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The winning images from the annual Royal Air Force Photographic Competition will be on view to members of the public at the RAF Museum London from 15th January 2012.

The Royal Air Force is celebrating the superb achievements of its photographers following the judging of the annual RAF Photographic Competition. The winning entries are to be displayed at a unique exhibition at the RAF Museum in North London which opens on 15th January.

Subject categories range from ‘The Operational Experience’, an image that reflects the Royal Air Force conducting vital work on operations or training in support of operations, through to the ‘Equipment’ category which gives photographers the exciting opportunity to display their skill photographing the Service’s world-class equipment. The 2011 RAF Public Relations Photograph of the year was taken by Sgt Pete Mobbs of RAF Coningsby. His photograph ‘If the Glove Fits’ captured a 3 Squadron Pilot climbing into the cock-pit of a Royal Air Force Typhoon operating from Gioia del Colle in Italy in support of Operation Unified Protector, as part of the NATO-led, UN-mandated coalition to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 calling upon coalition forces to successfully protect the people of Libya from attacks made upon them by the regime of the late Colonel Gadaffi.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton presented the winners with their awards. He said ‘The competition entries this year are once again of the highest quality and showcase not only the professional abilities of our Royal Air Force Photographers but also the tremendous diversity and adaptability of our people and equipment. These dynamic images reflect the extensive breadth of Service life and the critical contribution that our personnel have made to global operations, in particular our support to operations in both Libya and Afghanistan.’

For 22 years, the Royal Air Force has held a photographic competition in recognition of the skills and high standard of work of their trained photographers and to highlight that the Royal Air Force remains a global force and is on operations around the world. The Royal Air Force’s successful mission in Libya alongside its continued commitments to operations in Afghanistan, the Falkland Islands, and the continued protection of UK air-space provided significant subject matter for RAF photographers during 2011.

Consequently, a large number of the entries in this year’s competition reflect the broad range of operational and pre-deployment training activities that are undertaken by the Service: such as Chinook and Merlin helicopters that provide essential mobility, moving personnel and equipment and undertaking medical evacuations crewed by Royal Air Force medical teams; those aircraft necessary for the successful supply of UK forces abroad; and the mission critical protection provided by the RAF Regiment.

Warrant Officer Mick Gladwin, who is responsible for the Photographic Trade Group said:” Royal Air Force Photographers have superb technical ability and take great pride in their work. As reflected in the entries this year, they strive to achieve the highest standards in areas as diverse as aerial reconnaissance, portraiture and video as well as completing tasks in support of the police, post crash management, engineering, medical and dental branches in their day-to-day duties.”

In excess of 900 images were entered in the competition which made the selection of winners extremely difficult. Judging this year was conducted by Air Cdre (Ret’d) Barry Doggett, Mr Andy Whittle (Retired Warrant Officer Photographer), Mr Colin Inglis Commercial Business Manager for Jacobs Digital.

All were unanimous in their appreciation of the very high standard, quality and diversity of work produced by both Service and civilian photographers.

The photographs will be on display in the RAF Museum, electronically beamed onto glass screens located in the ‘RAF Today’ area of the Milestones of Flight Gallery. The exhibition will be on show at the Museum’s London site until 15th April when it will then transfer to the Museum’s Cosford’s site in Shropshire.

Entry to the Royal Air Force Photographer of the Year Exhibition is free of charge to visitors; as is entry to the Museum. The exhibition will be shown daily from 10am to 6pm until April 15th. For further details please visit www.rafmuseum.org/whatson or dial 020 8205 2266.

 Forthcoming events taking place at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford during 2012:

· Model Making Half Term - 13th-17th February

· Shropshire Modellers’ Show - 1st April

· Bike 4 Life Easter Egg Run - 1st April

· Cold War Trail - 1st-15th April

· 60th Anniversary of the Comets 1st Passenger Flight - 2nd May

· Open Cockpits Evening - 19th May

· National Service (RAF) Association Parade - 20th May

· Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations - 2nd June

· Half Term Diamond Activities - 2nd-10th June

· RAF Cosford Air Show (Admission Charges Apply) - 17th June

· Armed Forces Day - 30th June

· Bike 4 Life Summer Run - 1st July

· August Activities - 1st-31st August

· Exclusive Gala Ball - 8th September

· Battle of Britain Weekend - 15th - 16th September

· Open Cockpits Evening - 22nd September

· 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis - 15th October

· Search and Rescue Half Term - 22nd-26th October

· Remembrance Service - 11th November

· Conservation Centre Open Week - 12th-17th November

More details on each event will be issued closer to the time. (Provisional list of events, dates maybe subject to change)

For further information on forthcoming events taking place at the RAF Museum Cosford in 2012, please contact the Museum on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org. The Museum is open daily from 10am. Entry to the Museum is FREE.

A Hercules C130K Mk.3 has just become the latest aircraft to go on display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, arriving just in time for Christmas. The aircraft was moved from the airfield to the Museum’s site yesterday and placed in its new permanent display space, outside overlooking the Museum site. This supersized Christmas present took a team of fifteen Museum Technicians and RAF Personnel three hours to safely move the aircraft into position, once the aircraft had been defueled.

Now one of the largest aircraft in the Museum’s extensive collection, the Hercules C130K Mk.3 made its final flight into RAF Cosford in August courtesy of No 47 Squadron, RAF Brize Norton. Since its arrival earlier this year, the aircraft has undergone a short period of maintenance carried out on the airfield.

The XV202 Hercules C130K Mk. 3 was an American aircraft built by Lockheed in Marietta, Georgia and acquired by the RAF in 1966, used mainly on longer routes and for paratrooping. This particular aircraft was one of 30 Hercules modified during the early 1980’s, with the fuselage being lengthened by 15ft. Work was carried out by Marshall of Cambridge (Engineering) Ltd, using fuselage plugs in front of and behind of the wing.

RAF Museum Curator, Al McLean says:

“We are very pleased to have this iconic aircraft, particularly as it has such a long record of service with the Royal Air Force and it makes a fine addition to the Cosford site.”

Visitors wishing to see the Hercules can now do so on a daily basis and over the Christmas period. The Museum will be open daily throughout December from 10am apart from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The Museum will then close again on New Year’s Day and will reopen on Monday 2nd January 2012 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 is pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust for the purpose of upgrading its interactive gallery for children.

The grant comes soon after the Charitable Trust supported the successful upgrade of the interactive gallery at the Museum’s Cosford site earlier this year, which refurbished the older exhibits and also added updated ones.

Between July and September 2012 Aeronauts will be transformed, widening the range and number of visitors able to take part in activities. The revamp will also create a new teaching space for school visits to the Museum.

The upgrade will create a new interactive activity area for younger visitors and families and allow the Museum to develop advanced scientific information displays for older visitors.

New exhibitions will include a balance machine to test pilot aptitude, an ultrasonic radar table and lifesized model aircraft for younger children to explore.

The Aeronauts Interactive Gallery in London was opened in 1998 by members of the popular BBC Children’s show ‘Blue Peter’. It currently contains over thirty ‘hands on’ exhibits which teach children about the scientific aspects of flight and aircraft design.

The gallery was designed for children aged from 7 - 12 years and is popular with both school parties and the general public. It is divided into 7 fascinating areas, each focusing on a specific flight related topic. Visitors can walk through the cloud wall into a world of flying machines, experience a Dakota that flew on the D Day operation or discover whether they have the “Right Stuff” with our pilot aptitude test. Technophiles can enter the “Hangar” to learn about engineering, or feel the thrust of a propeller and propel themselves down a track. Or, daredevils who are really ready for action can take their place in the “Mission”.

Andy McGlynn, the Museum’s Head of Fundraising:

“We are delighted that the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust is supporting the transformation of the Aeronauts Gallery. These changes will improve the experience we are able to offer visitors of all ages and create exciting new ways to discover the science of flight.”

www.rafmuseum.org

14th to 19th November 2011

10.15am to 1.00pm

FREE Admission

Cosford’s award winning conservation centre will be opening its doors to visitors for exclusive behind-the-scenes access to aircraft conservation work from Monday 14th to Saturday 19th November. A number of VIP guests are expected to attend the Conservation Centre Open Week taking place at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford next week, to view the progress being made on the conservation of the Museum’s Wellington Bomber.

Special guests include Mary Stopes-Roe, daughter of Barnes Wallis, designer of the Wellington Bomber’s famous geodetic structure. Mary will be visiting the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre on Thursday 17th November to view the aircraft her father helped design and will be hosted by the Centre’s Manager.

Other VIP guests include Wellington Pilot, Ronald Cooper aged 90, who will be visiting on Wednesday 16th November. Mr Cooper flew in Wellingtons during the early 1940’s was posted to the Middle East, Italy, Germany and then to Palestine in July 1944 where he worked as an instructor teaching pupils how to fly Wellingtons. On Tuesday 15th November Mary Bonigal, who fitted the Irish Linen fabric to Wellington’s during the 1940’s, will meet with the Museum’s team of skilled Technicians and Apprentices helping to restore the Wellington to her former glory to discuss the process.

The Museum’s Wellington MF628 first flew on May 9, 1944. In 1948 it was converted from bomber to navigation trainer and designated a Wellington T.X - removal of the nose gun turret being the most obvious of many modifications. During 1954 the aircraft took part in the filming of “the Dambusters” both as a camera-ship and with a brief appearance in front of the camera. It was sold to Vickers in 1955, and then presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society in mid-1956. Delivered to the RAF Museum in 1971, the nose-turret was re-installed, and the Wellington then displayed in the Bomber Command Hall at RAF Museum London until July 2010. It was then dismantled and transported to the Museum’s Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at Cosford for long-term refurbishment.

As part of this major refurbishment the Wellington will be re-covered and repainted. The fabric that was previously covering the Wellington has been carefully removed and a limited amount has been made available exclusively to RAF Museum Shop customers. Each piece of fabric comes with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity. For those wishing to own a piece of this iconic aircraft’s history, sections of this fabric will be on sale during the Open Week. It is also available in the Museum Shop and online through the Museum’s website.

Other aircraft and artefacts on display during Open Week include the Handley Page Hampden TB1 and Range Safety Launch. This may also be the last opportunity to view the conservation efforts on the Mk1 Sopwith Dolphin which is nearing completion.

Admission to the Conservation Centre Open Week is FREE and from 10.15am to 1.00pm each day. Cosford’s main Museum will open daily from 10am. The next Open Week is planned for November 2012. For further information, please contact the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org.

Sunday 13th November 2011

Service to commence at 10.45am

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be holding a Remembrance Service paying respect to those Service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice during their tours of duty.

For those wishing to pay their respects, the Museum will be holding a Service of Remembrance in Hangar 1 on Sunday 13th November. The service will be lead by Rev (Flt Lt) John Baptiste, C of E Chaplain RAF Cosford, in front of the Comet, with Air Training Cadets and RAF personnel present. During the service there will be readings by Wing Commander J Tomlinson, OC Aeronautical Training Wing DCAE Cosford and Dave Leek, Chairman of the Aerospace Museum Society.

All visitors to the Museum are welcome to join the service for this Act of Remembrance and are politely requested, if they wish to attend, to assemble in Hangar 1 no later than 10:30am ready for the Service to commence at 10.45am. A bugle will mark the beginning of 2 minutes silence with the sounding of The Last Post.

Organiser Nina Mitchell, says:

“It is a privilege and an honour for the RAF Museum Cosford to host such a poignant service, where visitors can pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave service men and women. Following the service, visitors will be able to view our Remembrance Book which lists the names of RAF Aircrew who lost their lives during the Battle of Britain in 1940.”

The Museum is open daily from 10am and entry to the Museum is FREE. For further information, please call the Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford on 01902 376 200 or visit the museum website, www.rafmuseum.org.

The Royal Air Force Museum yesterday officially unveiled the Museum’s latest acquisition, the Comper Swift CLA.7 G-ACGL. The aircraft was unveiled to invited guests including relatives of the aircraft’s designer and of original owner in the Museum’s Hangar 1, where it is now on permanent display to the public.

During the unveiling guests gathered by the Comper Swift for a welcome speech from the RAF Museum Director General, Peter Dye. Immediately afterwards the aircraft was unveiled by special guest Alex Henshaw Junior, son of Alex Henshaw Senior, the original owner of the aircraft. The Swift was flown by Henshaw Senior in several air races around the country including the Kings Cup Air Race in1933 where he won the Siddeley Trophy. Other V.I.Ps at the launch included Comper Swift Aircraft Designer’s grandson, Mr Stephen Perry and its Engine Designer’s daughter Mrs Shirley Ann Manser.

Designed by Nicholas Comper, an ex-RAF Flight Lieutenant in the early 1920’s, the first prototype Swift flew in 1929. Whilst designing the Swift, Comper drew on his experiences with the Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club (CLAC), a group founded by Comper as an extra curricular activity for RAF Apprentices. Members of the CLAC also included Frank Whittle and George Stainforth plus many other individuals who became legends within the RAF.

Only 41 Swifts were ever built and they were only available in two colours - red or blue of which the Museum’s is red. Most were fitted with a Pobjoy R type engine and they were popular in air racing throughout the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. At only 5ft high, 17ft long with a wingspan of 24ft the Swift could reach a maximum speed of 140mph. Big enough for just one person, a Swift was flown solo by Mr Arthur Butler between England and Australia in 1931 establishing a new record time. Another was flown to South Africa and only just missed out on the record.

Henshaw Senior sold the Swift G-ACGL in 1934 and it passed through four more owners before reportedly being scrapped in 1942. Henshaw went on to become Chief Test Pilot at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory and test flew more Spitfires than anyone else. The remains of the Museum’s Swift were saved and secured by various groups until 2008 when its parts donated by Mr Stanley Brennan of Manchester to the Royal Air Force Museum. The aircraft has recently been restored by Skysport Engineering, Bedfordshire. There are now only eight remaining Swifts; four in the UK, one in Argentina, two in Australia, and one in Spain.

The Comper Swift is now on permanent display at the RAF Museum Cosford. The Museum is open daily from 10am and admission is free of charge. For more information on the Museum, visit www.rafmuseum.org or call 01902 376200.

Staff at RAF Cosford, assisted by staff in the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford have created a pedal car in the form of a World War Two Hurricane aircraft. The pedal car will be entered into a 24 hour charity cycle car race taking place in St Etienne de Chigny in the centre of France. A team of four from RAF Cosford will travel to France for the race in August 2012 hoping to raise money for RAF Charities whilst winning the best design for their pedal car.

Designed and built by a team of staff in Mechanical Training (Airframe and Propulsion Training) at RAF Cosford, the original concept and idea to enter the race came from Malcolm Hill, an instructor at RAF Cosford. Malcolm is hopeful that the unique design and the history behind the Hurricane it replicates will be enough to secure the top spot.

The paint scheme used on the pedal car represents the aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Paul Richey who was stationed during the early days of World War Two at Chateaudun near to where the pedal car race will take place. Once the framework was completed, the pedal car was handed to the Museum’s skilled Aircraft Technician - Surface Finish Engineer to recreate Pilot Officer Richey’s aircraft. The body of the car and the demountable wings were then covered in authentic material ‘Irish Linen’ and doped to strengthen the fabric. It was then painted in the authentic Hurricane colours of the period with the markings of the aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Paul Richey before being handed back to Mr Hill and Cpl Ree.

Surface Finish Engineers, Michael Rose and Tony Pass say:

“We were more than happy to assist for such a good cause and hope the team are successful and raise a lot of money for the Help 4 Heroes Charity Appeal.”

The construction of the pedal car occurred at RAF Cosford during staff lunch breaks and was funded through donations from the Mechanical Training staff tea bar. Members of staff used a discarded post bike from workshops at RAF Cosford. Additional much needed parts were sourced through Halfords in Telford, who agreed to also provide additional spare parts for the competition.

The pedal car has been designed to comply with the French ‘Voitures Pedales’ regulations. Before the race in August it will also be entered in a shorter race in England, in early 2012, as a ‘shake down exercise’ to ensure everything is in working order before the main race. The intention is that the victorious pedal car will be used by the RAF Cadet force at the Birmingham International Tattoo in their ‘Red Barrows’ display. The Tattoo will take place in December 2012.

For further information on this charity event and the team taking part in the race, please contact Malcolm Hill at RAF Cosford on 01902 377386. For more information on the Museum visit www.rafmuseum.org

A Supermarine Spitfire Photo Reconnaissance PR. XIX PM651 is the latest addition to the aircraft collection at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. This rare reconnaissance Spitfire can now be seen on display in the Museum’s Warplanes Hangar standing next to a Hurricane and a Mk 1 Spitfire.

Ordered in 1943 as a Mk VII, the aircraft was eventually built by Vickers at Eastleigh as a PR. XIX and was not collected from them until November 1945. It never saw RAF Squadron service, instead operating Meteorological Research Temperature and Humidity flights from RAF Woodvale. These involved the pilots reporting on clouds, ice formation, turbulence, haze, visibility and prevailing weather conditions. During its short time with this unit, PM651 was forced to make two emergency landings including one at Halfpenny Green airfield in Staffordshire, after it was damaged in a flying accident.

After a period on display at RAF Andover and RAF Benson, the aircraft was loaned to Spitfire Productions for use in the iconic film “Battle of Britain”. It appears in ground shots in the hangars at RAF Duxford.

The aircraft then spent 16 years on display at the main gate at RAF Benson. By 1989 the aircraft had found its way into the Royal Air Force Museum but had been heavily stripped of essential parts for other Spitfire restorations. After some time in the Museum’s storage hangar at RAF Stafford, the aircraft was brought to the Conservation Centre at Cosford where restoration work commenced in October 2010. Work included building a new Elevator assembly and other conservation work. Finally the aircraft was repainted to its original paint scheme for display purposes.

The Spitfire PR. XIX was the last of the specialised photo reconnaissance Spitfires. It was unarmed and could carry two vertical cameras and one oblique camera mounted in the rear fuselage. With a top speed of 445mph the aircraft could reach 42,500ft in height.

There are significant differences between the Mk1 and PR. XIX Spitfires both on display at the Museum. The much more modern PR. XIX was fitted with the Griffon engine as opposed to the Merlin engine used in earlier models and was notably faster than its predecessor. The PR. XIX had extra fuel tanks in place of the machine guns that were fitted to the Mk 1 and a retractable tail wheel making its profile more streamlined for its flights at high altitude. Probably the most significant difference between the two Spitfires on display is the pressurised cabin in the PR. XIX, critical for the high altitude reconnaissance flights.

Clare Carr, RAF Museum Cosford Assistant Curator says:

“We are delighted to be able to display two models of such an iconic aircraft. They help to show the diverse roles in which the Spitfire served ranging from fighter interceptor to high altitude photographic reconnaissance.”

The Museum is open daily from 10am and admission is free of charge. For more information on the Museum, visit www.rafmuseum.org or call 01902 376200.

14th to 19th November 2011

10.15am to 1.00pm

FREE Admission

The award winning Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be opening its doors to visitors for one special week to enable greater public access and understanding of the Centre’s work. From Monday 14th to Saturday 19th November, a range of aircraft and other artefacts in various stages of restoration will be on display daily from 10.15 to 1.00pm. This includes the Centre’s largest project, the Wellington Bomber.

Since its arrival at the Museum there has been significant progress made on the Wellington. The project to date has included detailed photographs being taken of the fuselage section, including the fabric joints to record how the material was fitted to the airframe. This will also provide an ongoing reference for the Museum about original technical information. After this process the fabric that was previously covering the Wellington was carefully removed, wrapped in special acid-free tissue for storage and boxed in a special container. The process of removing the fabric revealed the distinctive Barnes Wallace designed geodetic structure. Smaller items such as the Fin, Flaps and Wing False-work structures have also been carefully removed and removal of corrosion on many of the smaller structural components has commenced.

The Vickers Wellington is one of the largest aircraft that the Conservation Centre has ever undertaken restoration of during its nine year history. This history has seen many new arrivals or established exhibition aircraft pass through its doors for conservation, restoration or maintenance. The extensive conservation work on the Wellington structure will take place at the Museum’s Conservation Centre over the next four to five years.

Manager of the Conservation Centre, Tim Wallis says:

“At almost every stage of our work thus far, the Wellington has presented us with new challenges and we are constantly impressed by the innovation and workmanship that the original build represented. The aircraft remains one of our main projects but much more than that, she is much-loved by the staff, volunteers and visitors alike and a sort of kinship exists that borders on pride. We hope that the public will choose to share that experience with us and visit during the week”

During the Open Week, visitors will gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access to aircraft conservation work and have a rare opportunity to speak with the skilled Technicians and Apprentices and view current projects including on-going refurbishments such as the Handley Page Hampden TB1, Spitfire Mk XIX and Range Safety Launch. This may also be the last opportunity to view the conservation efforts on the Mk1 Sopwith Dolphin which is nearing completion.

Admission to the Conservation Centre Open Week is FREE and from 10.15am to 1.00pm each day. Cosford’s main Museum will open daily from 10am. The next Open Week is planned for November 2012. For further information, please contact the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org.