A Pictorial Tour of RAF Museum, Cosford. (1 Viewer)

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Great shots Terry!

They should contact the Hungarian Ministry of Defence for originals of the Szu, etc. They're just sitting here waiting to be scrapped or rust to pieces.
 
Great to see Terry,

The Cold War building was just undergoing approval as a project just as I left in 2004. Still haven't been there.

I tried asking Roland Beamont his thoughts on the matter once - I can't remember the answer due to all the unprintable words !!

Brilliant!
 
Thanks chaps.
here's the next group in the Cold War exhibition.
PICS 1 and 2. USAF F111.
PIC 3. Royal Navy Phantom nose section.
PIC 4. Looking under the Victor's wing to the Vulcan, with a 'Blue Steel' nuclear stand-off missile alongside.
PIC 5. Meteor NF14 framed between the Valiant and Victor with, just visible top left, a Canberra PR9.
PICS 6 to 8. The Vulcan B2, and a view inside the bomb bay. This aircraft was the reserve for the 'Black Buck' raids on the Falklands in 1982.
PIC 9. Hung in rather dramatic poses, a Hunter T7 and Canadair Sabre 4.
PICS 10 to 12. The Hunter T7.
Lots more to come yet.
 

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back to the TRS2,i read somewhere that the mod were looking at the TRS2 again for a short time recently but no details were released ,anyone else heard anything
 
i read somewhere that the mod were looking at the TRS2 again for a short time recently but no details were released

What were they looking at it for? Missed opportunities? There's no way they'd consider reinventing it; the next generation of combat aircraft being examined in the UK at present might be unmanned. Looks like Duncan Sandys might be getting his way after all...

That Vulcan is XM598, one of the ones sent to Ascension Island during the Falklands War; it flew as a back up during the Black Buck raids. It's still got its Pye pylons on for carrying Shrike missiles as back up for XM597.

A very dynamic display they've designed in that hangar. The only reason they made it a Cold War exhibition was so the museum could get Euro Funding for it from some museums commission in Europe. The sole reason behind it was to put some of the RAF Museum's bigger aircraft that sat outdoors for years under cover, so the Cold War theme was concocted for that purpose. Looks like a bit of a winner. I remember there was a bit of a scurry to get hold of a Trabant for the Berlin Wall exhibition they have in there. There were some wild suggestions from staff about what should go in to the hangar in the beginning; some people had suggested that the RAFM get their Shackleton back from the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry to go in, since a big part of the Cold War was the development of nuclear submarines.
 
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i really don't know why they were looking at the TRS2 and proberly never will,it was just a report i read somewhere ,if i can find the source again i will post a link
 
Thanks very much chaps, glad you're all enjoying the tour.
It would be a bit difficult to get the 'Shack'out of the Manchester museum these days - the frontage of the building was erected after the aircraft was re-assembled inside, and the surrounding areas have changed a bit in the intervening years, making it perhaps difficult to get a low-loader up to the front of the building. But, it would be nice to see it in the RAFM, as the council who run the Manchester museum did some pretty disgusting things years ago, banning military stuff, and literally throwing out models, including a large scale Arnhem diorama, painstakingly built and donated.
Anyway, lots more to come, and I'll post another selection later today.
 
Excellent photo tour Terry. Thank you very much for sharing. It means a lot, especially to those of us who probably never going to see it in person.
 
Looking forward to more good stuff.

Most (if not all) of the Manchester airframe collection is RAFM's. The director, curator, whatever he wanted to be known of the aircraft collection at Manchester was a chappie called Nick Forder; he used to be on the BAPC committee for awhile. I doubt he would have been responsible for destroying models - I hope not!
 
Happy to share Igor, and yes karl, the angles for the F-111 were a bit tight.
N, far as I know, the Curator and staff of the museum were not involved in any decisions or actions, which happened a number of years ago. Before the Museum opened to the public, myself and a number of other members of the Aero Club were invited down to tour the exhibits, and offer help and advice where needed. At the time, the RAF had just stripped -out all the AEW equipment from the 'Shack', as it was needed elsewhere! (Got some interior photos somewhere). The staff were great, allowing us to inspect all the exhibits, including sitting in the Spit, Shack etc.
I don't know the full story, but it hit the local news, when the then Manchester Council virtually ordered military exhibits to be removed. Certainly, during my visit soon afterwards, the 1/35th scale Arnhem bridge diorama, and other models and military artefacts had been removed. The diorama had been scratch-built by an Arnhem veteran, and I heard via the Parachute Regiment Association, that it had been 'thrown into a cupboard' and badly damaged.
Needless to say that, at the time, enthusiasts and like-minded people had little love for the Council, and realised that it was not the fault of the Museum. It's years since I last visited, although I know that the Spit MkV is now at Hendon.
 
So, to continue in the Cold War exhibition, here is the next batch of images.
PICS 1 to 3. Dramatically posed Canadair Sabre 4, in the markings of 93 Sqn., 2TAF, Germany, 1954 to '56.
PIC 4. 'Flying' over the Victor, the Gloster Meteor NF14.
PICS 5 to 7. Looking across the main hall, and part of the display representing the Berlin Airlift, this Dakota was actually the personal VIP transport of Sir Sholto Douglas. Also seen here are the H.P Hastings and Avro York. Also visible are some of the AFVs on display.
PICS 8 and 9. The HP Hastings, and beyond, the York.
PICS 10 and 11. Front end of the York, and an unusual view of the cockpit.
PIC 12. The 'Flying Flat Iron' - Gloster Javelin FAW 1.
 

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Thanks very much Andy and Hugh, it's appreciated, and glad you're enjoying the tour.
More tomorrow, with that stunningly displayed Lightning the opening feature.
 

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