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Abseiling cleaners to dust down museum aircraft

Andy GiddingsBBC News Online
News imageRAF Museum Men cleaning jetsRAF Museum
Eight aircraft in the Cold War Museum are due their annual clean

Cleaners suspended on ropes are to give aircraft at RAF Museum Cosford their annual spring clean.

The specialist team has been asked to dust down eight planes, which hang up to 100ft (30m) above the ground.

They will use large soft fibre mops for the work and inspect the suspension cables supporting the aircraft at the same time.

Tom Hopkins, the curator at the museum, called the job "a unique challenge".

News imageRAF Museum Man cleaning a jetRAF Museum
Visitors to the museum may catch the cleaners at work
News imageRAF Museum Man cleaning a jetRAF Museum
The team climb the rafters of the building and abseil down to access the aircraft

The eight aircraft are all housed in the National Cold War Exhibition, the largest Cold War exhibition in the UK.

It contains 19 aircraft, alongside tanks, vehicles, models and memorabilia, plus a section of the Berlin Wall.

The aircraft due a clean are the Vulcan bomber, Canberra, Meteor, Sabre, Hunter, Lightning, Dakota and Javelin.

News imageRAF Museum Man cleaning an aircraftRAF Museum
The team will use large soft fibre mops but no cleaning solutions

The museum will remain open during the work, so visitors will be able to see the cleaners in action.

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