Students with a passion for STEM subjects have taken part in a six-part online STEM mission, competing against teams from other schools across the UK, in a bid to secure their place on the Summer Time Advanced Aerospace Residency (STAAR) programme.

Delivered by the Royal Air Force Museum, in partnership with Northrop Grumman in the UK, the STAAR programme offers students the opportunity to experience the excitement of the aerospace industry first-hand. Hundreds of Year 9 students took part, and the six winning schools who most successfully met the overall mission objectives across each of the six challenges, will now enjoy a two-day residential educational and vocational experience at RAF Cosford, when they return to school after the summer holidays.

With more than 32 schools taking part, the winning teams are:

• John Hampden Grammar School
• Denmark Road High School
• Madeley Academy
• Barnwell School
• Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School
• King Edward VI Handsworth Girls School

Julie Brierley, Head of Access and Learning at RAF Museum Cosford said:
‘We were blown away with the interest we received from schools across the country, with over 520 students participating. Schools from as far north as Glasgow, to the far corners of Cornwall took part, along with schools throughout the Midlands and London. We hope it’s been an enjoyable and educational insight into the exciting world of aerospace, and we look forward to welcoming the winning schools to Cosford later this year for their STAAR residential experience.’

To secure their place on the STAAR residential, students had to successfully complete a series of STEM challenges based on a mock mission. Entries were judged by a panel of experts from the Royal Air Force and the aerospace industry, with Air Marshal Knighton overseeing the final selection.

Teams were tasked with designing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), detailing its capabilities, and then creating a 3D CAD model of their design. Teams had to demonstrate their problem-solving skills as they decrypted coded messages using various techniques, and plot routes to navigate their way through obstacles in a pathfinder’s task. In the final stages of their mission, students took part in aerial reconnaissance, assessing historical images and modern satellite images, before presenting their findings.

Air Marshal Knighton said:
‘I have been hugely impressed by the quality of the entries. The level of technical knowledge is remarkable, but the imagination on display is amazing. It has been a real privilege to judge this competition. I can’t thank the students and staff enough for their hard work.’

The students from each winning school will develop their skills further and complete phase two of their STAAR mission during the onsite residential at RAF Cosford in the autumn term. Students will get to participate in a range of activities, including programming drones to swarm.

Nick Chaffey, Chief Executive of Northrop Grumman UK, Europe and Middle East said:
“In 2021 we adapted the STAAR programme to deliver a challenging competition to even more young people than before. By bringing STEM subjects and their real-world applications to life we aim to provide inspiring opportunities to experience the careers that are available within the aerospace and defence industry. Congratulations to all the teams who took part, and we look forward to welcoming the winners to RAF Cosford for an amazing educational and vocational experience.”

The STAAR programme is fully funded (including travel, food and accommodation for the residential phase) by Northrop Grumman and is delivered in partnership with the RAF Museum and Tablet Academy, with the generous support of RAF Cosford and the RAF Youth and STEM Engagement Team.

For more information on the STAAR programme visit www.rafmuseum.org/STAAR.

Within its first year, the Royal Air Force Museum’s Adopt an Artefact initiative has helped raise more than £65,000 to help keep the Museum flying, with over 200 adoptees supporting the Museum in one of the toughest years faced by visitor attractions.

‘Adopt an Artefact’ highlights a selection of iconic and unusual objects from the Museum collection which span more than a century of aviation and RAF history. It’s also a unique opportunity for everyone to be part of the RAF’s story while raising funds for the Museum.

To celebrate the first anniversary, the Museum is introducing five new objects for people to adopt, each with their own fascinating story to tell. The new objects joining the list of over 60 already available to adopt include a flying car, dog lead, RAF Cosford hospital tag, fighter fund card and even a toothbrush. These five new items have all been specially selected from the Museum’s collection of more than 1.3 million items and can be adopted online at rafmuseum.org.

The NEW Anniversary artefacts available for adoption include the Nylon Halex toothbrush. But this is no ordinary toothbrush and concealed within the handle is a small, magnetised compass swinger. This is an example of the work of Section 9 of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (MI9). One of MI9’s specialities was smuggling escape aids into prisoner of war camps in otherwise unremarkable looking objects. It’s the perfect adoption for any budding spies and can be spotted on display at the Museums London site.

The RAF Cosford Hospital Key Tag for the female nurses’ quarter is a poignant adoption for the medical staff who worked there. Opened in 1940 and housed in a series of inter-connected wooden huts, the RAF Cosford hospital treated more than 42,000 patients during the Second World War, including returning prisoners of war and burns victims. Following the war, the hospital’s remit was widened to include care for the local population, and thousands of military and civilian patients were treated at the hospital before its closure in 1977. Visitors to the Museums Cosford site can view the tag on display.

The sky’s the limit with Handley Page HP120 Flying Car adoption! Developed in 1950s when there was considerable interest in the concept of a flying car, this model was built for wind tunnel testing. Before building full-sized prototypes, designers often use large accurate models to observe the behaviour of proposed new aircraft under simulated flight conditions. Powered by a jet engine and fitted with folding wings and a moveable tail, this flying car concept never went beyond the wind tunnel model stage. Adoptees can view this unique item on display in London.

Calling all dog lovers…the heavy-duty Dog Lead used with patrol dogs at RAF Scampton in the 1970s is the perfect adoption for you. RAF police dogs have their own RAF service numbers and non-commissioned ranks. This sometimes means that the dog will outrank its handler! The RAF Police have used dogs in the protection of airfields and military installations since 1945. RAF police dogs are trained in two distinct roles, either patrol and guarding or as specialist search dogs. This object, which recognises the important contribution of service dogs, is proudly on display at Cosford.

The Fighter Fund Card of Honour now available for adoption is an example of the many Fighter Funds established in 1940 to raise the £5,000 required to purchase an RAF fighter aircraft which was then named after an individual, business, town or city. They enabled ordinary people to contribute to the war effort and brought communities and Allied counties together. Savings cards encouraged the public to donate a small but regular amount to a Fighter Fund. Stamps could be purchased for a penny and, on completion of the card, the owner was issued with a large Stamp of Honour. Eighty years on, you can help support the Museum’s public fund by adopting the Fighter Fund Card of Honour! Look out for this artefact next time you visit the Museums Cosford site.

Adopt online at www.rafmuseum.org, where you can discover more about the new artefacts and browse through more than 60 items up for adoption, including everything from a Red Arrows flying suit, to lucky mascots, and even a commemorative beer mat, there really is something for everyone! Adoptions can be made on an individual or corporate basis; join Mars and Chelsea FC by adopting one of our amazing aircraft!

Starting at £25.00, adoptions last 12 months from the date they are adopted. As recognition for their adoption, all adoptees will receive a digital adoption certificate and photo, exclusive updates, and the option to include a dedicated message along with the name of the adoptee alongside the object on Collections Online, the Museum’s digital collections system.

Abi Betteridge, Individual Giving Manager RAF Museum said:
‘Since we launched Adopt an Artefact last year, dedication messages from adoptees have continued to flood our web pages. We have seen many personal tributes to loved ones, like Twinkletoes the Cat who was adopted in memory of someone’s father, a wartime Hurricane pilot and cat lover. One of the more humorous dedications we have seen was for the Elsanol Chemical Toilet Fluid, it read ‘Lest we forget all the little underappreciated jobs that make the world go around’. There have also been messages of reflection, encouragement and support, it is very moving to read through them.

Adopting an artefact can help make a real difference to the services we continue to deliver. The money raised through adoptions could help fund places for students on our three-year engineering Apprenticeship in the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre, or provide our Access and Learning team additional members of staff, enabling them to deliver our amazing learning programme to even more learners.’

Edward Sharman, Head of Development RAF Museum, said:
‘As a result of the pandemic, the Museum has seen a reduction in our self-generated income of over £3m. By adopting one of our amazing objects in the collection, support from our adoptees is helping the Museum continue inspiring everyone with the RAF story. It is also a fantastic opportunity for individuals and organisations to be part of the RAF’s history and to receive something unique in return for their support. We hope adoptees have enjoyed being part of Adopt an Artefact and will consider continuing to support us and adopt for another year.’

All adoptees can view their adopted artefact during a visit to the Museum, where each object can be found on display at either the Museum’s Cosford or London site.

The Museum is open daily from 10.00am and admission is free, simply pre-book your arrival time online at www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. Then it’s chocks away as you explore the Museum’s vast collection of aircraft, vehicles, artefacts and the fascinating story of the RAF!

The Science and Industry Museum and Manchester City Council announce today that the museum will no longer lease the historic Lower Campfield market hall building which houses the Air and Space Hall.

This hall, which is closed due to the extent of repairs needed, and many of the objects within it, formed Manchester City Council’s Air and Space Museum, which opened in 1983.The Air and Space Hall was originally taken on by the North Western Museum of Science and Industry in 1985 due to the disbanding of Greater Manchester Council’s Air and Space Museum, before transferring to the Science Museum Group in 2012.

The majority of the aviation collection on display will be returned from loan to their home organisations, which include the RAF Museum. Many new onward destinations for loan are currently being planned to ensure that the collections can continue to be enjoyed by the public across the UK.

The RAF Museum’s Avro 707A and English Electric P1A will be rehomed at Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, and the Avro 504K will find a new home at the Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome in Essex – where members of the public will soon be able to see them on display. The Yokosuka Ohka II will travel to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona, USA, while the Avro Shackleton will travel to its ‘spiritual home’ at the Avro Heritage Museum in Woodford, Stockport. Many aircraft will also return to The Aeroplane Collection at nearby Ellesmere Port.

Maggie Appleton, RAF Museum CEO said: “We are delighted to be rehoming these aircraft and sharing them with new audiences to enjoy and connect with their stories. I know they will resonate with audiences and communities, with some even having local stories linked to them. As a National Museum, the RAF Museum is committed to sharing the story of the Royal Air Force with everyone, and having jewels from our collection on display in different parts of the country, and indeed the world, means that this story is more accessible and available. I look forward to visiting each site to see them on display.”

Science and Industry Museum Director, Sally Macdonald, says: “The decision to vacate our lease has not been easy but it’s the right thing to do for our visitors, the building and the city. Since the Science Museum Group took on the Science and Industry Museum in 2012, we have been working hard on an extensive and intensive programme of urgent repair and conservation work to the buildings the museum inhabits so we can continue to inspire visitors with ideas that change the world.
“We have just completed a £5million new Special Exhibitions Gallery which over 20,000 visitors have already enjoyed, and we are investing £11.3million in our iconic Power Hall, due to reopen in 2023. We are also undertaking repairs valued at over £3m to the 1830 Station and 1830 warehouse.

“As a charity we have invested significant resource to maintain and repair the Air and Space Hall since we have taken on its stewardship, however historic buildings do have a complexity of issues that date back many decades. The repair and investment work required to bring this beautiful building back to life is substantial, the space presents real challenges in the sustainable display of historic objects and ultimately, it is the responsible thing to now pass the building back to Manchester City Council, ready for its next chapter. We take seriously our responsibility to look after our globally significant buildings, which include the world’s oldest surviving passenger station and railway warehouse and we have to prioritise these buildings that we own.”

“I would like to thank all of the visitors, volunteers and partners that have helped to make the Air and Space Hall such a special place for many. We will continue to tell stories and display iconic objects demonstrating the region’s transport innovation in our galleries, in our new talks and learning programmes and online.”

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, says: “The Council welcomes the significant investments which are being made to improve the Science and Industry Museum across the heritage buildings that the museum owns. We recognise that to thrive and continually attract visitors museums need to evolve over time. As such, we support the planned changes. This creates an opportunity to introduce new activities into the Lower Campfield Market building to help support Manchester’s economic recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Working with Allied London, we are developing proposals to refurbish both Upper and Lower Campfield Markets to create and support jobs. These will be brought forward in due course.”

The museum collection, including objects of scale, will continue to be used to tell the story of aeronautics in the North West and will be used in future galleries to showcase the huge contribution the region has made in aviation history.

Visitors in Manchester will also be welcomed when they visit Greater Manchester Transport Museum, Bury Transport Museum, Avro Heritage Museum, Runway Visitor Park, North West Museum of Road Transport and other Greater Manchester Transport Heritage partner venues to view heritage transport collections nearby.

The museum’s historic New Warehouse which houses the Revolution Manchester, Textiles, Experiment, and Special Exhibition galleries remains open with a changing programme of major special exhibitions including Top Secret: from ciphers to cyber security and Use Hearing Protection: the early years of Factory Records, and events for visitors of all ages. The rest of the 7 acre museum is currently undergoing a multi-million pound restoration programme to carry out crucial conservation and renovation work across its listed buildings and structures, bringing to life the story of the site, revealing new spaces and perspectives for all visitors to enjoy, play and learn in and creating a more sustainable museum. The Museum’s much-loved Power Hall is due to reopen in 2023.

www.rafmuseum.org

Whilst the actual Royal International Air Tattoo won’t be taking place as planned at RAF Fairford this weekend, Airshow organisers are ensuring their supporters will still be able to enjoy plenty of aviation-related thrills and excitement – albeit virtually!

The six-hour, free-to-view, live-streamed Virtual Air Tattoo takes place on Saturday, July 17 from 10am to 4pm and will include exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, virtual flying displays, live interviews, competitions and special features.

Presented by Air Tattoo commentator and aviation expert Ben Dunnell and filmed from a live studio by PlanesTV, the 2021 Virtual Air Tattoo will build on the success of last year’s inaugural event that attracted an audience in excess of one million.

As well as being given exclusive operational access to RAF Coningsby and the Historic Army Aircraft Flight at Middle Wallop, the Virtual Air Tattoo team flew on board a USAF Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker air-to-air refuelling flight from RAF Mildenhall. In the studio, there will be a number of live interviews including talks with Red 10, Squadron Leader Adam Collins, from the Red Arrows and Air Tattoo co-founder Tim Prince.

Air Tattoo Head of Air Operations Peter Reoch said whilst it was disappointing not to be able welcome aircraft to RAF Fairford there had been incredible support from air arms from around the world who were keen to participate in the virtual event. Among those represented at the Virtual Air Tattoo will be Austrian, Danish and French, who all participated in the first Air Tattoo in 1971, plus 20 other countries from across the globe.

He said: “We’ve got lots of surprises planned for the live stream , including virtual flying displays with a special 50th anniversary twist! We’ll also be previewing next summer’s Air Tattoo by announcing the Airshow’s themes for 2022. I’m confident that, like the Airshow itself, everyone will find lots to enjoy during the day.”

As well as celebrating the Air Tattoo’s 50th anniversary, the virtual event will also be launching ticket sales for next summer’s ‘real’ Airshow, which will take place on July 15-17, 2022. For ticket details and prices, visit www.airtattoo.com

During the event, viewers will have the opportunity to donate to the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, the Air Tattoo’s parent charity. Text TRUST to 70490 to donate £5 (texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message). Also through Virgin Money Giving: https://bit.ly/rafcharitable

The dedication and professionalism of the Royal International Air Tattoo’s volunteer Air Traffic Services (ATS) team during the past 50 years has been recognised with the presentation of a prestigious trophy.

Awarded by the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO), the Hunt Trophy is the organisation’s highest honour and is awarded only occasionally to an individual or group considered to have made an outstanding contribution to air traffic services. The Air Tattoo’s volunteer ATS team was selected for its dedication since the first Air Tattoo was staged at North Weald airfield in 1971.

GATCO President and CEO Luis Barbero announced the award during a virtual meeting (on June 25) attended by past and present members of the Air Traffic Services team. They included current ATS Manager Gary Elson, his immediate predecessor Ian Revell and Nigel Green, GATCO’s current retired members co-ordinator, who led the Air Tattoo’s ATS team for a number of years. Also present were Air Tattoo CEO Paul Atherton, Head of Air Operations Peter Reoch and Chairman of the Air Tattoo’s parent company RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises, Alan Smith.

Luis Barbero said: “I’m incredibly humbled and honoured on behalf of GATCO to present the Hunt Trophy to the Air Traffic Services team at the Royal International Air Tattoo to mark 50 years of commitment and dedication as volunteers helping make the event the biggest military airshow in the world. We wish to thank you for all the work you do and for making the event possible for all the aviation enthusiasts in the UK and around the world.”

Ian Revell said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised by our peers, it really means a lot to the team. Over 20 years that I was manager, I was really lucky to work with some really talented and dedicated people and that’s what makes the team. I am sure the skill, determination and dedication hasn’t changed over the years.

“It would be wrong to receive this without also recognising the team at RAF Brize Norton who, over the years, have helped us by providing our radar service so this award is for them as well.”

www.airtattoo.com

The RAF Cosford Air Show team have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 guidance and, after much consideration, we have taken the very difficult decision not to hold an Air Show event over the weekend of the 11th and 12th September 2021.

In light of the Government’s decision to delay the planned lifting of COVID-19 restrictions by four weeks and the rapid spread of the Delta variant, there is too much uncertainty surrounding factors which are outside of our control. Taking this decision now ensures that the future of RAF Cosford Air Shows is secure and we can now focus on our grand return to the skies in 2022.

We are devastated to be in this position once again but, as with many events, the health and safety of the public, as well as our serving personnel, and the financial security of future shows must be our priorities.

Customers who have held onto their tickets will be able to request a refund through our website at www.cosfordairshow.co.uk/tickets , or they can choose to carry their tickets over to the RAF Cosford Air Show 2022. Those who do hold tickets over will not be subject to any price increase.

Exciting plans are already underway for our grand return in 2022, which will tell a 70-year story of aviation and royalty – commemorating the countless achievements in aviation and engineering throughout the 70-year reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors, traders, suppliers and, of course, our thousands of Air Show visitors for their support and understanding. We look forward to welcoming you back to RAF Cosford in 2022.