Richard Clarke Reports on Cosford

All photos by Richard Hall

Richard Clarke reports on the Cosford Airshow; the first large show of the year which always provides a great day out with so many attractions on the ground and in the air for people of all ages.

The Airshow was once again blessed with excellent weather with bright sunshine in evidence throughout the day and not surprisingly a sell out crowd thoroughly enjoyed an excellent day’s entertainment. One of the most important ground displays at the Show is the STEM Hangar, where there are numerous exhibits for young people to engage in exciting activities with the objective being to inspire them to undertake careers in this important area.

The flying programme was as always spectacular and varied with the range of RAF participants complimented and enhanced by a number of overseas and civilian aircraft.

One of the early highlights in the Show was the final ever appearance at an Airshow by the Lockheed Hercules, the display commencing with an impressive parachute display which represented the very the last time that the type would act as the support ship for the RAF Falcons Parachute team. Following on from the landing of the parachutists the display ended with an emotive flypast, heralding the retirement of the type after 57 years of incredible service in supporting RAF operations around the World. The aircraft is of course a fellow Cold War warrior of the Vulcan and while it is always sad to see something as popular and versatile as the Hercules leaving RAF service, they have certainly more than earned their retirement after so many years as the ‘backbone’ of the RAF’s airlift capacity.

Another welcome visitor from the RAF was the Chinook, which in showing incredible manoeuvrability for such a large aircraft and utilising its impressive capabilities to the full, almost defied the laws of gravity and physics in carrying out a breathtaking display. This was a great tribute to the skills, professionalism and abilities of the aircrew.

Leading the representation from foreign climes was the much welcome and indeed rare appearance of the Patrouille Suisse Display Team flying six Northrop F-5E fighter/bomber aircraft. The team fully demonstrated the professionalism and capabilities of the Swiss Air Force with a thrilling display sequence utilising to the full the impressive qualities’ of the iconic F-5E.

Continuing the jet aircraft theme, the mighty Typhoon provided its usual extremely noisy and spectacular display, fully demonstrating the incredible range of capabilities that this multi-role aircraft provides.

The Red Arrows performed in their usually exemplary and highly impressive manner with a number of new and spectacular manoeuvres being introduced for the new season. This certainly enhanced their already highly polished display sequence and provided a new dimension to the spectacle aimed at inspiring and thrilling people of all ages. 

Offering a complete contrast but an equally impressive contribution to the jets were the piston engined aircraft with the Royal Jordanian Falcons and the Yak 3, providing their own more sedate but nonetheless enjoyable contributions to the proceedings. The Rich Goodwin Muscle Pitts performed a number of unique manoeuvres which fully demonstrated the sheer power and enhanced aerobatic capability of this much improved and continuously developed aircraft. Another impressive contribution from the piston engined representatives was a formation display by the Spitfire and Mustang, when both aircraft provided a stunning visual tapestry which ably exhibited the full range of their impressive capabilities.

The scheduled finale was a flypast by the iconic F35B Lightning, which included an impressive demonstration of this aircraft’s incredible ability to come to a halt and hover before increasing the engine thrust and powering away into the sky.

We had been advised during the course of the show that unfortunately the BBMF Lancaster had suffered a technical problem and would not be able to appear. However, lo and beyond, there was a further announcement that the problem had now been resolved and she would indeed be able to carry out her display. This was a huge and very welcome bonus and the aircraft carried out her usual serene and emotive display, undertaking a number of exceptional passes specifically to honour the crews of the Dambusters Raid – Operation Chastise – all done with the unique sound of the Merlin engines resonating across the flight line.

It was highly gratifying to see such a large crowd enjoying both a spectacular day out and the good weather, with many young families and the large number of Air Cadets thoroughly enjoying their day out. What was also very encouraging was the fact that Bob Jackson reported that the Vulcan to the Sky stand had been well supported throughout the day and that the interest in both XH558 and the Canberra was very encouraging. 

All in all a highly enjoyable day out for all concerned and a great tribute to the organisational, professional and management skills of all of those at RAF Cosford.

Many thanks to Squadron Leader Chris Wilson and all of the RAF Cosford Media Team for all of their help and support at the show.