Look into the Lincolnshire Skies - for a Harrier flyby!

News Updates - We've been told they are still on the runway at Cottesmore due to low cloud.... fly-past times TBC… (updated 2.30pm)

The Harrier Force is being disbanded today after 41 years of service in the Royal Air Force.


To mark the event a formation of 16 Harriers will depart RAF Cottesmore in Leicestershire and fly around Lincolnshire; over the RAF bases listed below in the county, and finish over Lincoln Cathedral .

Look into the Lincolnshire skies between 1.20pm and 2.15pm this afternoon (Wednesday 15th December).

If you want to know more about Lincolnshire Aviation Story you can visit the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage website – its full of brilliant information!

Fly over time

• Stamford – 1.27pm


• Cranwell – 2.01pm


• Waddington – 2.02pm


• Scampton – 2.04pm


• Lincoln - 2.06pm


• Coningsby – 2.11pm

Nose Art Competition – did you see the Lincolnshire Echo?

We’ve been working with Visit Lincolnshire to help spread the word about our latest competition for young people to design their own aircraft Nose Art.

Last week, with a little help from the VL Press Office we sent out a press release launching the competition.

The Lincolnshire Echo ran a story about it, which you can read here, and BBC Radio Lincolnshire invited us into the studio to talk around the competition and the work we are doing as part of Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.

This is an excellent start and we hope to spread the competition further in the coming weeks.

If you would like to receive more information about the competition, or information about how to get youngsters involved, please email david@visitlincolnshire.com

Thorpe Camp

Congratulations to Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre on achieving the accrediation under the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS). Well done on reaching the standard!

Press Updates in May

Just to keep you informed,
AHL has had a very successful month with regards to national press coverge. At the start of May, the Travel section of the Sunday Express wrote a wonderful piece on some of the aviaiton sites in the county. It was not only informative but also an emotional account by a young reporter on what he saw and felt.
On 15th May another two-page article appeared in the Saturday travel section of the Daily Telegraph. Written by its top reporter Steve MacClarence, again it was a very detailed and accurate summary of our sites and what we are, as a Partnership, trying to project and inform.
Another article on the same theme in the Yorkshire Post is due sometime in the near future.

I would like to thank everybody who helped in the two-day visit of the group of journalists. The enthusiasm shown was clearly visible and I know from talking to them that the journalists themslves said they were humbled by some of the stories told to them.

Its now the start of our busy summer season and Phil and I wish you all the success you deserve in the coming months.

RAF Ingham Exhibition - 1st May 2010

Today, if you drive past the former site of RAF Ingham you would have no idea that this all grass aerodrome was home to the Poles, as well as being a food collection centre for Operation MANNA.

An exhibition on this wartime aerodrome is being held at Fillingham Village Hall on Saturday 1st May between 10 am and 4 pm.

This will give you an interesting insight to the airfield. Hopefully this could lead to a permanent heritage centre for the airfield.

Forthcoming Aviation Events - Limited Tickets Book Online

As part of the Battle of Britain celebrations this summer, Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire are running two events either side of the Waddington Air Show.

30th June - The first, a talk on the role of the Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons in Lincolnshire, will take place by kind permision of the Station Commander in the station cinema at RAF Digby on Wednesday evening 30th June, commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets will be priced at £5 and on a first come, first served basis and the proceeds donated to Help for Heroes. No tickets sold on the night.

Buy your tickets here.

5th July -The second lecture, on the subjet of the US Eagle Squadrons who served at Kirton in Lyndsey, will take place at Hemswell Court, Hemswell on Monday July 5th, beginning at 7.30pm. Again tickets will cost £5, with donations going to the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance and Help for Heroes. Tickets must be purchased before the event.

Buy your tickets here.

Press Day East Kirkby

Some of you may have seen on Calendar News on Friday 16th April, the footage of the Just Jane Lanc taxying with a group of journalists on board. They represented the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Sunday Express and the Yorkshire Post and were here in Lincolnshire to report on the county's aviation heritage. They also visited Scampton, the Ops Room at Digby, Cranwell and BBMF.

All noted how impressed they were with the story that the county has to tell not only with the renowned Bombers but also with the Fighters stationed at Digby and Kirton.

Look out for the press reports in the coming weeks and we will give you advance notice of their publication when we get them.

Poetry competition - Waddington Airshow 2010

We are planning to hold a poetry competition based on the theme of "Flight " for school pupils aged between 9 -18. These ages are split into three groups and the first prize in each group is a free family entry ticket for the Airshow and second prize is two childrens tickets for each group, so worth winning.
Also, the top twenty poems will be published in a booklet and sold over the Airshow weekend with the money going to Lincs. Air Ambulance.

Closing date for the competition is 9th April.

For further informtion and entry forms please contact Dave Harrigan on 01522-561672 or e mail David@lincolnshiretourism.com

Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire - welcome!

Hello everybody,
This is the first blog on our new site and we thought we would like to introduce ourselves to all those interested in aviation. As part of a Heritage Lottery Funded initiative, two full-time posts have been created here in the county to support aviation under the banner of Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, formerly known as LIAHP. The Aviation Development Officer is Phil Bonner and the Outreach and Learning Officer is Dave Harrigan. Both are recently retired from the RAF after decades of service!
We would like our fellow enthusiasts to make use of this site; telling us what they like about how aviation is promoted in Lincolnshire and let us know if are there any things that they would like changed or improved. We want to promote open constructive discussion and comment amongst ourselves but derogotary remarks should be left aside!
We look forward to meeting you at many of the various events being held at many locations over the coming year where we shall have a stand.