Flashback – June 1

For Cosford Air Show, this month will see that rare thing for this spectacular annual event – an air show that never was.

Coronavirus has grounded the show – at least for now, as it has been postponed rather than cancelled outright.

Currently things are in the air, so to speak.

So air enthusiasts who had been so looking forward to the extravaganza on Sunday, June 14, will have to wait to see if there is a new date – September is being looked at as a possibility, but of course only if the pandemic situation and availability of supporting services permit.

Had it gone ahead this month, there would have been so much to enjoy. Let's just rub in what you'll be missing. It would have commemorated the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and hosted “Fighter Meet 2020,” demonstrating the evolution of air defence aircraft over the last century and marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Since the first modern Cosford Air Show was held on Saturday, June 3, 1978, there has, before now, only been one planned air show at Cosford which did not go ahead. That was in 2003 when it was cancelled because of the impending Iraq war making demands on the RAF's air resources.

The 1978 show was billed as a 40th anniversary open day, as the RAF Cosford base was opened in 1938. It also came in the 60th anniversary year of the foundation of the RAF itself.

And the show marked something else – the takeover of the famous Cosford Aerospace Museum, which had the largest collection of historic aircraft in the country, by officials from the RAF Museum at Hendon.

Maybe this is the key factor which has seen 1978 being considered the foundation of the show as we know it today, because in fact there have been air displays at Cosford going back to before the war.

The unique linkup between the RAF and the RAF Museum means that on top of the flying displays, the 50,000 or so visitors who typically trek to the air show have much at ground level to savour as well.

Numbers coming to the event are such that it is now ticket-only, whereas you used to be able to simply turn up. One year that resulted in the place being so full that it had to shut the gates to newly arriving cars.

In 1978 a crowd estimated at more than 30,000 flocked to watch the action in a two hour display in which top of the bill were the Red Arrows aerobatic team.

Other aircraft which took part in the display included a Spitfire and Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a Vulcan bomber and a Nimrod anti-submarine aircraft. Other attractions included a Hawker Sea Fury and vintage Meteor and Vampire jets.

You'd love to see a picture of that historic show, wouldn't you? So would we, but we haven't been able to find one.

Perhaps it was all initially meant as a one off, because we can't immediately find evidence of there being a show the following year and in September 1980 there was a private air show at Cosford for thousands of schoolchildren from all over England who travelled to the base for a tri-service careers convention.

There was a show on June 14, 1981, although it was an international aerobatic competition rather than the flying display which is so familiar today.

However the air show as we know it was clearly soon to become an established annual event which went from strength to strength during the 1980s.

It is more than an aerial spectacular. It is also a major fundraiser for good causes. Each year, the RAF Cosford Air Show raises important funds for four RAF charities – the RAF Association, the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF Charitable Trust and the RAF Museums.

By one measure, Cosford is an unlikely airfield to host such a big event, because by modern standards the runway is very short. As it is incapable of safely operating jets, those air show regulars, the Red Arrows, use RAF Shawbury instead, and then fly on to Cosford.

RAF Cosford itself grew up in the 1930s as war clouds gathered and ever since then has been a key training base. Although during the war it did not house front line squadrons, it was nevertheless bombed by the Luftwaffe.

The massive popularity of the air show brings with it the challenge of getting people to and from the event.

Looking on the bright side for aviation enthusiasts, this year's postponement at least means they won't be stuck in a big queue.