Pictured above: Jon Corley with the Venom he will fly
at this year's event
The pilot who will man the controls of a de Havilland Venom at
this year's Cosford Air Show is one of only a very few civilian
pilots ever to fly an ex-military jet.
Jon Corley, 36, has been trained at Air Atlantique, based at
Coventry airport, after joining the cadet pilot scheme in 1997, and
now flies one of the Venoms kept at the site after being trained as
a display pilot in 2003.
He will be leading the Venom duo set to take to the skies above
RAF Cosford on June 13 at the 2010 Cosford Air Show, with John
Beattie flying the second aeroplane.
Air Atlantique is behind the Classic Flight Club, based in
Coventry, which is dedicated to keeping classic aircraft from
deteriorating by getting them up in the air where they belong.
And three of their aircraft - two venoms and a meteor - will
appear at Cosford Air Show this year.
Mr Corley said: "We are going to join the airfield together in a
formation and then we will break up to do individual displays.
"There will always be something in the sky for the people to
see. One Venom will be more aerobatic doing loops and rolls and I
will be going as fast as I can and making lots of noise."
Designed to replace the Vampire in RAF service the DH 112 Venom
was developed by de Havilland in 1948 and boasted a thinner, more
swept back wing as well as a more powerful Ghost engine. The type
first flew on September 2, 1949 and entered service in 1952.
The two aircraft to appear at this year's air show are the de
Havilland 112 Venom FB.50 J-1542/G-DHVM/'WR470' and the de
Havilland 112 Venom FB.50 J-1614/G-VENM/'WK436'.
Coventry Airport is now home to the Venom aircraft and a host of
other classic aeroplanes - all of which will be part of a new
venture for Air Atlantique - Airbase.
Airbase is the UK's newest aviation attraction - a living,
breathing centre that will house the country's biggest selection of
airworthy classic jets.
Airbase will officially open to the public this weekend(MAY29)
and one of the things that makes it so unique is that it will not
be along the lines of your usual museum.
Airbase will see the Classic Flight opening its doors to
visitors while remaining a working collection of aircraft, which
will be run, taxied and flown on a regular basis.
Airbase will also offer pleasure flights in the Dragon Rapide,
Dove, Prentice and eventually the Proctor and The Chipmunk will
also be on hand for aerobatic experience flights.
Tickets for Cosford Air Show are available at local branch
offices of the Shropshire Star, the Royal Air Force Museum at
Cosford, Tourist Information Centres in Birmingham (Rotunda),
Stafford (Gatehouse Theatre) and Stoke (Victoria Hall), the special
air show ticket line on 0871 230 1083, and an internet booking
service at www.seetickets.com. (Special Events; Air Shows; RAF
Cosford).
Tickets are also available from Midland branches of the Mid
Counties Co-Operative Society.