“Reach for the Sky”, an education resource book produced by the Yorkshire Air Museum and the Royal Aeronautical Society received an enthusiastic endorsement from the Rt. Hon. Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State for Transport and Minister for The Yorkshire & Humber Regions, at a lively launch ceremony yesterday (Tuesday 24th June.). The event was held at the prestigious London headquarters of the Royal Aeronautical Society, at Hamilton Place on Hyde Park Corner.In her letter of acceptance to the invitation to launch this book, the Rt. Hon. Rosie Winterton, said: “I am delighted to see the diverse and innovative ways that the Yorkshire Air Museum is working with the Royal Aeronautical Society to promote interest in the aerospace industry using the rich history that this centennial year of British powered flight will celebrate.”

Some 27 pupils from Frith Manor Primary School, Barnet, North London, attended the event and displayed projects on the theme of future flight that they had undertaken for the occasion, which caught the attention of the Minister of State and other guests and clearly demonstrated the ideas and ingenuity that lie in the minds of our children, waiting to be developed.

This collaboration between the Yorkshire Air Museum and the Royal Aeronautical Society is indeed a unique venture. With the tremendous support received from Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, we are to send a free copy to all the 25,000 primary schools in Britain this year and we don’t believe that any other museum has launched an education resource in such a manner before.

This KS2 level book has been written with the assistance of specialist schools advisors, the M.L.A. and the Government agency “Creative Minds” to fit into the current “STEM” (Science Technology, Engineering and Maths) targets. It is easy to read and covers all the milestones of aviation history and development, including Yorkshire’s rich history in this. It features superb illustrations, ‘Science Bytes’ and activities and is designed for ease of copying for teachers. With the help of Virgin Galactic and EADS / Astrium, the book also covers the exciting developments in ‘passenger space flight’, which will once again fire the imaginations of children. It also explodes some myths about aviation in that Britain has the second largest aviation industry in the world and it is the second largest manufacturing industry in Britain.

As Ian Reed, Museum Director, points out: “We are very keen to engage our children in the science of flight at an early age and to inspire them with both Britain’s, and particularly Yorkshire’s extraordinary heritage in this field. We were delighted with the enthusiasm and interest shown by the Rt. Hon. Rosie Winterton the Minister of State for Transport at the launch of “Reach for the Sky”, acknowledging the importance of this unique project”.

www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

Editors Notes:

Amongst those present at the launch were Thea Stein, Executive Director of Economic Inclusion, Yorkshire Forward, Sue Gradwell, Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Business & Education Partnership, Ian Reed, Yorkshire Air Museum Director, John Edmonds, Chairman of Trustees of the Yorkshire Air Museum and Amy Parkinson, formerly of NYBEP, who co-wrote the book with Ian Reed.

EADS / Astrium.

Astrium is the subsidiary of European Aeronautical Defence Systems which is developing a European ‘passenger space vehicle’, who along with Virgin Galactic, offered information and images for the book.

An extraordinary act of compassion which took place in the heat of war sixty four years ago was once again remembered at Elvington on Sunday 1st June, when the Doncaster Air Gunners Association brought a party of German WWII veterans to the museum.This annual re-union, which alternates each year between here and Germany, has now existed for 20 years and stems from an act of human kindness following the shooting down of an RAF Lancaster in 1944.

On return from a raid on Berlin, Lancaster “Sugar 2” from RAF Wickenby, was hit by fire from a Messerschmidt 110. On fire and spiralling earthward, the crew baled out of the stricken aircraft. Navigator Arthur Lee however, was pinned to the floor by the centrifugal force of the spin, until, suddenly, the aircraft blew apart and he was forcibly ejected. Luckily, he had put on his parachute harness and was able to pull the cord, with the chute just opening in time to break his fall into the trees below, in a wood near Katzelenbogen, 20 miles south east of Koblenz.

But for Rudi’s intervention, things could have been very different for Arthur and Rudi himself had risked the possibility of a court martial. After the war had ended, Rudi erected a 10ft high wooden cross at the crash site, flanked by six smaller crosses to mark the rest of the Lancaster crew who had perished in the crash. Forty five years later, Rudi and Arthur were reunited at the cross, when a pilgrimage of RAF Wickenby members and Doncaster Air Gunners Association made the trip to the crash site, after researching the details with assistance from the current Luftwaffe and the German Nightfigters Association, which meet at Sobernheim airbase. Thus, German veterans and current servicemen at the time took part in a service of remembrance at this reunion.

This set the spark of a friendship between Doncaster Air Gunners and the Nightfighters Association that has remained strong to this day. The Air Gunners association identified the site of the last crash of a German aircraft on British soil, at Dunnington Lodge, near Elvington, as the most appropriate for a twin memorial to “The Cross in the Woods” erected by Rudi Balzer in Germany and , for twenty years, the reciprocal visits have taken place.

Last Sunday, Yorkshire Air Museum Chaplain Neil Mackay led a short Service of Remembrance at Dunnington Lodge before the Doncaster Air Gunners and the visiting German veterans and family proceeded to the museum for a luncheon and a special tour of the museum’s unique restored Halifax bomber.

Museum spokesman, Ian Richardson, said: “We were delighted to assist our friends at the Doncaster Air Gunners Association in making this a very special occasion for the German veterans and their families. The long lasting friendship that has existed since that remarkable act of kindness shows us that conflicts are about politics, not people in general, and that old opponents can respect each others courage in the pursuit of their duty, thereby finding the similarities that lasting friendships can be based upon.”

Both Arthur Lee and Rudi Balzer are sadly no longer with us, but they would have been astounded at the continuing legacy their friendship has created.

Pictured with the impressive Halifax Bomber “Friday the 13th” are: (left to right).

Stan Wannell – Doncaster Air Gunners Association. (Former Wireless Operator / Air Gunner on Wellingtons.)

Theo Nau – German Me. 109 fighter pilot.

Eric Foynette – RAF Lancaster Navigator an ex POW. At 92 years of age, Eric is the last remaining witness to the re-union of Rudi Balzer and Arthur Lee.)

Ulrich Majewski – Post WWII Luftwaffe pilot.

Walter Rehling – Dornier 217 pilot in WWII.

Otto Markruse – Luftwaffe Dayfighter pilot on Focke-Wulfe 190.

Herbert Gleich – Junkers JU 88 pilot.

Kneeling in front are: L to R:

Moira Hurrell, Jacqui Whitehead (Event Organiser) and Sue Collett of the Doncaster Air Gunners Association.

Further information at: www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

Over the past weekend, a number of veteran airmen from 578 Squadron attended the Squadron Association’s annual re-union, during which a Service was held at Selby Abbey. Amongst these was 87 year old Don McDonald, an Australian pilot who attended the event for the first time, having never before had the opportunity to make the long trip to do so.Following a request from fellow Association members David McSherry, of Hemingbrough, and Norman Davidson, 578 Squadron Association Chairman, from North Sheilds, arrangements were made for Don McDonald to make a special visit to the Yorkshire Air Museum on Monday (19th May) to see the Museum’s unique restored Halifax bomber. This was the first time that Don had stepped inside a Halifax since the end of the war and was without doubt a fitting end to an emotional weekend.

Don, accompanied by his wife of 30 years, Ailsa, both sprightly for their age, were shown around the Halifax by Museum volunteer Phil Kemp, of Wilberfoss, who has been involved with the restoration of this aircraft for over 15 years. Both were excited at the prospect and although Ailsa had not been expecting to go inside, she was amazed by the experience of seeing where here husband had sat to carry out his duty.

Don was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 7th October 1920. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force in his hometown in December 1941, and was transferred to Europe in March 1943, where he joined 578 (Burn) Squadron as a pilot at the height of the Allied bombing campaign. After a full tour, during which he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, which he modestly puts down to ‘simply having the good fortune for not being in the wrong place at the wrong time’, he moved to Norton in Marsh in the hazardous role as an instructor, before taking on a second tour of duty with 466 Squadron, Driffield. Instructing was indeed a dangerous, but vital role, as the aircraft used were often those that had been repaired after mission damage but not deemed fit for operational use.

Don recalled the raids over Germany’s industrial heartland which would see over 600 aircraft attack their target, in waves of 200 or more over a short time period of just 9 minutes, saying that it was all down to luck that your aircraft was not involved in a mid-air collision or shot out of the sky, as so many were. However, we suspect that there is more to his earning the DFC, but he is not telling.

Ian Richardson, museum spokesman, said: “It was wonderful to meet Don and Ailsa and hear Don’s story. Those of us born many years after the end of WWII can only imagine what these young men went through at the time and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We must also never forget that our Commonwealth stood firm behind Britain in our hour of need and all of us at the Museum were delighted to assist in the arrangements to make this visit to see the Halifax possible. We hope that this will not be the ‘one and only’ time we see Don and Aisla at Elvington.”

Further information at: www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

The Yorkshire Air Museum’s new Bomber Command exhibition Against the Odds received a flying start on Wednesday 19th March when it was officially opened by Sir David Jason OBE, widely regarded as one of Britain’s most popular actors.

An Honorary Member of the Museum and aviation enthusiast, Sir David arrived in some style by flying in by helicopter for this auspicious occasion, to the delight of over 1000 visitors who turned up for the occasion. Sir David graciously signed many autographs before going on to ‘inspect’ a contingent of new Royal Air Force recruits from nearby RAF Leconfield and some cadets from 2388 (Castleford) Air Training Corps.

After being shown into the new exhibition, Sir David chatted to several veterans of Bomber Command who have had a long association with the Museum, and he was clearly moved by hearing of their often harrowing experiences.

Produced in association with Imperial War Museum, “Against the Odds” details and explores the international reasons for the formation of this unique force and the unparalleled sacrifice of its young airman, many just in their late teens, from all over the world. With over 55 800 killed in action or as prisoner of war, no fighting group saw such heavy losses, but, perhaps because of the later controversy over the consequence of aerial bombing on civilian populations, no campaign medal has ever been issued to the brave volunteers of Bomber Command. The stunning exhibition stands in an original wartime building on this former Bomber Command Station, and the large display panels with striking, and even controversial, imagery are interspersed with artefacts and audio visual displays.

Providing a wealth of easily extractable factual information, Against the Odds will be an excellent educational resource for school parties and groups and associations and anyone engaged in lifelong learning objectives. It forms an excellent base upon which to start a tour of the Museum, which most of the existing displays and resources link into, facilitating a more in depth exploration of some topics.

Museum Director, Ian Reed, said: “This exhibition, which is of national standard and scale, will bring the story of Bomber Command to a younger generation in keeping with the objectives of this unique Memorial to Allied Air Forces. This is probably the most fitting place in Britain for it to be located and we are especially pleased and honoured that our Life Member, Sir David Jason, was able to take time out from a hectic filming schedule to open Against the Odds on our behalf.”

In a major endorsement for the Museum speaking in television interviews, Sir David said how proud he was to be associated with the Yorkshire Air Museum & Allied Air Forces Memorial and how important places like this were in ensuring the memory of all those who gave their lives is never forgotten.

Opening the new display, Sir David said, “I feel very close to the RAF being a pilot myself. When you think about it these crews didn’t give their lives, their lives were taken from them and when you consider over 55,000 never came back in order to defend democracy, we must never forget what they gave.”

With such an understanding of aviation and his well known support for the Royal Air Force and RAF Benevolent Fund, there could not have been a better person to open the exhibition for us and this high profile launch has already resulted in a dramatic surge in visitor numbers.

www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

Early indications from the RAF Events Participation Committee reveal that several aircraft from the legendary Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will be allocated to support forthcoming events at the Yorkshire Air Museum.At Battlegroup North, the increasingly popular ‘war gaming weekend’ and historic military vehicle gathering, we have been allocated the magnificent Lancaster, the ultimate symbol of victory in the air war of WWII, on Saturday 10th May, and the following day the Dakota, probably the most successful aircraft type in aviation history, will grace the skies of Elvington.

These flypasts will be the icing on the cake of what promises to be another spectacular occasion, following last years record breaking event which saw some 200 military vehicles on display, alongside fascinating Living History diorama’s and the amazing tabletop war games, showing precision modelling at it’s finest. These complex games of strategy allow participation from visitors and once again some of the best exhibition and participation games from around the country will be on show.

On Sunday 22nd June, the Hurricane and Spitfire, legends of the Battle of Britain, will provide a ‘Victory Flypast’ at the Classic Wings & Wheels Show, a perfect salute to the gathering of classic and veteran cars.

Wherever possible, these flypasts will be supplemented by other displays from veteran aircraft such as the Tiger Moth and Chipmunk, famous as early training aircraft for RAF pilots, providing some ‘heart in the mouth’ action for visitors to enjoy.

During the season, a series of ‘Thunder Day’s’ will celebrate this centenary year of powered flight in Britain and the 90th Anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force. These events will see some of our big jets, such as the Blackburn Buccaneer and Handley Page Victor conducting live engine runs and the first of these will actually see the mighty Victor K2 doing rolling down Elvington’s runway, on Saturday 5th April.

So, it will all be happening here at the Yorkshire Air Museum this summer, but if you cannot wait until then, there will be lot’s still to see during the half-term holidays.

For further information, please contact the Museum on 01904 608595 or look up our website: www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

On Sunday 21st October the first “Thunder Day” will see the engines of two of the Museum’s big jets “powered-up” to herald a week of activity for the half-term break.

The famous Buccaneer strike fighter/bomber, used during the first Gulf War, with its two huge Rolls Royce Spey 101 turbofans providing 22,000lbs thrust, and the massive Victor V-Bomber ‘Lusty Lindy’, herself a Falklands and Gulf War veteran, with her four Rolls Royce Conway’s delivering a mighty 80,000 lbs thrust making the ground shake for visitors.

In addition, the Museum’s award winning Aviation Fire & Rescue Service will be on station during the engine runs with their very latest American GMC 6-wheeler fire engine, acquired from Rolls Royce at Derby.

This will certainly create some thunder and excitement for children to enjoy, as well as, we suspect, their mum’s and dad’s!! The Buccaneer, as a naval aircraft type, will be demonstrating the hydraulically operated wing folding capability, bomb bay opening and air brake system, which is something the public rarely get to see.

‘Thunder Day’ will begin the countdown to next year’s centenary of British Powered Flight, which will mark the first officially recorded flight, on October 16th 1908, of Samuel Franklin Cody’s experimental Army Aeroplane No.1, Britain’s first powered aircraft

This event will herald a week of activity, ‘Cockpit Fest’, from Monday 22nd October to Friday 26th October, during which cockpits of aircraft such as the Harrier GR3 Jump Jet, Meteor, Tornado, Herald, Dakota and even the Victor itself, will be opened up wherever possible for visitors to see inside. So, if you fancy jumping in a jump jet, you know where to come!

Admission to the museum is just £5 Adults, £4 Senior Citizens and £3 Children 5-15, with under 5’s free. There is also ample free parking. Gates open at 10am and close at 5pm. www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

The Yorkshire Air Museum is delighted to have secured a great deal of support from the Royal Air Force for our forthcoming events season, with historic aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight being allocated to all our shows.This will start off in spectacular style on Saturday 12th May with a flypast by the ‘legendary three’ – Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire – for the opening day of the two-day Battlegroup North show, with the Dakota following this up on the Sunday. The show will feature the largest gathering of historic military vehicles to be seen in Yorkshire this year, along with some of the best miniature wargames in the country. The detail in some of these precision model battle scenarios has to be seen to be believed, and, with a number of ‘hands on’ participation games available, there will be something for enthusiasts and novices to enjoy. Great fun for kids and the ‘young at heart’!

The Lancaster, fresh from a major overhaul which made national news recently, will make another appearance at the Classic Wings & Wheels Show on Sunday 24th June, providing the wings to accompany the wheels of hundreds of classic cars and motorcycles that are expected to turn out for this increasingly popular event. The awesome sound of those renowned Rolls Royce Merlin engines is the epitome of real aviation for many.

We are especially pleased to announce that the Dakota has been scheduled to support Engineering Inspirations, our prestigious annual education challenge and showcase, to be held on 4th July and organised in conjunction with North Yorkshire Business & Education Partnership. Hundreds of pupils from schools across the region will be submitting projects to win one of the many awards and prize money on offer. The flypast is sure to be a highlight of the day amongst a number of challenging activities that students, and even teachers, can participate in during the event.

The Dakota will make a further two appearances in September during our Allied Services Commemoration Day and Battle of Britain Sunday. Wherever possible, additional flypasts by private operators will supplement the displays by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

So, there is lots of fun in store and we are looking forward to another record breaking season. An interesting fact to come out of an ongoing market research survey is that a staggering 85% of our 70 000 visitors during the 2006 season are ‘first time’ visitors, with nearly 20% of those visiting on recommendation, clearly showing how popular the museum has become over recent years.

Further information at: www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

Images show the Lancaster and Dakota in action at Yorkshire Air Museum