RAF Cosford

RAF Cosford, located near Cosford, Shropshire, England, is an active Royal Air Force training station that opened in 1938. It was originally intended to be named RAF Donington but was named after Cosford Grange House to avoid confusion with a nearby army camp. The station has primarily served as a training base since its inception, training 70,000 airmen during the Second World War in engine, airframe, and armament trades. During the war, it also housed No. 9 Maintenance Unit, which prepared Spitfires for operational service, and No. 12 Ferry Pool ATA, which delivered aircraft. A paved runway was constructed in 1940-41 after the original grass strip became a mudbath. RAF Hospital Cosford was established in 1940, serving as a main center for repatriated prisoners of war before its closure in 1977.

Currently, RAF Cosford is home to the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering headquarters, No. 1 School of Technical Training, No. 2 School of Technical Training, No. 1 Radio School, the Defence School of Photography, and the RAF School of Physical Training. It also hosts the University of Birmingham Air Squadron and No. 8 Air Experience Flight, which operate Grob Tutor T1 aircraft. Despite earlier proposals to move training facilities as part of the Defence Training Review, a government U-turn in 2015 confirmed Cosford's continued role as a separate RAF training establishment, with additional training schools relocating there.

The airfield site also serves as an operational hub for one of the Midlands Air Ambulance helicopters, indicating dual military and civilian use. Additionally, it is home to the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, which features a collection of military aircraft, including a unique collection of research and development aircraft and three V bombers. The station hosts the annual Cosford Air Show, the only RAF air show officially supported by the Royal Air Force in the UK, which attracts over 50,000 attendees and serves as a public engagement and recruitment event. The station's Fulton Block, a combined barracks, institute, and mess, built between 1938 and 1939, is a Grade II listed building.