Video: Military fly-past marks 80th anniversary of Leeds Bradford Airport

PLANE spotters had a field day as iconic aircraft took to the skies to mark a Yorkshire airport’s 80th birthday.

Visitors to Leeds Bradford Airport are more used to seeing passenger jets but yesterday they were treated to a fly-past by two F-16 fighter jets from the Belgian Air Force’s display team, along with a Royal Air Force Tornado, a VC10 transport plane and a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft.

The Belgian fly-past was in tribute to the Belgian flyers who served with 609 Squadron, formed in 1936 at RAF Yeadon, now Leeds Bradford Airport. The Squadron later moved south to defend the nation during the Battle of Britain and is now based at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire.

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Leeds Bradford Airport’s commercial director Tony Hallwood said: “We are really appreciative of the Belgian Flying Falcons for visiting and remembering their colleagues who were based here.”

The fly-pasts were not widely publicised by airport bosses because they could not guarantee the arrival of the planes and did not want to disappoint visitors, said Mr Hallwood.

A photographic exhibition was unveiled at the airport yesterday and a book, Yeadon Above the Rest, written by local aviation historian Ken Cothliff, has been published.