Royal Air Force Museum Midlands facts for kids
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| Former name | Royal Air Force Museum Cosford |
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| Established | 1 May 1979 |
| Location | RAF Cosford, Shropshire |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Visitors | 382,831 (2022) |
The Royal Air Force Museum Midlands is a cool place to visit in Cosford, Shropshire. It's a free museum that teaches you all about the history of flying and the Royal Air Force (RAF). The RAF is the United Kingdom's air force.
This museum is part of a bigger group called the Royal Air Force Museum. This group is supported by the Ministry of Defence. It's also a charity, which means it helps people and doesn't aim to make money. There are two main museum sites in England. The other one is the Royal Air Force Museum London in north London.
Contents
History of the Museum
The main RAF Museum in London first opened its doors on November 15, 1972. Queen Elizabeth II herself officially opened it. When it first started, the museum had 36 aircraft on display. Over time, the collection grew much bigger. Some aircraft were stored at RAF bases around the country when they weren't being shown to the public.
On May 1, 1979, the Cosford site opened at RAF Cosford. This was one of the RAF bases where the museum had stored its planes. At first, the Cosford museum showed aircraft that were used for training at RAF Cosford. More planes were added to the collection later. In 1980, it was decided that the British Airways Collection would also be shown at Cosford.
On June 21, 1998, four new areas were opened. These areas displayed art, special temporary shows, and other aviation topics. On May 13, 2002, the RAF Museum Conservation Centre moved to Cosford. This center helps to fix and restore old aircraft. It cost £2.4 million to build. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham opened it.
The Cosford museum has some very special and rare aircraft. These include planes that helped create the English Electric Lightning. It also has the second test version of the BAC TSR-2. You can see the only Boulton Paul Defiant in the world here. It also has one of only two Vickers Wellington planes left anywhere.
The first director of the museum was Dr. John Tanner. He retired in 1987. In 1988, Dr. Michael A. Fopp took over. He was in charge of all three museum sites until he retired in 2010. You can easily get to the museum by train. It's right next to Cosford railway station.
British Airways Collection
In 1980, the Cosford museum agreed to keep the British Airways Museum collection. This collection included many old passenger planes. However, in 2006, British Airways stopped giving money to support these planes. The RAF Museum could not afford to keep them. Because of this, several of these large jet airliners had to be taken apart. This included the only Boeing 707 that was kept in the UK. A Vickers VC10 and a Hawker Siddeley Trident were also taken apart.
National Cold War Exhibition
The National Cold War Exhibition opened at Cosford in February 2007. The Cold War was a time of great tension between countries, especially the USA and the Soviet Union. It lasted from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. During this time, countries built many powerful weapons but did not directly fight each other.
This exhibition shows off the museum's V bomber planes. These were large planes designed to carry nuclear bombs during the Cold War. It also displays other aircraft from that period. These planes are housed in a huge new building. It is 8,000 square meters in size. The exhibition also has special "silo theatres." These show videos and displays about the main events and tensions of the Cold War.
Aircraft on Display
Engines on Display
The Cosford museum has a large collection of aero engines. These are the powerful machines that make planes fly. Most of them are in Hangar 1. A small room in this hangar also shows rocket engines.
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Missile Collection
The museum also has a large collection of missiles. These are rocket-powered weapons. This includes some very rare German types from World War II. Most of these are in the National Cold War Exhibition. The German collection is shown in Hangar 1.
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Michael Beetham Conservation Centre
The Michael Beetham Conservation Centre is also located at the museum site. This special center works to restore old aircraft and other items. They fix them up so they can be displayed at both the Midlands and London museums. The center is named after Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham. He opened it on May 13, 2002.
Some aircraft that are currently being stored or restored here include:
- Handley Page Hampden
- LVG C.VI
- Dornier Do 17
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la Real Fuerza Aérea Británica de Cosford para niños
- List of aerospace museums
