Warbirds in Miniature - Cosford 2013.

[Airframes]

The Large Model Aircraft Rally, RAF Museum, Cosford, UK, 20/21 July 2013.

Having suffered the huge crowds, heat and traffic congestion of the RAF Cosford 75th Anniversary Air Show at the beginning of June, Mick and I returned for a more leisurely, less crowded and somewhat genteel weekend, with the displays this time being provided by an impressive gathering of large-scale flying models, some of which were very large indeed.
Overall, this two-day event was well organised, in a typically British, 'professionally amateurish' sort of way, with camping allowed on the airfield, although with some rather 'over the top' restrictions imposed by the MoD, no doubt due to, in some cases, somewhat over-cautious Health and Safety Risk Assessments.
The weather stayed fine, dry and hot, although with many cloudy periods, and a constant 20+ mph wind, and participants traveled from far and wide, from the across the UK and Europe, with models of all types, periods and sizes, the larger of which required trucks with which to transport them.
There was no set programme as such, as one would expect to find at a 'real' air show, and the 'acts' were repeated at various times throughout the two days, with a spectacular finale after dark on Saturday evening, when a 'real' glider provided a stunning display, its fuselage illuminated in a glowing, neon blue, and with smoke, flares and other pyrotechnics flowing from the wing tips. No doubt there were many reports of 'UFO's' from the local area, but unfortunately, not being aware that this event was to take place, I left my camera back at 'HQ' when we wandered over to the bar, approximately a mile from the tent!
So, here's the first of the photos, in this instance showing just a few of the World War One period aircraft, many of which, especially the very large models, could easily be mistaken for the real thing when airborne.
I'll be posting more photos over the next few days, as I edit my way through the almost 800 images, but meanwhile, I hope you enjoy some of these wonderful models.
The first two shots show the view of the display area, as seen from the camping area on the north east corner of the airfield, along with the Airframes Ops Center, aka 'The Bar'. The remainder show just a few of the WW1 aircraft on the ground, together with part of one of the dog fights, and a solo flyer.

 

[Crimea_River]

Really looking forward to this thread Terry. I haven't seen an RC show in decades. That Italian thingy is beautifully done and, if it were not for the introductory remarks, it could be taken for the real thing.

 

[fubar57]

Good lord, those are fantastic aircraft. Great photos Terry.

Geo

 

[vikingBerserker]

That is so cool, awesome!

 

[razor1uk]

Very cool, can('t) wait for more pics I enjoyed going to the one last year (or the year before that too?) with the twin micro tubroproped large scale hercules and amongst others, and a turbined model helo too.

 

[N4521U]

Where in blazes did these come from????????????????????

I have never seen the likes ofum!
Out-standing.......

 

[nuuumannn]

Wow! the detail on the Italian aeroplane is astounding - it's an Ansaldo S.V.A.5; the first Italian designed front line fighter of WW1 noted for its high speed. The model is a reproduction of the example at the Italian Air Force Museum at Vigna di Valle, which took part in the famous leaflet raid against Vienna in 1918 (the fin is a little large compared to the original). The flamoyant lion marking is that of 87 Squadriglia. The last picture of the Sopwith Pup is rather neat; 3691 was the Pup prototype.

 

[Wayne Little]

Awesome Terry!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks chaps. That Ansaldo looked, and sounded, very real indeed when airborne. I didn't get the chance to discover what the engine is, but as can be seen from the photos, it was not a typical model aero engine!
There were some concessions to aerodynamics over true scale, as can be expected, which probably accounts for the discrepancy in the tail dimensions of the Ansaldo.
There were a couple of others which had working rotary engines, the Avro 504K being one, and a very large Tiger Moth with a four cylinder in-line. Even from half a mile away, they not only looked real, but sounded real, and I had to double-check with the big lens or binoculars to make sure they were models!
There was a huge Hercules there, and a beautiful HP Heracles, along with a couple of big Lancasters and, of course, the huge, 1/5th scale Vulcan. Unfortunately, although I saw the Herc and Heracles flying, it was as we were erecting the tent, struggling against the wind, and I couldn't find them later, even to photograph on the ground, as the mass of models stretched about a mile, and were ten deep in some areas, hidden by other models and tents and so on.
And that wind couldn't have helped with flying, as was witnessed by a couple of accidents, the beautiful (and large) Albatross near the end of this sequence being a victim, which appeared to stall, and dive straight in. Must have been heart-breaking for the owner/'pilot'.
The Vulcan and Red Arrows (models, not real!) will be up later, but meanwhile, here's a few more of the World War One types.

 

[rochie]

those are fantastic Dogsbody !

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Red Two!
Continuing with more prop aircraft, from World War Two up to Suez this time.
There were literally hundreds of models, in various scales and sizes, and just a few are shown here. I missed some of the larger aircraft flying, such as the Lancasters, mainly due to either not being in the right place, or not being able to hear the introductory commentary in time to get to the right place.
Consequently, some of the following shots, and the some in the next batch, were taken from the camp site, between 3/4 of a mile and one mile from the display line, depending on the display pattern. Although the subjects appear small because of this, it at least allowed some different views of the action, and also allowed groups of aircraft to be captured in flight. I'll admit though, I spent some time just watching the displays, and admiring the skill of the 'pilots', something not possible when looking through the viewfinder.
These little babies may be big for models, but they're much smaller than real aircraft, and bl**dy quick, so catching them with the camera can be hard work!
More to follow later tonight and some time over the weekend.

 

[Gnomey]

Great stuff so far Terry! Looking forward to the rest.

 

[T Bolt]

Fantastic shots Terry

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Hugh.
Here's another selection of the WW2 up to Suez prop jobbies, with some once again looking extremely realistic when airborne.
The next batch posted will show some of the large and varied biplanes and other aerobatic types.

 

[razor1uk]

Very cool pics thanks for snapping and posting

 

[Airframes]

You're welcome, and glad you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed 'snapping' them.
Moving on to just a small selection of the 'specialist' aerobatic aircraft and biplanes gathered on the field, with the first two shots showing the 'Agcat' glider tug, employed to launch the real gliders displaying at various times over the weekend. This aircraft also picked up and towed the welcome banner on both days.
The third photo shows a beautiful Miles Magister, with a wing span of around 15 feet or more, so probably about 1/2 scale. Unfortunately, when it was flying, I was too far away to do it justice, but I had to look twice, as I thought at first it was a real one, looking so big, and sounding like the real thing too !
There were a fair few 'trade' stalls, selling everything from parts, balsa, and engines, to complete models, along with the usual entertainments for the kids, book stalls and refreshments, and some of the 'ready to fly' models on sale are shown here.
Pictures 15 and 16 show the lovely Avro 504K, another very large model, powered by a real rotary engine.
The Christen Eagle put on a superb display of aerobatics, looking exactly like it's full-sized counterpart, and the pilot demonstrated his mastery of control when 'hovering' this large model, which I estimated again to be around 1/2 scale.
Thanks for the interest so far, and I'll post some of the impressive jets, including the 'synchro pair' from the Red Arrows, later today.

 

[Wildcat]

Excellent shots Terry. The Sea Fury looks great in the air!

 

[Gnomey]

Great shots Terry!

 

[Crimea_River]

Great thread Terry. Nice models, well photographed.

 

[nuuumannn]

Some of those WW2 aircraft look fantastic. Would have loved to have seen the Do 335s in action. Think of the fun us forumites cound have at the controls of those! (Although I suspect much of us would have the aircraft looking like the Albatros in the last lot of photos!

with the first two shots showing the 'Agcat' glider tug

It's a Piper Pawnee; the World's favourite ex-ag glider tug.