a short period of preparation and defueling before going on permanent display as part of the Museum’s extensive collection.

Al McLean, Curator at the RAF Museum Cosford says:

“We are very pleased to be receiving a Dominie. It is at present the longest serving aircraft in the RAF, having been in continuous use for more than 45 years. However, its timeless design means it looks far more modern and it will be an excellent addition to the Museum aircraft collection. ”

A total of twenty Dominies were built in the 1960’s to replace the Meteor NF (T) 14 and initially flew in a silver/day-glow colour scheme which later changed to the red, white and grey scheme and finally to today’s black, grey and white. They were used to train Navigators, Air Engineers and Air Loadmasters in systems management, air leadership, decision making and teamwork and could reach speeds over 320MPH. The retirement date for the Dominie was brought forward by two years due to cancellation of the Nimrod and the planned reduction of the Tornado fleet.

This is the first of a number of new aircraft expected at the RAF Museum Cosford this year. The RAF Museum Cosford is home to over 70 aircraft and the award winning National Cold War Exhibition. The Museum is open daily from 10am, admission is FREE. For more information on the Museum please call 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org