Civilian Aviation

these are some of my pics from a visit to Cosford on my way home from Wales, the last stop off in an enjoyable week. I'll post mainly civil ones unless I think any military ones merit inclusion.

a rather nice gate guardian! This Britannia is actually G-AOVS but has been painted as XM497 in RAF colours, a scheme which it never actually wore.
G-AOVS (painted as XM497) Britannia RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-20225116 by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

the lower part of the Cold War hall which is fortunately less crammed than the upper level, the York is G-AGNV
Cold War lower hall, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5331 by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

the Comper Swift is one of the aircraft scheduled for disposal
G-ACGL Comper Swift, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5409. by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

Comet G-APAS
G-APAS Comet, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5419 by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

with a Bulldog half in picture as well so here's a photo of the Bulldog on full
XX654 S.A. Bulldog, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5410. by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

I'm scratching around to find enough with civil connections, this is an airliner but VC.10 XR808 (BOB) spent it's entire lif in RAF service firstly as a passenger carrier and later as a tanker unlike some of the ex British airways ones that became tankers in to 80s and 90s. Incredible that once the victor went out of service the RAF relied on ex airliners for tanker capacity (VC.10s and Tristars)!
XR808 VC.10 RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5461. by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

I mentioned disposals and this Pembroke and the Jetstream in the background are amongst those on the way out, I can't find the Dove on the list but it may well be.
WV746 (8938M) Pembroke, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5143. by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

and in this photo (behind the rabbit, sorry Bristol 188 which is also on it's way out) is the new flight zone taking the place of all those aircraft, a glorified playground
XF926 Bristol 188, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5269 by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

and here are two more vies of the highly popular new flight zone.
new V.R. Flight Zone, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5186 by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

new V.R. Zone, RAF Museum Cosford 10-09-2022 5185 by Andrew Goldsmith, on Flickr

it's a bloody joke, heritage out of the window and replaced with computer games!!!!
I'll stop before I get angry
Andy

You've got every right to get angry but I suppose the 'computer games' zone will help to breed some interest into youngsters to look at military aviation as a career, but they should really have found somewhere else for it.
I'm hoping that new undercover homes are quickly found for the 188, Devon, Pembroke & Jetstream etc., but I can't think of anywhere that has space for them, maybe they'll store them in one of Cosford's many other hangars and rotate them with other exhibits.
Where has that Hunter come from (the one that's near the Devon)?

that is an Omani one (formerly an RAF one) that was on display on a plinth somewhere around the museum. I' not sure if that's up for disposal or not. Because the official list uses asset numbers instead of the easier to understand (at least for the public for whom the list has been made available) registration numbers I can't work then all out - there's an idea for that new flight zone! If you can work out the registrations of the listed aircraft from the asset numbers you get a free go on the stimulator!

they say their priority is to find homes for them at existing museums so just shifting the problem of space onto someone else. Logically i'd like to see the 188 go to the Bristol Aerospace museum as that seems appropriate. some of the smaller ones might be easier to re-locate I suppose so hopefully there will be takers.
maybe the listed dis-assembled Hang glider or Cody Kite will get donated to the VTST as a new restore to flight project

here are links to the 2 lists:
https://crm-media.museumsassociation.or ... r-2021.pdf
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/app/upload ... 2021-2.pdf

Is it the Hunter that was parked to the right of the gates as soon as you enter the museum site, that one was in a sorry state last time I was there (4 years ago).

Thanks for the links, they are as clear as mud!

Mike wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 02, 2022 1:30 pm

Is it the Hunter that was parked to the right of the gates as soon as you enter the museum site, that one was in a sorry state last time I was there (4 years ago).

possibly, it doesn't look much better now!

It is sad that any have to go but the Jetstream (XX496/D I presume) is special to me as I flew on it many years ago. Nice set of photos though.

Nighthawke wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 02, 2022 3:48 pm

It is sad that any have to go but the Jetstream (XX496/D I presume) is special to me as I flew on it many years ago. Nice set of photos though.

That's the one! I took this in 2007 - blimey, that's 15 years ago!

It had a more spacious allocation in 2019 when I last saw it in Hangar 1 - Transport & Training.

The hunter has been sat round the back there for a few years now since being removed from a pole outside Hendon. Omani colours if i remember correctly?

853 Hunter Omani Air Force by Gerry Allen, on Flickr, further to the previous comments. I photographed the Hunter on a visit made on 26 July 2018.