RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Forum for information about the annual show at RAF Cosford
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MassiveMH434Fan
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Joined: Sun 15 May 2011, 5:14 pm

RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by MassiveMH434Fan »

Hi, I'm planning to attend this years airshow at Cosford, this will be my first time.
Can any of you Cosford veterans give me any advice so that I get the most out of the airshow?
For example, getting in by what time, which entrance (is there only one), is there a grandstand where you can hire seats, best place to stand for photos (take off/landing/above you etc), anything else?
Would appreciate it if you could take the time and get back to me!
Cheers!!!!!!

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Sea King
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by Sea King »

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What time should I arrive?


Traffic does build up in the morning but for most routes this does not usually cause any serious delays. On balance, I would recommend planning on arriving by 10:00 - 10:30 am.

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Which entrance?


Depending on which way you're coming from, there are multiple ways. All are clearly sign posted a few miles out from Cosford.

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Grandstand seating?


No.

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Best place for photos?


Anywhere along the front of the crowd line.
Last edited by Sea King on Tue 31 May 2011, 1:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

PeterR
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by PeterR »

Bear in mind the display aircraft are parked infront of the crowd so landing/take-off shots can be tricky.

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alpha586
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by alpha586 »

Hi Massive, due to the fact the vulcan is flying this year the traffic will probably be quite bad. The flying dose'nt normally start till about 12 so you have plenty of time to get in. The static is usually just a couple of aircraft (other than the museum aircraft ) so there is plenty of time to get yourself sorted and find a good place on the flight line. Also the earlier you get to the base the closer to the crowdline you park. I would suggest that if you dont intend on taking lots of kit (cameras, cool box, chairs etc) then the train is probably the best way to get to the show as the station is right next to the entrance and there are special trains to and from the show. Hope this helps.
:cool:
Lo que volará volará whatever will fly will fly!!

JohnF
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by JohnF »

Get there early as the queues get really bad. I'm a few hours drive from Cosford and always try to get there by 8:00 and have always had to queue getting off the M54. They normally park the helicopters at the left hand end nose onto the crowdline. You can get some great head on shots as they take-off/land and that's the main reason I go to Cosford. I'll be there again this year hoping to get the Belgium 109.

RS2
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by RS2 »

With Cosford, I would simply say get there early and plan to leave late. By its very nature there are only 3 entrances onto the airfield and one of these involves crossing the runway and is therefore only open for a few hours in the morning. So essentially only 2 access roads / entances to the airfield. Take a picnic with you and keep some for the end of the day, when the flying finishes. Usually about an hour or so after the flying has finished the exit on the other side of the runway is reopened and traffic starts to flow quickly again. If you arrived early you wouls also be parked at this end of the airfield and well placed to use the exit over the runway.

Obvioulsy it does depend on prevailing wind direction, but for the majority of displays aircraft have been landing from the left, over the railway line, as you look at the runway from the crowd line. This end of the airfield is generally quieter in terms of people against the fence, but sometimes the public address system doesnt extend this far down the flight line. Also whilst Cosford is still a relatively short display line the helicopter displays and the crowd centre is still some way off to the right. (Plus the VIP area is at the other end of the display line). The chances are that if you did arrive early you will also be parked at the right hand end of the airfield about as far away as you can get.

As with any show at a museum, its probably not the best time to try and get photos at the museum due to the sheer number of people. As stated above, a lot of the visiting / display aircraft are parked on the grass infront of the crowd line, so often just by hanging around the crowd line in the morning can produce some nice taxi / arrival photos.

Hope this helps.

westhamfan84
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by westhamfan84 »

Cant agree more with what others have already said get there as early as you can. In years gone by the main motorway the M54 has been full on blocked and many have had to watch the show from there cars. Also as already said the race to leave can be awful so if you can my advice would be to stay late enjoy the static or stalls for an hour two.
Planned Shows for 2022 - Midlands air festival, Cosford, Weston, Southport, Riat, Blackpool, Bournemouth

SCARECROW 451
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Re: RAF Cosford 2011 - General Advice Needed!

Post by SCARECROW 451 »

A few years ago we got in the queue bout 9ish(coming from Shrewsbury area), and was ready to leave by the time the one way system was switched. Got out via Shifnal and was at Shawbury 1/2 an hour later to catch the jets. Think the very wet weather had scared some people off though.

If you do get the train, a few years ago they couldn't get any trains to get people away after the show ! There was a lack of drivers !!

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