Tag: May

Date: 20 May 2016

Time: 12.30pm

Cost: FREE

The forgotten role of the Royal Air Force during the Korean War will be the focus of the next Cold War Lunchtime Lecture held at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford later this month. The lecture entitled ‘The RAF in the Korean War, 1950-1953′, will be presented by Ewan Burnet, Curator of Film and Sound at the RAF Museum and examines an often overlooked aspect of the RAF’s history. The lecture will take place on Friday 20 May 2016 at 12.30pm.

This forthcoming lecture is the second in the new series of lectures launched earlier this year, which each cover a different topic related to the Cold War. During this discussion, Ewan will look back to 1950 when the Korean War broke out and how at that time, British resources, severely depleted by the Second World War, were already stretched by existing commitments in parts of the world such as Malaya. As a result, the RAF’s involvement and British involvement more generally, was limited by this and by more pressing Cold War concerns over Soviet intentions.

Despite limited resources and the global unrest in the midst of the Cold War, the RAF was there to offer support with Sunderland flying boats. Based at Iwakuni in Japan, they patrolled the sea around the Korean peninsula and RAF pilots often served on exchange tours with the United States Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. Offering additional support, Auster’s, still under RAF authority although often manned by Army personnel, provided reconnaissance and artillery spotting capability and aircraft such as the Hastings evacuated casualties back to the UK.

RAF Museum Curator of Film and Sound, Ewan Burnet said:

“Korea highlighted the importance of effective aircrew training and the inadequacy of the Gloster Meteor against modern Soviet designs such as the MiG-15. It underscored the flexibility of air power; a Shorts Sunderland could be patrolling the sea around Korea on one day, and very soon after be on search and rescue duty from Hong Kong or bombing targets in Malaya while based in Singapore. During this lecture I will explore the RAF’s involvement in Korea, and attempt to place it in a broader Cold War context.”

The Cold War lunchtime lectures form part of the RAF Museum’s Research Programme for 2016. ‘The RAF in the Korean War, 1950-1953′, is the second of four lectures taking place at Cosford this year. The programme also consists of the Trenchard Lectures in Air Power Studies and the First World War in the Air Lunchtime Lectures, which are held at the University of Wolverhampton, the Royal Aeronautical Society in London and the RAF Museum in London respectively.

This FREE lecture will be held in the RAF Museum’s National Cold War Exhibition lecture theatre at 12.30pm on Friday 20 May. As spaces are limited, organisers advise visitors to book their tickets in advance via the museum’s website to avoid disappointment.

For further information about the museums research programme or to book your FREE ticket to the lecture, please visit the museum website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. The museum is open daily from 10am and entry to the museum is FREE of charge.

Date: 13-14 May 2016

Time: 6.00pm to 9.00pm

Cost: £12.50 per person

Tickets to the popular Open Cockpits Evening event taking place at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford next weekend are almost sold out. Less than 70 tickets are available for the event on Friday 13 May and all tickets for Saturday 14 May have now gone.

With new aircraft recently added to the line-up, the evening is packed with a mix of modern jets and nostalgic wartime aircraft, meaning there is something to please aviation enthusiasts young and old. The new line-up includes the Folland Gnat F1 – the forerunner of the Gnat T1 trainer which achieved fame with the ‘Red Arrows’ aerobatic team. It was also used by the Finnish Air Force and the Indian Air Force with whom it was successful in combat in the 1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan, becoming known as the ‘Sabre slayer’ for it success in downing Pakistan Air Force Sabres. Also new to the line-up is the Hawker Hunter nose section – part of an aircraft that served on the front line of the Cold War in RAF Germany from 1955 to 1957 and the FMA 1A58 Pucara – flown by Argentina’s military government during the 1982 Falklands conflict.

With fifteen historic aircraft available for a close viewing both evenings, aviation fans who would like to climb on board are encouraged to purchase their tickets soon, before they sell out. Admission on the evening is by advance ticket only which are available to purchase via the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford, where you can also view a full list of aircraft open on the night.

Visitors will have exclusive after-hours access to the museum which displays a collection of over 75 aircraft, military vehicles, engines and aviation artefacts within three wartime hangars and the National Cold War Exhibition. To ensure visitors get the most out of this unique experience, the museum’s team of volunteers will be on hand to talk through the aircraft controls and answer any questions they may have.

The museum will close at 5.00pm both days, however the Visitor Centre and Refuel Restaurant will remain open for visitors attending the evening event which commences at 6.00pm and finishes at 9.00pm. Tickets cost £12.50 per person which includes parking. Minimum height restrictions of 1.07 metres will apply.