Vintage flight restrictions at museum

A Fairey Firefly in the skies over Duxford moments before it crashed

Restrictions have been placed on flights by vintage aircraft at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, following a spate of crashes.

Officials at the museum in Cambridgeshire have taken the steps after concerns were raised by nearby residents.

Flying displays will now take place further away from homes in Duxford village and from the M11 motorway which is at one end of the runway.

The announcement, which follows a safety review at the airfield, was made in the run up to the Centenary of Flight Air Show which begins on 6 September.

Duxford residents have been campaigning for changes to be made following three crashes in the past two months.

Aerobatic manoeuvres, unless specifically authorised, have been prohibited in areas near the village, which is south-east of the airfield.

Ted Inman, Duxford Airfield's director, said the steps should reassure residents that safety issues are being taken very seriously.

"As a result of a number of recent incidents at Duxford and people's understandable concerns over safety we have introduced measures which we believe will further reduce risks associated with the operation of a licensed airfield," he said.

Two people lost their lives in the Fairey Firefly crash in July

He added the safety at the airfield has always been paramount and that the vintage planes have always been maintained to a very high standard.

"Old aircraft such as these are very intensively maintained possibly to a higher standard than modern commercial aircraft," he said.

"We probably have the best concentration of knowledge in Europe as far as flying old aircraft is concerned.

"The measures we have announced will reduce the potential impact on our neighbours and we would seek to reassure people that we take these things very seriously."

Duxford resident Jim Longstaff said: "It's been a long time coming, but I am delighted and relieved that restrictions have been put in place to protect us."

The safety review was carried out after two men were killed on 12 July when a vintage Fairey Firefly crashed during an air show.

Three weeks later a two-seater L39 Albatross came down in fields close to the museum. The pilot escaped without any injuries.

The last recorded crash was on 18 August when the world's only flying Bristol Blenheim bomber crashed on landing at the airfield. The pilot and crew member escaped unhurt.