I visited the new hangar at Cosford the first weekend it opened and personally for me I wasn’t sure what to make. It’s excellent that the aircraft are now under cover since a fair number were outdoors at Cosford for main years. Whatever your opinion to the theme and the presentation, all the aircraft are, by and large, placed in context by the displays material (and each other) and it tells a particular story.

I think it is the choice of design of hangar that has divided opinion as this thread shows. I can guess why the design was chosen since it is a landmark in everyway, whether you like it or not – without the aircraft – it is an impressive structure. For a National Exhibit I guess it was felt something dramatic was needed. But I do feel its design rather comprimises its ability to display aircraft. Its footprint is quite small and the side walls quite steep so the only way to display aircraft in addition to those on the ground is suspended from the ceiling and at “interesting angles”. The dispay of aircraft on the ground though is compromised by the way the walls taper in.

You can actually see the whole port side of the Valiant as you go in, and the front of the Vulcan but the Victor is fairly well obscured. Unfortunately I think the museum lost a trick by not carrying on the raised viewing area the whole length of the hangar since that would allow you to see the V-bombers from above. I like to photograph aircraft and I was a bit disappointed that Cosford promised to be the only place to see all three V-bombers together, but I had a hard time seeing them. I like a clean shot of an aircraft from nose to tail but for the V-bombers you just can’t do it.

I diid some panoramic photographs for my website at Cosford and they illustrate both points of view made in this thread:

http://aviation.elettra.co.uk/rafmuseum/virtual.php

I was at Duxford the other week and saw the aircraft more traditionally displayed in Airspace and comparing it to Cosford made me realise something – if you want to display aircraft for people to photograph then Airspace wins, if you want to display aircraft for people to say “wow” then Cosford wins. Unfortunately that won’t please everyone, but personally for me I prefer the more traditional approach at Duxford (and the original hangars at Cosford).

Three Comets indoors – so Duxford, Cosford and I’m stuck for the other. I didn’t know another was undercover, where is she?

Yes the VC10 no longer has her wings or tail, these were chopped and scrapped. They did split her at a production joint so at least the fuselage wasn’t cut.

This is how I like to remember G-ARVM – pics on my website:

http://galleries.elettra.co.uk/rafmuseum/vc10.html