With the conservation hall at Cosford being opened to the public for a week (for a small cost of £6) we decided on a run up to see what was what. This was our first trip to Cosford and we were impressed. Parking for the day was £5 but entry into the museum is free. The adjacent airfield is still active but not with military hardware unfortunately. Babcock Onshore H145 (G-RMAA) Appears to be based on medical duties and a Cherokee was seen circuit bashing later in the day. Several stored SEPCAT Jaguar aircraft were being towed around and within an open hanger a few more Jags and a Hawk were spied.
The Restoration Centre itself didn’t hold many aircraft but provided a great opportunity to speak with the engineers who have dedicated their time to these long running projects such as the restoration of the Handley Page Hampden, which was recovered from the kola Peninsular in 1992 (it was shot down by Bf109’s in 1942). The pilots daughter was present in the hall and it was fascinating seeing the various photographs and hearing the stories of her fathers’ capture after the crash and his imprisonment in a concentration camp.
Most interesting for me was meeting Mr John Trottman who at 96 years old is probably the oldest private pilot in the UK. Not only that but, John flew Wellingtons and Mosquitos during WWII and has written of his experiences in his book ‘J for Johnnie’. Browsing through his comprehensive flight log book was fascinating. His first flight in 1942 was in the cockpit of a Wellington without any formal training he told me.
The log below is grouped by location.
External display
G-AOVF Bristol Britannia 312 13237 (Painted as XM497)
204 Lockheed P2V-7B Neptune 726-7251 Royal Netherlands Navy
853 Hawker Hunter FR.10 S4/U/3302 Royal Air Force of Oman
L-866 Consolidated Catalina PBY-6A 2063 Royal Danish Air Force
XG225 Hawker Hunter F.6A 41H-680037? Royal Air Force
XS709/M Hawker Siddeley 125 Dominie T.1 25011 Royal Air Force
XV202 Lockheed C-130K-30 Hercules C.3 4226 Royal Air Force
XV249 Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1P 8024 Royal Air Force
XX496 Handley Page Jetstream T.1 276 Royal Air Force
Aircraft on Active Airfield
G-RMAA Airbus Helicopters MBB-BK 117 D-2 (H145) 20166 Babcock MCS Onshore
XW327 Jet Provost T5A EEP/JP/991 Royal Air Force
XX724 SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3A S.21 Royal Air Force
XX748 SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3A S.45 Royal Air Force
XX762 SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 S.59 Royal Air Force
XZ367 SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3 S.134 Royal Air Force
XX335 Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1A 41H-312159 Royal Air Force
Cold War Hall
503 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21 PF 760503 Royal Air Force Museum
1120 WSK Lim-2 1B-01120 Polish Air Force
68-8284 Sikorsky MH-53M Jolly Green Giant 65147 United States Air Force
74-0177 General Dynamics F-111F 95 United States Air Force
KN645 Douglas C-47B 33335/16587 Royal Air Force
TG511 Handley Page Hastings T. 5 HP67/15 Royal Air Force
TS798 Avro York C.I 1223 Royal Air Force
WS843 Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.14 Royal Air Force
XA564 Gloster Javelin FAW.1 Royal Air Force
XB812 Canadair CL-13 Sabre 4 566 Royal Air Force
XD818 Vickers Valiant BK.1 Royal Air Force
XG337 English Electric Lightning F.1/3 95026 Royal Air Force
XH171 English Electric Canberra PR.9 SH1735 Royal Air Force
XH672 Handley Page Victor K.2 HP80/57 Royal Air Force
XL993 Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC 1 528 Royal Air Force
XL568 Hawker Hunter T.7A HABL003307? Royal Air Force
XM598 Avro Vulcan B.2 Royal Air Force
XN962 Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 B3-17-62 Royal Air Force
XR371 Short Belfast C.1 SH1825 Royal Air Force
Test Flight Hall
WG760 English Electric Lightning P.1A 95001 Royal Air Force
WG768 Short SB.5 Royal Aircraft Establishment
WG777 Fairey F.D.2 F.9422 Royal Aircraft Establishment
XD145 Saunders-Roe SR.53 Royal Aircraft Establishment
XF926 Bristol 188 13519 Royal Aircraft Establishment
XN714 Hunting H126 Royal Aircraft Establishment
XR220 British Aircraft Corporation TSR2 XO-2 Royal Air Force
XS695 Hawker Siddeley Kestrel FGA.1 Royal Air Force
XX765 SEPECAT Jaguar ACT S.62 Royal Air Force
ZF534 British Aerospace EAP British Aerospace
War in the Air
733682 Focke-Wulf FW 190 A-8 733682 Luftwaffe
A8226 Reproduction 1 1/2 Strutter Replica WA/5
191614 Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet 1a 191614 Luftwaffe
360043 Junkers Ju 88 R-1 360043 Luftwaffe
Black 6 Messerschmitt BF109G-2/Trop Luftwaffe
C4994 Reproduction M.1C Replica PFA 112-10892
K8042 Gloster Gladiator Mk.1 Royal Air Force
K9942/8383M Vickers Supermarine Spitfire I 6S.30225 Royal Air Force
LF738 Hawker Hurricane IIc Royal Air Force
N1671 Boulton Paul Defiant I Royal Air Force
N5182 Sopwith Pup PFA 1582
PM651 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX 6S.687107 Royal Air Force
RF398 Avro Lincoln B.2 Royal Air Force
TA639 de Havilland Mosquito TT.35 Royal Air Force
VK893 Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe A-2a 112372 German Air Force
VP746 Fieseler Fi156-C7 Storch Luftwaffe
XZ997 Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 712220 Royal Air Force
FA330 Unmarked
Kawasaki Ki100 Unmarked
Focke-Wulf FW-190 unmarked
Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinah unmarked
Hanger 1
7606M Percival Provost T.1 PAC/F/108 Royal Aircraft Establishment
G-ACGL Comper CLA.7 Swift S.33/6 Private
G-AEEH Mignet Pou-du-Ciel HM.14 EGD.1 Private
G-AFAP Junkers Ju-52 3m ge 5881 British Airways
G-AIZE Fairchild F.24 W-41A Argus II W41A-565 Private (Painted as FS628)
G-APAS de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1XB 06022 Ministry of Supply
G-EBMB Hawker Cygnet I 1 Royal Air Force Museum
T6296 de Havilland Tiger Moth DH.82A 84711 Royal Air Force
TX214 Avro Anson XIX 33786 Royal Air Force
VP952 de Havilland Devon C2 04048 Royal Air Force
WE600 Auster Aircraft Auster C .4 Antarctic 26 Royal Air Force
WL679 Vickers Varsity 648/T.1 648 Royal Air Force
WL732 Boulton Paul Sea Balliol T.21 Royal Navy
WP912 de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 C1/0786 Royal Air Force
WV746 Percival Pembroke C.1 53 Royal Air Force
XD674 Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.1 PAC/84/001 Royal Air Force
XJ918 Bristol Sycamore HR.14 13413 Royal Air Force
XM351 Jet Provost T.3 PAC/W/6308 Royal Air Force
XP411 Armstrong Whitworth Argosy T.1 6766 Royal Air Force
XR525 Westland Wessex HC.2 WA147 Royal Air Force
XS639 Hawker Siddeley HS.780 Andover E3A Set 23 Royal Air Force
XX654 Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1 BH.120-312 Royal Air Force
Conservation Hall
420430 Messerschmitt Me 410 A-1/U2 420430 Luftwaffe
P1344 Handley Page Hampden TB Mk.I Royal Air Force
R9125 Westland Lysander III Royal Air Force
MF628 Vickers Wellington Royal Air Force
Replica Spitfire Cockpit
7198/18 Luft Verkehrs Gesellschaft (LVG) C.VI
Dornier 17 remnants
