RAF Cosford Airshow 2025 - 8th June

[Morgangalley]

Chinook…

[BenTheBritishGuy]

Chinook…

Indeed 100%. Got to admit I the flying lineup is incredibly dry still… I try to remain positive but Cosford really could do with something a bit more exciting now… it was around this time or a few weeks later last year that we had the mirages announced last year was it not? Definitely at the start of self confirm season now, so if Cosford can pull anything out of the bag you’d make an educated guess that it must be reasonably soon…

[jasonT1981]

Chinook role demo

[bobby 1211]

Role demo again this year?
My guess is next week will most likely be F35B flypast which is really stretching the announcements, RAF stuff should be all in one go.

[Mike]

Role demo again this year?
My guess is next week will most likely be F35B flypast which is really stretching the announcements, RAF stuff should be all in one go.

Tell me you don’t work in marketing without telling me you don't work in marketing

[jasonT1981]

I enjoyed it last year, but alot of the view of ground activities during its demo were obstructed by aircraft on the flightline in front of the Cosford club, so we didnt' get to see everything. (though I seen it a good few other times later in the year)

[jasonT1981]

And as someone who has ran social media for an airshow (and working towards doing so again in the future) Cosford are doing it right. You risk putting so many together it takes away the impact. (RIAT aside)

You announce the Reds, Typhoon, BBMF and Chinook together. Joe Public is only going to see the part about the Red Arrows announcement and maybe the Typhoon.

Yes, it is annoying for the enthusiasts, I get that but in marketing and social media, its all about impressions and impact.

This way you get maximum attention on all announcements.

As an enthusiast, I hate it too. But as someone who has updated the public on aircraft announcements for a show via social media, it is the way to go.

[BenTheBritishGuy]

I get why their doing it... and it makes sense. But it's still irritating!

[jasonT1981]

Wildcat static

[BenTheBritishGuy]

Wildcat static

Nice announcement.

This weeks announcement on the coming Friday was the announcement for Colteau Delta last year looking back - if there’s still nothing international by then we’ll be ‘worse off’ compared to last year which will please the Cosford Facebook commenters absolutely no end… Cosford really need something now - unsure if it’d effect ticket sales but the show just needs it now.

[jasonT1981]

This weeks announcement on the coming Friday was the announcement for Colteau Delta last year looking back - if there’s still nothing international by then we’ll be ‘worse off’ compared to last year which will please the Cosford Facebook commenters absolutely no end… Cosford really need something now - unsure if it’d effect ticket sales but the show just needs it now.

We already have an international display. The Swiss PC7 Team was announced a while ago.

[Stealth42]

Very much happy with the Swiss pc-7 team. Last year conteau delta was a highlight definitely, but there’s so many other teams that use smaller aircraft that would be great to see there that otherwise get lost on the display line at places like RIAT. Would love to see the french Mustang x-ray this year, you never know we may have the Rafale after last years cancellation. The team are clearly trying to mix things up a bit this year.

[jasonT1981]

Very much happy with the Swiss pc-7 team. Last year conteau delta was a highlight definitely, but there’s so many other teams that use smaller aircraft that would be great to see there that otherwise get lost on the display line at places like RIAT. Would love to see the french Mustang x-ray this year, you never know we may have the Rafale after last years cancellation. The team are clearly trying to mix things up a bit this year.

Very much looking forward to the PC7 team on a smaller airfield. I did see them at RIAT, and like the RJF (who I really enjoyed at Cosford) I felt Fairford was too big a display area for them to appreciate fully.

[BenTheBritishGuy]

I won't lie and be honest - I'd forgotten about them! They aren't exactly thrilling like a jet so too speak - but the do what they say on the tin and do it well. (From what I've heard from a mate I've never seen them) Still, they aren't exactly as in the same league as a Mirage pair are they? I know I said international but I meant more ticket selling items - of which Cosford is severely lacking.

[Cole]

I guess that we can't keep comparing the "Peter Years" especially 2017-2019 to the current offering.

From the outside the current team just want to "run an airshow" little passion or actual love for airshows involved. maybe they dont attend other airshows ?
Im not sure if anyone feels the same way but it is probably one of the least enjoyable airshows i attend, ignoring the flying!

Getting in is never terrible but there are horror stories of people not arriving unitl 1pm and have been queuing since 10am, i get there early and miss most of this.

The crowdline is so awfuly cramped and is getting worse each year anyone who was there last year would agree, the organisers make no effort to reduce this and blatantly ignore anyone who mentions this on socal media.
if they removed 1 or 2 car rows from the general addmitance this would make atleast another 5-6Meters space which would make a diffrence. even a small one.

The "mission" to get from the stalls and static to the crowdline takes half an hour!

Getting out is frankly ridiculous no matter what time you leave. Last year my family departed shortly after the flying was complete, i walked around some of the static and stalls, the ones that were still open.. very little (all you hear throughout the day is don't leave after the flying, there is loads more to do.) personally i dont find watching people take gazebos down entertaining. i return to my car 1h30 later to find my familys car had only moved about 50meters!
Still waiting to exit the airshow after 7:30pm was taking the mickey.

Cosford has a train station , Motorway and 2 major A roads within half a mile, this is some of the best transport links of any airshow and they still seem to make a pigs ear of it !

Its my local show, i want to go and have an enjoyable day, but the issues seem to be getting worse not better.

[BenTheBritishGuy]

I guess that we can't keep comparing the "Peter Years" especially 2017-2019 to the current offering.

From the outside the current team just want to "run an airshow" little passion or actual love for airshows involved. maybe they dont attend other airshows ?
Im not sure if anyone feels the same way but it is probably one of the least enjoyable airshows i attend, ignoring the flying!

Getting in is never terrible but there are horror stories of people not arriving unitl 1pm and have been queuing since 10am, i get there early and miss most of this.

The crowdline is so awfuly cramped and is getting worse each year anyone who was there last year would agree, the organisers make no effort to reduce this and blatantly ignore anyone who mentions this on socal media.
if they removed 1 or 2 car rows from the general addmitance this would make atleast another 5-6Meters space which would make a diffrence. even a small one.

The "mission" to get from the stalls and static to the crowdline takes half an hour!

Getting out is frankly ridiculous no matter what time you leave. Last year my family departed shortly after the flying was complete, i walked around some of the static and stalls, the ones that were still open.. very little (all you hear throughout the day is don't leave after the flying, there is loads more to do.) personally i dont find watching people take gazebos down entertaining. i return to my car 1h30 later to find my familys car had only moved about 50meters!
Still waiting to exit the airshow after 7:30pm was taking the mickey.

Cosford has a train station , Motorway and 2 major A roads within half a mile, this is some of the best transport links of any airshow and they still seem to make a pigs ear of it !

Its my local show, i want to go and have an enjoyable day, but the issues seem to be getting worse not better.

Talking of their fantastic organisation their websites just gone down

Post on their story on instagram says they’re trying to resolve it as soon as possible…

[Wrexham Mackem]

I guess that we can't keep comparing the "Peter Years" especially 2017-2019 to the current offering.

I agree, that era was a purple patch for the show. Cosford was punching above its weight, and while it would be unfair to expect that level of content to continue it is fair to expect the show to settle back into what Cosford was for so many years before that. Support from the home services, with some overseas participation occasionally, and a full and varied programme of historic and civilian content to fill an afternoon's flying. The layout of the site on the ground is challenging, but previous events have shown that static and show ground can be laid out in a way that makes the most of it. Not least those blast pens which the current organisers seem intent on not using.

On another point raised above and one I'm not really getting, the distance between crowdline and display axis is the same at Cosford as it is at other venues, including RIAT. I concede that the shorter crowdline forces you to be closer to show centre at Cosford, but the experience of watching the PC-7 team and Jordanian Falcons wasn't that different, having seen them at both events.

What Cosford does offer, and was nice to see for both PC-7 team and Jordanian Falcons was that both parked and taxied on the grass in front of the crowd. While it can be frustrating if something rocks up and blocks your view seeing things up close does add something to Cosford that you don't see in too many other places, so I hope there is plenty of taxying traffic down that crowdline this year.

[CJS]

Do they still do the RC aircraft display before the main show?

Regarding the comment above about the PC-7 team not being 'in the same league as CD', skill, precision wise they most certainly are. Noise and speed wise obviously not, but it's an expertly flown and very enjoyable routine.

[jasonT1981]

Do they still do the RC aircraft display before the main show?

Been going since 2018 and haven't seen this done.

They had the RAF dogs going through their training in 2018 and sadly it seems gone too.

[BenTheBritishGuy]

What about the RAF Band music performances? I seem to recall seeing a Performance of I vow to thee by a live band one year... Do they still do that or am I just thinking of something/ somewhere else?

[jasonT1981]

Not seen the band, though I hardly get to look around these days due to sunday trains only arriving not long before the start

[Cole]

Do they still do the RC aircraft display before the main show?

I think the models stopped around 2015?

They then splintered off onto their own show(at cosford?) but i dont think it did so well. i seem to remember it being around £20 when the real show wasnt far off £30.

hope i have recalled that correctly.

[bishbashbosh]

The crowdline is so awfuly cramped and is getting worse each year anyone who was there last year would agree, the organisers make no effort to reduce this and blatantly ignore anyone who mentions this on socal media.
if they removed 1 or 2 car rows from the general addmitance this would make atleast another 5-6Meters space which would make a diffrence. even a small one.

The "mission" to get from the stalls and static to the crowdline takes half an hour!

Yes, this. I've been saying the same for years. They have literally acres to play with yet they insist on giving us one of the thinest crowd areas in the country. Dangerously crowded in places - so much so that I considered taking my 7-year-old this year and then thought better of it.

I like Cosford as a venue for the flying, but things on the ground have been getting worse year on year. Don't get me started on the blast pens being out of action while international static aircraft were dumped in the car park.

Getting out last year was the worst I've experienced. I hung around for as long as a I could, but there was ultimately nothing to do so I joined the back of the very long queue. You'd think on their busiest footfall of the year the museum would open a little longer!

[BenTheBritishGuy]

[Morgangalley]

Yea that’s tiger demo team. Fair play cosford