Retiring jets land for last time
Aviation enthusiasts from around the country gathered to see a squadron of eight retiring attack jets touch down for the last time at Cosford.
The Jaguar GR3 birds formed part of a recently disbanded squadron at Conningsby, in Lincolnshire, and had clocked up thousands of air miles on active service with the Royal Air Force.
Having served in the Balkans and the Gulf, the jets landed for the last time yesterday. The Jaguar made its maiden flight in 1968, but was not used by the RAF until 1974.
A spokesman for the Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford, said the Jaguars were likely to be used to train new recruits on the airbase.
Shropshire Star reader and keen photographer Steve Brodie, of Pasteur Drive, Leegomery, Telford, captured several shots of the jets making their final landing at Cosford.
He said: "The aircraft arrived in two sets of four, shortly after 2.30pm and each performed a fly past followed by a touch-and-go before finally landing back on terra firma for the last time."
A further three Jaguar jets are due to arrive at RAF Cosford next month.
One of the jets was unserviceable and could not fly, while another two had been out of active service and brightly painted for various commemorative events.
The Jaguar was built for a crew of one pilot, is 16.83m long and has a wingspan of 8.69m, with a maximum speed of 1,593km/h (990mph).
Mr Brodie said: "This historic event was witnessed by aviation enthusiasts from around the country who gathered on the railway platform to catch the last moments of an extraordinary aircraft."
