RIFT at the 2022 RAF Cosford Air Show

With the sun blazing down and a real sense of celebration in the air, it was an amazing experience for the RIFT team to join the festivities at RAF Cosford on the 12^th of June for the long-awaited return of their spectacular air show. RIFT’s very own Armed Forces Liaison Officer, Shaun Micallef-Green, Captain (Retd) AGC (ETS) was on-site to meet serving personnel and their families and spread the word about the work we do claiming back the tax refunds they’re owed each year. It was particularly fascinating to hear about how military life has been returning to normal after the disruption of COVID-19. As the largest Phase 2 training establishment in the RAF, Cosford is proud to be delivering a wide variety of training courses to an impressive 1,000 apprentices at any time – and with RIFT’s MOD claims to date totalling a massive £100 million, there’s no reason at all for Armed Forces personnel to miss out on what they’re due.

2022 marks the first time the Cosford Air Show’s been held in 3 years, and the excitement the event generated was fantastic. Over 45,000 people showed up on the day to check out the aircraft displays and showground attractions, from the Coronation Village to the Adventure001-operated helicopter pleasure flights.

The mood was celebratory, and it was a privilege to meet so many people to the RIFT stand, where we ran our special competition. Heartfelt congratulations go out to the day’s winners – and remember, it could be you next time.

Grace was the lucky winner of our £100 cash prize. To be in with a chance to win it, simply visit us on our stand at an event to find out if you're due a tax refund for travel to base and training and you'll be entered in the draw.

John won £50 for being the top referrer of the day and bringing the most people back to our stand to make sure they knew that we could help them.

If you know anyone who travels for work and hasn't made their claim yet then have a look at our Refer a Friend Scheme. We'll send you a £50 thank you for everyone you refer who goes on to make a claim with us, and a £150 bonus every time 5 people you've referred get their payments. With the cost of travel rising it's important we all help each other to make sure we're not missing out on money we're owed.

As Shaun puts it:

“It was a great pleasure to support the air show, and in particular to engage with so many RAF apprentices, whose courses mean they often qualify for tax refunds. 2022 is clearly a year of anniversaries and celebrations, which also applies to RIFT who are celebrating the milestone of £100 million reclaimed for members of the Armed Forces in overpaid tax. RIFT are marking the occasion with a 100/100 campaign this year, in which we award a £100 to one member of the Armed Forces with whom we engage at each military event. Grace Morris was very excited to have her name drawn at random at the end of the day, as was John Munt, the winner of the RIFT £50 top referrer of the day prize. Being able to advise so many members of the RAF on how they might be able to make a claim, as well as taking in the air show, made this a day to remember!”

With Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to celebrate and this year’s 40^th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of the Falkland Islands, the Cosford Air Show rose to the challenge with a wide variety of modern and historic aircraft on display throughout the day, both in hangars and the skies. The collection of trade and exhibitor stands stretched over a kilometre in length, with charitable organisations, aviation artists, book sellers and much more to browse through. Meanwhile, Cosford FM filled the airwaves with interviews and background information, not to mention providing the commentary for the Flying Display itself – which, judging from the reactions it got from the literal tens of thousands gathered to watch, was the clear highlight of a very special day. A few years of absence have obviously done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of aircraft lovers and their whole families for the event – and the great weather probably didn’t hurt either!

As the last RAF station in the world to run a public air show, Cosford holds a special place in RIFT’s heart. With much of the proceeds going to RAF charities – and given our position as Corporate Partners of ABF the Soldiers’ Charity – it was a genuine honour to serve as sponsor for the event. We hope to see you at the next one. Join us on Facebook and Instagram  for event updates and more — and watch for RIFT at the following upcoming events:

• 25^th of June: Armed Forces Day
  RIFT will be sponsoring the National Armed Forces Day event at Scarborough, along with the gala dinner in the evening to raise funds for the RBLI. You’ll also find us at the Medway Armed Forces Event in Gillingham.
  
  
• 2^nd of July: HMS Collingwood
  RIFT will be attending the HMS Collingwood Open Day, where you’ll find attractions ranging from a funfair and flight simulator to a Spitfire fly past.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see the latest from our events and find out where to meet us. You can also check out the winner's stories.

If you can't make it on the day then take 30 seconds to use our tax refund checker and see if you're owed a refund. With the price of fuel rising travel to base and training is taking up a bigger chunk of your pay every month - but you should be getting a tax refund on those costs.

Find out more about what we do to help our Armed Forces Customers.