RAF Cosford Airshow 2008

The 2008 Cosford airshow was a special event to be included in the Royal Air Force's 90th Birthday celebrations. The event as always was held at the Shropshire airfield in the UK with again many thousands in attendance. The weather at this years event was overcast and certain problems existed with visibility especially for the Falcons parachute display team. But nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds.

The show started with a celebration of all the men who fought in World War 1. The Great War display team took to the skies to show just what type of aircraft would have been seen battling it out in the years between 1914 and 1918. These old timers included, SE5as, Junkers CL1s along with the Sopwith Triplane.

Following this dramatic air conflict the show moved forward in time to another classic aircraft, this time the whistling purr of P-51 Mustang thrilled the audience with a majestic display, showing just how versatile and manoueverable this aircraft is.

Our first jet powered aircraft was next up, the Vampire. The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet engined fighter of the Second World War; the second jet-engined aircraft commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the War (the first being the Gloster Meteor) although it was not used in combat. The Vampire served with front-line RAF squadrons until 1955 and continued in use as a trainer until 1966.

Following this we saw yet another golden oldie in the shape of a Sea Hawk. The Hawker Sea Hawk was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by the Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft.

It was now time to cover your ears, as from the left flew the most up to date aircraft on the planet today!

Eurofighter Typhoon. This ferocious beast blasted across the air line and powered out over the Shropshire countryside. This state of the art aircraft is a an unbelievable achievment. Powered by twin Eurojet EJ2000 turbojets to Mach 2 at 65,000 feet. The sophistication is so much that the pilot can carry out many commands by using his voice only! Manouevre, weapon and defesive deployment can be done through a combined stick and throttle. AMAZING....

From one amazing aircraft to nine of them, welcome the 2008 Red Arrows. They were formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by various RAF commands.

Superlatives have been said so many times about this truly remarkable show, the best solution is to simply look skyward and slowly allow your jaw to drop at the superhuman flying skills of these pilots. Unfortunately due to conditions we were unable to see the full show, however the low cloud altitude gave all a fantastic low level display and the applauds at the end justify why this team are arguably the worlds number 1.

Celebrating the RAF's 90th Birthday would not been the same if it had not been for the heroic airmen of World War 2. The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, consisting of a Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster made a sentimental fly past, and all three displayed alone showing the crowd just how good these aircraft were in much harder times. The flight was started in 1957 and even then the RAF was predominantly a jet powered airforce. With a desire to maintain these aircraft and a tangible link with our roots and heritage and, above all, to remember the national debt owed to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

RAF Role Demonstration was began in 2007 to show the range of air power roles the RAF is currently undertaking. Aircraft is the demo include, Tornado F3, Tornado GR4, Hawk and Chinook. Explosives are used across the airfield to simulate real battle situations as aircraft come flying in from all directions in what is a must see event at any airshow you may visit this year. It all concludes with a flypast.

Two more from yesteryear took to the skies next with the Gnat and Hunter giving a short display. The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force. It was designed by W.E.W. Petter, and first flew in 1955.

The Hawker Hunter was a jet fighter aircraft of the 1950s and 1960s. The Hunter served for many years with the Royal Air Force and was widely exported, serving with 19 air forces. A total of 1,972 Hunters were produced by Hawker Siddeley.

We then moved along to some more stunning display formation flying with the newly formed Blades. a world-class four-ship display Team with four former Red Arrows pilots flying for the Team full-time. With their synchronised gyroscopic manoeuvres and precision formation aerobatics The Blades define the next level in formation aerobatic performance and are taking air displays in to the 21st Century.

To finish the day, we were delighted once again by the magnificent Yakolevs. Leading the team is the Yak 52, known as the Super 52. This unique two seater aeroplane was specifically developed for the team. Following in close formation are three single seat Yak 50's. These world championship aerobatic aircraft are much loved for their performance and grace.

A magnificent round of applause closed the show as the voice of Sean Maffett announced the end of the 2008 RAF Cosford airshow.

We can all look forward to next year now!