D-Day anniversary at the Royal Air Force Museum

[cessna152towser]

The Royal Air Force Museum at RAF Cosford is open all year but traditionally holds a major event on the Sunday immediately following D-Day (6th June). I've been making an annual pilgrimage to the event since my father passed on. There are flying displays, exhibitions and a large funfair and many other entertainments. With over 50,000 people arriving by road, rail and air (RAF Cosford has its own train station and extra trains are run for the event), I beat the traffic and drove to Coventry Airport to complete the last 35 miles of the journey in this fine C-47 Dakota.

KK116 was delivered new to the Royal Air Force in 1944 and served in the Berlin Airlift in 1948.

After a spell of civilian use as a pasenger airliner and then a freighter, this grand old bird now takes to the air only for special events.

A twenty minute flight brought us overhead RAF Cosford where we see obsolete Jet Provost trainers and Sepecat Jaguar fighters which are now used as ground instruction airframes at this training base. Elementary flying is also taught here but the main emphasis is on trades, engineers, radar technicians, chefs etc.

Some idea of the scale of today's event can be had from this aerial view of a section of the visitors' car park.

Landing at RAF Cosford.

RAF kilt, Freelander Sporran and Dakota

[auld argonian]

Thanks again, C152T...I've always thought that that was one of the most classic and good lookin' planes ever built...wish I'd been there.

Best

AA

[cessna152towser]

First of all I went along to the memorial service, held in a hangar, conducted by an RAF padre with music from the base's own brass band.

Then I visited the new Cold War Hall which covers everything from the Berlin Wall to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Next the RAF shop where I was able to buy a tie to match my RAF kilt which will give me the option to wear it as a dress kilt with formal shirt and argyle jacket. I also bought a matching scarf in RAF tartan for Ann.

In the background is a former Dutch Lockheed Neptune.

There was an ambitious flying display including this Spitfire, as well as a Hurricane, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, and a Mustang.

This C-47 in World War II style camouflage took up some parachutists to re-enact the landing of paratroopers in Normandy from Dakotas in 1944.

But they used modern parachutes which are much more maneouvrable.

On the flight back to Coventry, I picked out Kenilworth Castle (towards top right of picture).
Been a long day. Off to bed now.

[pdcorlis]

More great photos - looks like a fantastic day out. I had the good fortune to ride in the passenger version of the C-47 as a kid once - I'll never forget. Thanks for the photos.

[Robin]

wow!

Thanks Alex...great pictures

[macwilkin]

I believe the Spitfire bears the markings of the Polish 303 (Kosciuszko) Squadron:

http://www.geocities.com/psp1945/303/303Squadron.html

Great piccies, Alex, especially of the Dakota -- my grandfather flew on one across the "Hump" during WWII, and my mother flew on one during the 1960's from Iowa to Missouri.

T.

[McMurdo]

Wonderful shots of what looks like a wonderful day, I just love the look of the spitfire. Thanks again Alex.

[Kiltedmusiclover]

Alex,
Great photos.
Thanks for sharing and taking time to
remember those brave men.
Did you father participate in D-DAY?

[Riverkilt]

Thanks for the pics Alex,

My first flight as a boy of about ten was in a C-47/DC 3 for selling subscriptions to the Oregonian as a newspaper carrier. I'd flown as an infant, but guessing that was probably a C-47/DC-3 as well since War II was still on.

I remember them passing out chewing gum before the flight when I was a boy. Things change.

Rode one of them C-47s from the old Long Beach Naval Air Station to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in about 1963 for a Navy ROTC trip. We flew through every thunderstorm in God's realm over Arizona and New Mexico. That bird was tossed like a cork on a stormy sea but she held together. We all vomited, then went into the dry heaves. Pure misery. Most of us kissed the runway when we got to Texas.

Scary ride in a C-47 was in about 1960 from a Naval Air Station in Seattle up to Comox, B.C. A beautiful serene flight over the Straights but we were delayed about four hours while the Naval reservists figured out how to reassemble the engines...they'd been training on them.

Sorry about the nostalgia...but that is one great bird!

Ron

[David Dalglish]

Very nice photo's Alex, looked like a fun filled day.