An Avro Lancaster in the main hangar of the RAF Museum London

The Royal Air Force Museum (RAF Museum) is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation, and the British Royal Air Force in particular. Front of Avro Lancaster S for Sugar of 463/467 Squadron RAAF, on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon. ... Front of Avro Lancaster S for Sugar of 463/467 Squadron RAAF, on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ... Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

The museum is spread over two sites;

• The RAF Museum London at Colindale (Hendon) in north London
• The RAF Museum Cosford at RAF Cosford in Shropshire, 5 miles northwest of Wolverhampton

The museum was officially opened at the London site on November 15, 1972 by Her Majesty The Queen. The hangars housed just 36 aircraft at opening. Over the years, the collection increased and aircraft were stored at RAF stations around the country when they were not on display. While they were being so stored, these aircraft were not publicly displayed. Colindale is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. ... Ignore the sign — the Claddagh Ring pub is in Church Road, Hendon somewhat more than 9 miles from Athenry. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. ... Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. ... Wolverhampton is an city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor) (born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms. ... Airbus A380 An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ...

On May 1, 1979, the Cosford site was opened at RAF Cosford, one of the RAF stations which had been used to store the museum's collection of aircraft. In 1980, the Cosford site agreed to house the British Airways Museum collection, which is still displayed there today. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name see British Airways Ltd British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ...

London Site

The Royal Air Force Museum London comprises of 5 exhibition halls,

• Milestones of flight
• The Bomber hall
• Historic Hangars
• The Battle of Britain Hall
• The Grahame-White Factory

As of 2005 is has over 130 aircraft. Some of these aircraft include one of only two surviving Vickers Wellington left in the world and the Avro Lancaster S-Sugar which flew 135 sorties. The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

Recently added to the museum is a B-24 Liberator which moved to Hendon from Hendon's sister site at Cosford, the aircraft was originally presented to the Museum from the Indian Air Force. In exchange a Vickers Valiant was sent to Cosford to take part in Cosford's Cold war exhibition. Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator A B-24 Liberator photographed from above while in flight The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft, and was used by most of the Allied air forces in World War II. Designed as a... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting air-based warfare and securing Indian airspace. ... this article is about the jet powered bomber, for the biplane see Vickers 131 Valiant. ...

Cosford Site

The museum at Cosford opened on 1 May 1979, initially exhibiting airframes which had been used for technical training at RAF Cosford. In the following years additional aircraft were added to the collection and in 1980 it was agreed that the British Airways Collection be displayed at Cosford. On 21 June 1998 four additional galleries were opened, housing art, temporary exhibitions and other aviation subjects. The 13 May 2002 saw the relocation of the RAF's Conservation Centre from Cardington, Bedfordshire to Cosford. The Centre was opened by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham and it is named after him. RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name see British Airways Ltd British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ... Cardington is a village in Bedfordshire in England. ... Marshal of the RAF sleeve/shoulder insignia Marshal of the Royal Air Force was the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. ... Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham GCB CBE DFC AFC, DL FRAeS was born in 1923. ...

The Cosford site includes several developmental aircraft such as those that led to the English Electric Lightning and the second prototype of the BAC TSR-2. The English Electric Lightning (later the BAC Lightning) was a supersonic British fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, particularly remembered for its great speed, and its natural metal exterior that was used throughout much of its service life with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. ... The British Aircraft Corporations TSR-2 was an ill-fated cold war project in the early 1960s to create what would, at that time, have been one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, with supercruise ability, and similar thrust and Mach 2+ performance to the Rockwell B...

Sadly, British Airways (BA) have decided that they cannot finance the BA Collection any more, and many of their classic aircraft have now been broken up, including the Boeing 707 and Hawker Siddeley Trident. The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... Trident 1E The Trident, model DH121 or HS121, was a short/medium-range airliner designed by de Havilland in the 1950s, and built by the Hawker-Siddeley Group in the 1960s when de Havilland was merged, along with several other British aviation firms. ...

External links

• RAF Museum website
• Royal Air Force website