READ MORE For those fortunate enough to have access to private aircraft, flying visits to Cosford are encouraged, although Monday to Wednesday only. Training flights benefit from discounted landing fees. We take a tour of RAF Museum Cosford, which proves you don’t have to travel far to find something spectacular TRAVEL FLIGHT AT THE MUSEUM By David Keen, Log Board member The word ‘museum’ often conjures up an image of a big old building, housing silent dusty rooms, staffed by stern-looking uniformed attendants, with folks reverently filing along from exhibit to exhibit. Nothing could be further from this old-fashioned image than RAF Museum Cosford, in Shropshire. What a striking place it has become. A GLEAMING AND SHARP-POINTED BRISTOL TYPE 188 SITS NEXT TO A FUTURISTIC- LOOKING FAIREY FD2, BOTH INCREDIBLY FAST MACHINES, SEVERELY STREAMLINED AIRCRAFT OF AGGRESSIVE AERODYNAMIC BEAUTY emotion, particularly for those who flew them, or were transported inside them. Entry through the visitor centre takes you via a very friendly coffee shop, through a sepia historic photographic display, and then out towards the first of four tremendous exhibitions. Before reaching them, you can stroll outside past a few more exhibits from our recent past, notably an early Hawker Siddeley Dominie T. Mk1, a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R Mk1, an American Lockheed SP-2H Neptune, an early Scottish Aviation Jetstream T Mk1 and a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina, all in very good condition. They are, frankly, dwarfed by the big wartime hangars close by. Entry to the first hangar display is truly spectacular. This is the ‘Test Flight’ exhibition, where a diverse selection of test and experimental aircraft are thoughtfully shown. A gleaming and sharp-pointed Bristol Type 188 sits next to a futuristic-looking Fairey FD2, both incredibly fast, severely streamlined aircraft of aggressive aerodynamic beauty. Prototypes of a Lightning, Jaguar and a surprisingly big Eurofighter are interspersed with some mind-Great Britain is festooned with aviation museums, varying in size, content, and quality, so the scope for a good or even great exhibition is ample. We have a distinguished history in the field of flying, both military and civilian. Most of us BALPA members hold a real fascination for aviation, past and present. For some, it started in young adulthood, with service in the Royal Air Force. Others, me included, simply revelled in watching aircraft and attending air shows during their childhood. This was enhanced by assembling and painting kit models of old fighter and transport aircraft. Whatever our background, most sites displaying aviation heritage are great places for rekindling our enthusiasm in the amazing – and often very recent – history of aviation. So, onto the Midlands and, specifically, Cosford, still an active airfield and military base. This is a fascinating and enormous place, easy to locate, well-signposted, and with plenty of parking space. Entry to the museum is free, which makes this one of the best bargains in aviation today (we have to pay at least £3 every time we are dropped off or picked up at Manchester Airport, staff or passenger). Eye-catching displays Entering Cosford, you pass a Hawker Hunter F6A guarding the gate, and are immediately impressed by three large transport aircraft parked on the grass nearby. A stylish Vickers VC10, a tough-looking Lockheed C-130K Hercules Mk3, and a somewhat aristocratic and elegant Bristol Britannia 312 all catch the eye, each painted in quite different RAF markings. These beauties attract both interest and boggling older test aircraft, notably the enormous TSR2 and the VTOL Kestrel. These unusual and fearsome-looking experimental aircraft must have seriously challenged the courage, experience and intelligence of their test pilots. Most were designed, built and flown before the advent of computers and simulators. Each aircraft explored previously unknown areas of risk, sometimes with tragic results. They did, however, contribute to eventual successes like the Hunter, Vulcan, Victor, Lightning and, of course, Concorde. Getting up close The great thing is that the generous display area makes it is easy to see and get very close to all the exhibits, something we all like to do. For younger enthusiasts, a hands-on area called Fun ‘n’ Flight keeps kids and grown-ups happily occupied. Interactive displays help visitors learn how aircraft fly. And, after learning the basics of meteorology, radar and engines, one can enjoy the dual seat Jet Provost, with working controls. The War in the Air display features some awesome equipment, with an array of fighters and bombers of both our Allies and our enemies. They include the oldest surviving Supermarine Spitfire 1, a Hawker Hurricane 2c, a rare high-altitude Japanese bomber (the Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinah), and all manner of unusual German aircraft and rocket planes. The names of Dornier, Messerschmitt, Focke Wulf, Junkers and more are all represented. The Gloster Gladiator 1 (aka Stringbag) caught my eye, beautifully restored, as did the gawky jet-powered Messerschmitt ME- 262A. Sitting high on its undercarriage, this first combat jet aircraft could have changed the course of World War II, had it been developed more rapidly and then built in sufficient numbers. Thankfully for the Allies, engine problems and Hitler’s interference with the project meant that the 262 was developed too late to have much impact. Rather morbidly, the tiny Japanese Yokosuka Ohka suicide rocket plane attracted close attention, as well as a measure of astonishment. What a devilish and unhappy killing machine it looked, automatically taking the life of its pilot while fulfilling its deadly task. Other beautiful aircraft displayed include the mighty Avro Lincoln B2, the petite Sopwith Pup, and the streamlined de Havilland Mosquito TT35. Even a Short Brothers Belfast has been squeezed into the exhibition, close to the veteran Handley Page Hastings troop-carrier and freighter. V-Bombers Onto the next massive hangar, housing The National Cold War Exhibition. After experiencing more than five years of ‘hot war’ conflict in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, there followed more than 40 years during which East and West stood either side of an ideological divide separated by the awesome and terrifying prospect of nuclear holocaust. This was The Cold War. Although this display features far more than just aircraft, it is the selection of 19 flying machines that most impresses. This is the only place in the UK where you can see all Britain’s V-Bombers – the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant. Other sizeable exhibits, some suspended, include the Avro Shackleton, the English Electric Lightning F1, the Avro York C1, a Douglas Dakota, and a General Dynamics swing-wing F111F. The enemy of the time is represented by the MiG-15 and the MiG-21. There’s also a selection of German tanks and missiles. For some reason, both a BMC Mini and a Volkswagen Beetle line up, too. Perhaps a spot of motoring nostalgia there, with the Trabant parked up, thankfully without its ‘engine’ running. They stank. Leaving the building, an oversize model of Lenin clutching a large shopping bag towers over the gift shop. This iconic revolutionary has also proven to be a most surprising convert to retail therapy! Incidentally, a good selection of aviation books are on sale, many unlikely to be found in book shops or on Amazon. It is easy to wax lyrical about so many of the exhibits. Suffice to say, an hour touring the Cold War display left me feeling I had only skimmed the surface. The audio-visual displays tempted me to stop, watch and learn. Some superb historical film clips were sadly passed by, because of the pressure of time. Motor power So out into the open, across the tarmac, and into Hangar 1 with its generous array of older RAF transport and training aircraft. Personal favourites here are the Avro Anson C.19, the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C1, and the ill-fated de Havilland Comet 1XB. Although I’m not a power plant fan, except when airborne, of course, Hangar 1 holds a phenomenal exhibition of piston and gas turbine engines. Many of these are lovingly restored cut-aways, interspersed with many exhibits of rocket technology, including German World War II missiles. The cut-aways of the lovingly preserved engines allowed even a non-technical person like me to finally understand how these complex things worked. I was surprised to find myself spending so much time admiring the workings of a large number of diverse and heavy-looking motors. I wondered at the efficiency of lift that allowed some of these behemoths to be supported in the air; again, these thoughts took me back to my early days of technical training for the coveted CPL. Finally, there was no shortage of missiles, guns, rockets, and bombs. One profound impression I was left with was that there seems to be no end to our ingenuity in devising weaponry to kill one another. Aviation provided – and still provides – a particularly efficient means to this end. Five hours after arriving, I departed Cosford with a plan to return shortly and spend the best part of another day at this first-class and most comprehensive museum of aviation. FLIGHT FLIGHT AT THE FLIGHT AT THE MUSEUM By David Keen, Log Board member MUSEUM FLIGHT AT THE We take a tour of RAF Museum Cosford, which proves you don’t have to travel far to find something spectacular READ MORE For those fortunate enough to have access to private aircraft, flying visits to Cosford are encouraged, although Monday to Wednesday only. Training flights benefit from discounted landing fees.