Date: Sunday 10 November
Time: 10.30am arrival / 10.45am service commences
Cost: FREE (pre-booking required)

On Sunday 10 November, the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands will host a Service of Remembrance to honour members of the armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice during their tours of duty.

Visitors are warmly invited to join the service, led by RAF Cosford’s Station Chaplain, John Mbayo, and reflect on the sacrifices of service personnel past and present. The service will begin with a formal welcome from RAF Cadets and a marching contingent from the School of Physical Training, RAF Cosford. This moving ceremony will include readings, hymns, and the traditional sounding of ‘The Last Post,’ followed by a two-minute silence in tribute.

Throughout the service, attendees will be treated to hymns performed by the Cosford Military Wives Choir. Wreaths will be laid in respect by representatives from the Museum, RAF Cosford, Cosford Military Wives Choir, and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, in memory of those who have fallen in service to their country.

The service will be held in the Museum’s Hangar 1, set against a backdrop of historic aircraft. Admission is free, but to ensure a place, guests are encouraged to book one of the 450 available tickets in advance at rafmuseum.org/midlands. Visitors are asked to arrive by 10.30am in preparation for the service, which will begin promptly at 10.45am.

The RAF Museum Midlands is open daily from 10.00am, with free admission. After the service, visitors are encouraged to explore the Museum at their leisure. For more details or to book your free ticket, please visit www.rafmuseum.org/midlands.

Take your enclosure experience to new heights with our Altitude enclosure – new for 2025!

Altitude is located at the heart of the showground (replacing Wingtip Garden), adjacent to the static aircraft line and with great views of all the action in the air.

It’s a great base to explore the whole RIAT experience from and return to throughout the day where you can enjoy the unique ambience.

With a markedly different feel to any other enclosure, it has upper deck viewing spaces and a cool, contemporary vibe. Complete with an all-inclusive cocktail bar with selected wine, prosecco, beer, cider, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks, complimentary food and a DJ, Altitude is an upgrade experience like no other at RIAT.

www.airtattoo.com/tickets-hospitality/hospitality-packages/altitude/

A crowd of over 50,000 people are expected to visit the annual action-packed Air Show, taking place on Sunday 8th June 2025.

The theme for the Royal Air Force Cosford Air Show this year is ‘Commemorate, Celebrate, Innovate.’

Event Organiser, Wing Commander Angelina Littlefield, said:
‘I am excited to be the Event Organiser for the Royal Air Force’s Air Show that will be held at Royal Air Force Cosford on Sunday 8th June 2025. As one of the highlight events in the West Midlands calendar, we are very much looking forward to welcoming the public on the day to experience a superb flying and static aircraft display, alongside a multitude of other fantastic activities. In line with our theme, we look to commemorate our history, celebrate the RAF and our partners, and inspire the next generation as we showcase how we innovate together. As an Engineer and STEM Ambassador I am particularly excited to see the activities in the STEM Hangars next year. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our audience back to Royal Air Force Cosford on Sunday 8th June 2025.’

Organisers are already talking to colleagues from across Defence, partners from other nations’ Air Forces and members of the wider private aviation community to see what aircraft are available to display on the Shropshire base.

Organisers have kept ticket prices for 2025 the same as 2024, with a General Admission ticket on sale at £40. Children who are under 16 accompanied by a paying adult will still be able to enter for free.

Marilyn Summers, Chief Commercial Officer for the RAF Cosford Air Show, said: ‘We know that special days out can feel far more expensive than they used to. By keeping ticket prices the same as last year, we wanted to make sure that families can still enjoy a fantastic and affordable day out at Cosford Air Show.’

Tickets for the RAF Cosford Air Show are now available to purchase from www.CosfordAirShow.co.uk.

Shuttleworth is excited to announce its Events & More season of wider events set to take place in 2025. From their hugely popular seasonal markets and wedding shows to a behind-the-scenes look at the engineering workshop, and an all-important Easter Bunny airborne arrival, there really is something for all the family to enjoy. These events follow the previously announced 2025 air show season.

One of the Shuttleworth Collection’s most keenly anticipated annual events is the Engineering Open Workshop. This February weekend offers visitors a chance to get a look behind-the-scenes at what it takes to restore, rebuild, maintain and operate one of the world’s most extensive collections of working vintage agricultural exhibits, veteran and vintage vehicles, and aircraft from the earliest days of flight. With exhibits allowing visitors to look under the surface at some of these incredible machines, demonstrations, talks, and STEM activities for all ages, it promises to be an activity-packed weekend.

For a unique way to enjoy Easter weekend, families can catch the Easter Bunny flying into Shuttleworth in a fantastically quirky event. Let the children watch their favourite furry friend arrive in style before heading off on an Easter egg hunt through Swiss Garden,rounding off their visit with a chance to meet the Easter Bunny himself. And there will, of course, be chocolate.

For Father’s Day, the Collection gives lucky ticket holders the opportunity to take a seat in Shuttleworth’s very own Spitfire. As part of the experience, visitors can find out more about the history of this specific aircraft and get a great photo too.

Shuttleworth’s annual Scale Model Exhibition also returns for 2025, with plenty of keen modellers showcasing their work in the hope of taking home one of the many awards up for grabs.

Over at Shuttleworth House, 2025 starts off with the January Wedding Show. Whether they’re just starting their planning journey, or grabbing those last finishing touches for the big day, visitors can meet Shuttleworth’s trusted industry traders, take a tour of the venue hire possibilities on site, and make the most of the knowledge and experience of the Shuttleworth wedding team.

In February and April, Shuttleworth House opens its doors for a look back to when the Shuttleworth family lived there. Through guided tours, volunteers will help visitors to explore the space and explain what the House may have been like in its previous life. The ever-growing seasonal markets also return to Shuttleworth House. The Mother’s Day Market gives visitors plenty of ways to treat Mum while spending some much-deserved quality time together – who doesn’t love a bit of retail therapy? Then, the Summer Fete (including scale model elements as a new feature for 2025) offers visitors a vibrant summer day out with plenty of traders, catering and activities for all the family.

As part of the Events & More season, Shuttleworth proudly hosts external events from a range of organisations. Following the huge success of the first Murder at the Mansion event in 2024, RAW Theatre Productions will be back with another vintage murder mystery dining experience in February. For petrol heads, stretching over Shuttleworth’s sweeping parkland, the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals are back in August. And then, for those who prefer steam power, in September, local favourites, Bedfordshire Steam and Country Fayre, return to the parkland with a huge exhibition event celebrating life at the turn of the 20th Century when steam was in its heyday.

Marc Boult, Head of Visitor Operations, said, “Shuttleworth has such a fantastic breadth of offer – from Weddings to our beautiful Swiss Garden, the House and Parkland – and it’s great to be able to showcase that through our Events & More season. For 2025, we’re excited to see some Shuttleworth staples, like the Engineering Open Workshop and Easter Bunny flying in, but also to see us building on the success of some of our other events, like our popular seasonal markets and Wedding Show. We hope that these events inspire new visitors to see what Shuttleworth has to offer, as well as encouraging our regular visitors to try something new on site. You’ll also need to watch this space for a few more exciting events that are yet to be announced.”

The Events & More season accompanies the previously announced 2025 Air Show season. To find out more about any upcoming events at http://www.shuttleworth.org/eventsShuttleworth, visit www.shuttleworth.org/events

The Royal Air Force’s Air Show returns on Sunday 8th June 2025.

Over 50,000 people attended the annual Air Show at RAF Cosford in 2024 and organisers are promising another action-packed event next year.

The theme for the RAF Cosford Air Show this year is ‘Commemorate, Celebrate, Innovate.’ The air show will commemorate some of our history through displays in the air and on the ground; Celebrate the Royal Air Force, NATO Allies and Partner nations; And inspire future generations by showcasing how the armed forces innovate together and with Defence sector partners.

The RAF Cosford Air Show are thrilled to mark the return of Lockheed Martin as Show Title Sponsor with the release of the official poster for the 2025 Air Show. The global aerospace, defence and security leader’s support will help to create unforgettable experiences for all the family at the largest one-day outdoor event in the West Midlands.

Janelle Spintig, Global Pursuits at Lockheed Martin, said ‘Our presence at the Air Show is a great opportunity to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the UK Defence mission.

‘We have a long history of working with the RAF and we’re committed to investing in the future of aerospace in the UK. We’re very pleased to provide our support and showcase our technologies with our return to the RAF Cosford Air Show in 2025.’

Organisers are already talking to colleagues from across Defence, partners from other nations’ air forces and members of the wider private aviation community to see what aircraft are available to display on the Shropshire base.

This year, event organisers have frozen all tickets at the same rate as last year, with General Admission tickets remaining priced at £40. Children who are under 16 and are accompanied by a paying adult will still be able to enter for free.

Marilyn Summers, Chief Commercial Officer for the RAF Cosford Air Show, said: ‘We know that special days out can feel far more expensive than they used to. We kept our audience at the heart of our commercial decision-making by freezing ticket prices. We wanted to make sure that the average family could still enjoy a fantastic and affordable day out at the RAF Cosford Air Show on Sunday 8th June 2025.’

Tickets for the RAF Cosford Air Show will be on sale from 11am Friday 25th October and can only be purchased from www.CosfordAirShow.co.uk.

After a short set of negotiations, the Newark Air Museum has completed the purchase of Short Tucano T1, ZF372 from Everett Aero of Sproughton, Suffolk. Funding for the acquisition was made possible thanks to a legacy from the Estate of John Dove, a former museum member and RAF Winthorpe veteran.

On Wednesday 23rd October, 2024 the airframe was delivered to the museum’s site in eastern Nottinghamshire, which is close to the border with Lincolnshire by a team from Everett Aero. As part of the purchase agreement the wings were refitted to the aircraft by the Everett Aero team, thereby assisting the museum volunteers to reposition it on its undercarriage.

The Tucano fills yet another important gap in the museum’s themed display of training aircraft. Whilst in service, Tucanos were a familiar sight in the sky above the museum; when they were retired from RAF service in October 2019 the museum was unsuccessful in an attempt to acquire an airframe for its collection.

“By adding Short Tucano T1, ZF372 to its collection the museum has fulfilled the desire to add the type to its display,” commented museum trustee, Dave Hibbert, he continued, “It’s addition is in line with one part of the museum’s stated Collecting Policy, of acquiring. “Aircraft used in a Training role.” He concluded, “We are extremely grateful to the Everett Aero team, who did an excellent job with the main reassembly work on the aircraft, our volunteers will continue this work in the coming days.”

The airframe retains its last operational configuration and volunteers ZF372 will be moved inside Hangar 2 at the museum. Museum staff and volunteers will complete its reassembly and start the long process of sourcing instrumentation to complete the cockpits. In Hangar 2 it will be displayed alongside several other training airframes, like the Jetstream, Dominie, Bulldog, Gnat and Jet Provost. ZF372 is expected to retain its current training scheme markings.

Tucano T1, ZF372 was one of several airframes that had been in deep storage at RAF Shawbury Shropshire and is believed to have been moved to Sproughton in October 2024.

www.newarkairmuseum.org

Following a successful grant application to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the Learning Team at Shuttleworth are excited to be launching a new project focused on developing and enhancing the visitor attraction’s special education needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.

On 5 November, invited guests – including Autism Beds, Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum, EPIC – Luton Parent Carer Forum, EMBRACE – formerly Beds & District Cerebral Palsy Society, Special Schools Forum – convened by Central Beds Council, CBC SEND Team (early years and schools), Mencap – Bedford & Luton, and more – will attend a launch event for the project, which will see Shuttleworth actively engaging in consultation and co-production with ‘critical friends’ to understand the developments required to make the visitor attraction a more inclusive place of heritage, learning, and excitement.

The receipt of this UKSPF funding will allow the team to access expert support during this project, including commissioning award-winning sensory consultants Collar & Cuffs as facilitators. The project will also involve: co-creating workshops and developing sensory resources, establishing a pilot group of local SEND school representatives, community groups, families and providers, creating a bespoke ‘What to expect’ video with supporting print resources, and establishing bespoke communication symbols to better reflect the Collection and Garden at Shuttleworth.

The project is intended for people of all ages with SEND, as the team hope to make Shuttleworth a go-to destination for everyone.

Learning Co-ordinator, Matthew Studdert-Kennedy, said, “We’re really excited to be launching SENsing Shuttleworth on 5 November. We hope that we will be able to significantly improve our SEND offering in order to be an accessible and appealing cultural space for all audiences.”

You can find out more about learning opportunities at Shuttleworth by visiting www.shuttleworth.org/learning

The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is set to highlight specialised aircraft used for intelligence, surveillance, maritime patrol, search and rescue, surveying and reconnaissance at next year’s show with a theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’ being announced.

Despite there still being over 250 days until next summer’s event, more than 20,000 tickets have been sold as people secure their spot at RAF Fairford ahead of any participating aircraft being revealed with organisers also stating aircraft announcements are set to begin early next year.

By welcoming 248 aircraft from almost 30 different countries, a sell-out crowd of 168,000 visitors and making a record donation of £2.6m to the event’s parent charity, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, this year’s instalment was the most successful in the show’s history.

Chief Executive Officer at Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, Paul Atherton said: “This year’s show was a huge success and we are thrilled to see people are already booking tickets for next year.
“Planning is well underway and announcing our theme marks the start of the event cycle for RIAT25.

“Our event provides a special opportunity for people to see and interact with aircraft of all shapes and sizes.

“Next year’s theme means visitors should be able to get up close and personal with specialist aircraft that usually operate out of sight given the nature of their missions.

“We look forward to sharing our plans with you in the coming months.”

RIAT25 is set to take place from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July with 2025 also marking 40 years since the world-renowned show made its way to RAF Fairford after being established at North Weald and then taking place at Greenham Common.

In recognition of this, the event also plans to celebrate its history with a presence on the showground looking back at four decades in Gloucestershire.

“RAF Fairford has been our home for the past four decades and in that time, we have seen some incredible aircraft at RIAT,” added Atherton.

“Therefore, it is only right we celebrate it with local people and visitors who have made the event what it is today.”

Tickets for RIAT25 are on sale via www.AirTattoo.com.

Shuttleworth is delighted to have received the H. Hughes & Son Ltd navigational compass from the infamous R38 airship. The artefact was recovered from the wreckage of the R38 – the then largest airship ever built – after it crashed in Howden, in 1921 whilst on its way to America. It was originally presented to Dr William Impey Baker, whose Grandson, Robert Hattersley, has now gifted the item to Shuttleworth.

The R38 airship was originally commissioned in spring of 1918 as a counter weapon to the Zeppelin. However, building was not completed at the Cardington hangars until the war had ended. Instead, a deal was struck with the United States of America for the purchase of the airship – then, the largest airship ever built at 699ft long, 86ft in diameter, and with a capacity of 2,750,000ft³.

After successful flight tests that saw the airship reach speeds of 71mph, the commissioning flight was set for 24 August 1921 from Howden in Hull, up the River Humber and on across the Atlantic to America. With a great deal of media attention and huge crowds of spectators along the river, the R38 took flight but shortly split in two as it turned. As the fuselage broke in half, an enormous explosion led to awful scenes. One of the nearby spectators, Dr William Impey Baker, attended the rescue party to help as many of the injured crew as possible. 44 of the 49 British and American crew lost their lives. Following the incident, the H. Hughes & Son Ltd compass was recovered from the wreckage and presented to Dr Baker in recognition for his unpaid work in the rescue effort on that fateful day.

Over 100 years later, on 10 October 2024, Robert Hattersley, the Grandson of Dr Baker, presented the navigational compass to Jean Munn, Head of Engineering, and Stuart Gray, Vehicle Manager, at Shuttleworth.

Stuart Gray, Vehicle Manager, said, “We are so delighted to have received this navigational compass from Robert Hattersley and the Baker family. As well as being made by the company responsible for some of the navigational equipment installed in WWI aircraft, the R38 itself was constructed just a short distance from Shuttleworth at Cardington. We hope that our visitors will enjoy being able to see this remarkable piece of history on their visits to the Collection.”

Visitors can see the compass on display in Hangar 1 at Shuttleworth; to book a 30-day return admission ticket to the Collection and Garden, visit www.shuttleworth.org

We’re not just a world-class celebration of aviation, but also a charitable enterprise with a mission to inspire the next generation of air, space and STEM pioneers.

• Over the last 10 years RIAT has gifted over £6.5M in donations to our parent charity, The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT)

• In the last year RAFCT has created meaningful experiences in STEM and aviation for 120,000 young people

• By 2026 RAFCT will increase this to 500,000 by partnering with specialist STEM organisations and creating new, innovative projects and competitions

• RAFCT’s Road to RIAT schools STEM competition continues to grow, 400 schools nationwide will take part in the coming year, with the winners enjoying a special final stage at RIAT 24!

The proceeds from ticket sales and all your generous donations directly contribute to helping dreams become a reality, through our parent company, The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT).

www.airtattoo.com/tickets-packages/