Royal Air Force Museum Cosford The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation , and the Royal Air Force in particular . The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum , a non - departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity . The museum is spread over two sites in England , the other site is at the Royal Air Force Museum London at Colindale ( near Hendon ) in north London . History . The London museum was officially opened at the Colindale ( then part of Hendon ) London site on 15 November 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 station s around the country when they were not on display . While they were being so stored , these aircraft were not publicly displayed . On 1 May 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 . On opening , the museum initially exhibited 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 . 13 May 2002 saw the relocation of the RAF Museum Conservation Centre from Cardington , Bedfordshire to Cosford . The Centre , costing £2 . 4 million , was opened by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham and is named after him . 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 . British Airways collection . In 1980 , the Cosford site agreed to house the British Airways Museum collection . In 2006 British Airways withdrew funding from the collection , after which the RAF Museum did not take on the costs of maintaining the aircraft . Several of the jet airliners have subsequently been broken up , including the only Boeing 707 that was preserved in the UK , a Vickers VC10 and a Hawker Siddeley Trident . National Cold War Exhibition . The National Cold War Exhibition opened at Cosford in February 2007 . The exhibition houses the museum ' s V bomber s and other Cold War aircraft in a newly constructed 8 , 000m exhibition building designed by architects Fielden Clegg Bradley . The exhibition concept and design was developed by Neal Potter and includes ' silo theatres ' which depict , in a variety of media , the key tensions of the Cold War period . The first Director of the Museum was Dr John Tanner who retired in 1987 . In 1988 Dr Michael A Fopp ( who had previously directed the London Transport Museum ) was appointed and is currently Director General of all three sites covered by the Museum . The site can be reached by public transport via the neighbouring Cosford railway station on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line . Aircraft on display . " List from Royal Air Force Museum Cosford official website . " Engines on display . The Cosford museum houses a large collection of aero engines , the majority are located in Hangar 1 , a small side room of this hangar contains a display of rocket engines . XVI Missile collection . The museum holds a large collection of missiles and rocket - powered weapons , including several rare German World War II types , the majority are located in the National Cold War Exhibition with the German collection on display in Hangar 1 . Michael Beetham Conservation Centre . Also on the museum site is the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre . The centre restores aircraft and artefacts for display at both Cosford and London . It is named in honour of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham and was opened by him on 13 May 2002 . Aircraft currently in storage or long - term restoration include :