Showing 1 to 10 of 29 search results

Supermarine Spitfire Mark I

Aircraft & Exhibits, APR 1939-NOV 1971, Cosford, Hangar Two, 72/A/263

More than any other aircraft, the Spitfire has become a much-loved symbol of winning against the odds. Designed by RJ Mitchell, its speed, agility and firepower made it one of the RAF's leading fighter aircraft of the Second World War.

Single engine aircraft with propeller and camouflage pattern, © RAF Museum

Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1944-1945, London, Hangar Five, 78/A/954

The Bf110 was a highly versatile, twin-engine fighter, fighter bomber and night fighter aircraft used by the German Luftwaffe in the Second World War.

Starboard view of Bf 110, © RAF Museum / RAF Museum

Gloster Meteor F.8

Aircraft & Exhibits, NOV 1951-FEB 1967, London, Hangar Three/Four, 67/A/208

The Gloster Meteor was the only allied jet to see combat in the Second World War and in its various marks served in day, night and training operations. Its sturdy construction also made it an ideal test bed for a variety of products which followed it. Between 1950 and 1955 the Meteor F8 provided the backbone of Britain’s air defence capability. By the end of the 1947 the British Meteor fighter had fallen behind its contemporaries in efficiency and performance. In an effort to redress the balance the Gloster design office produced a re-design which was a marked improvement while retaining as much of the structure of the earlier aircraft as possible for production purposes.

Silver-coloured aircraft with twin jet engines embedded in wings, (C) RAF Museum/Iain Duncan / (c) RAF Museum/ Iain Duncan

De Havilland Vampire T.11

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1954-1968, In Storage, X004-9218

The Vampire was a first generation jet fighter which saw service in the immediate post-war period with Royal Air Force front-line fighter squadrons in the United Kingdom and Germany, followed by further service with the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Work on the design of the DH100 began in May 1942 and the prototype made its first flight on 20 September 1943. Originally called the Spider Crab it was re-named Vampire when ordered into production for the Royal Air Force. The first aircraft did not become available until 1945 and the Vampire did not enter service until the early summer of 1946.

Image pending

Rolls-Royce Viper 202

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Three, X001-2108

Axial-flow turbojet engine, sectioned along its full length, mounted on four wheeled metal stand.

Image pending

Recorded interview with Wing Commander John Walmsley, 9 June 2014

Film & Sound, In Storage, X005-6784/001

John Walmsley served as a pilot in Lightning and Phantom aircraft, including an exchange tour in Phantoms with the US Air Force and command of the RAF’s Phantom conversion unit.

Image pending

Recorded interview with Flight Lieutenant Eleanor Lodge, 23 October 2025

Film & Sound, In Storage, X008-9932

Eleanor Lodge served as an RAF Chinook pilot and describes her experience of deployments to Afghanistan, including an account of casualty evacuation flights with the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT).

Image pending

Recorded interview with Squadron Leader Martin Withers, 22 June 2021

Film & Sound, In Storage, X008-5673

Martin Withers served as an RAF Vulcan pilot before and during the 1982 Falklands War. He gives an account of Operation Black Buck 1 and comments on Black Buck 7.

Image pending

Recorded interview with Wing Commander David Roger Herriot, 19 September 2017

Film & Sound, In Storage, X008-3391

David Herriot served as a navigator in Buccaneer and Tornado GR.1 aircraft in the UK and Germany during the Cold War. He describes his experience of operations in both aircraft.

Image pending

Recorded interview with Group Captain Christopher Finn, 20 July 2017

Film & Sound, In Storage, X008-3379

Recorded interview with Chris Finn, who served as a navigator in Buccaneer aircraft with the Royal Navy and RAF, as a navigation instructor and as RAF Director of Defence Studies.

Image pending