This fair takes the breath away.
Video footage and photographs of York from the air were shot on the historic final flight by British Army helicopters from Dishforth.
They marked the occasion by flying over iconic Yorkshire landmarks, including the most glorious of them all – York Minster.
Pilots from 9 Regiment Army Air Corps (9 AAC) bid farewell to the county they have come to regard as home, also flying over the White Horse at Kilburn.
The flight of the four Army Lynx MK9A helicopters heralded the end of Army aviation in the north of England and the end of the regiment which is due to disband.
The helicopters flew in formation commanded by the Commanding Officer of 9 AAC, Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Cook OBE, who was able to fly over his daughter’s school.
Lt Col Cook said:
It’s a poignant moment – the end of flying at Dishforth and the end of the regiment – but we are proud and want to celebrate our history.
The local community asked 9 AAC to make the flight to mark their departure from Dishforth Airfield where they have been stationed since 1992.
The helicopters flew over the Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Leyburn, York and the town of Boroughbridge, who last year held a freedom parade for the regiment.
They passed over the Yorkshire Dales as well as crossing the M1 motorway and running alongside a Virgin Trains East Coast service.
The journey also took in military sites across Yorkshire including RAF Topcliffe, RAF Leeming, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Catterick Garrison and the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.
Lt Col Cook, who has been at Dishforth for the past eight years, said: “It’s a hugely significant occasion for all of us, with most having established close and lasting links with the local area.
“Yorkshire is a county that we view as home and it will be missed by all who have served here.”
The helicopters, which were being flown by the last remaining aircrew at Dishforth, eventually departed for the south of England.
They passed over London before reaching their final destination, the home of the Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop in Hampshire.
The name of 9 AAC – who have supported combat and humanitarian operations worldwide including Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, the Philippines and Afghanistan – will now disband.
It will merge with 1 Regiment Army Air Corps in Yeovilton, Somerset, and operate the Army’s new fleet of Wildcat Battlefield Utility Helicopters.
Lt Col Cook said:
We will all look back at our time here with immensely fond memories and will hold North Yorkshire dear to our hearts.
Dishforth has been used by the military intermittently since World War Two, the airfield has a long and prestigious history that has seen it as a base for Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers and Douglas Dakota transport aircraft.
More recently, it has provided a home to the British Army’s Apache and Lynx helicopters.
The camp and airfield will be handed over to a ground unit, 6 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps later this summer, with the last remaining Army Air Corps personnel posted to various locations around the UK.