Event Marks 75th Anniversary of the First Spitfire Flight
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
