The Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, York, UK, is welcoming visitors for the summer season with a new exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the restoration of its Handley Page Halifax bomber, along with a range of family activities and interactive displays. Located at the former RAF Elvington near York, the museum is home to around 60 aircraft and military vehicles, including Europe’s only surviving Halifax bomber. The aircraft returned to public display in 1996 following a 13-year restoration project and is the focus of the museum’s new “Operation Halifax” exhibition, which celebrates the milestone.
The Halifax holds particular significance for the museum, as the type operated from RAF Elvington and other bomber bases across Yorkshire during WWII. Alongside the anniversary exhibition, the museum has introduced two new children’s activity trails for the summer. One encourages younger visitors to identify aircraft nose art throughout the site, while another challenges older children to answer questions and solve coded puzzles as they explore the museum. Visitors can also climb into several aircraft cockpit sections displayed inside the museum’s hangars. The interactive exhibits have been repositioned and more clearly signposted this year to make them easier to find.
(Image credit: Yorkshire Air Museum)
On Thursdays throughout the school summer holidays, members of the museum’s education team will offer hands-on demonstrations featuring artifacts from the collection, including wartime gas masks and flying equipment. “Summer is always our busiest period of the year, and we’re ready and eager to welcome visitors to the Yorkshire Air Museum over the school break,” said Museum Communications Manager Jerry Ibbotson. “There’s something to offer everyone. It’s more than planes; it’s more than history – it’s a great day out.” For more information and to support the Yorkshire Air Museum, click on this link: yorkshireairmuseum.org.
