ORGANISERS of this weekend's Yorkshire Air Show are advising enthusiasts to arrive early.

Thousands of people are expected to turn up at Elvington, near York, following a record number of advance ticket sales.

To keep queuing to a minimum, Elvington Events, which stages the show, has broken with tradition and brought forward the show to this weekend to avoid bank holiday traffic on the A64.

The company has also organised plenty of activities to keep people entertained from the moment the gates open, including free entry to the Yorkshire Air Museum, which will be open from 9.30am.

In addition, there will be many non-flying exhibits, including the Starchaser Rocket, one of the first privately funded space vehicles in the world, as well as vintage and military vehicles and an array of stands selling souvenirs, clothing and memorabilia.

Event director Ken Cothliff said he was not surprised at the interest in the event.

He said: "This year's show promises to be one of the best we have staged. We have entitled it The Classic Bomber Meet as a tribute to the men of Bomber Command, and we hope to have one of the biggest gatherings of bomber aircraft in the UK show season. We have also brought together a variety of flying displays to appeal to all ages."

The four-hour aerial spectaculars start at 1pm on both days, but the gates will be open from 8.30am, with runway events starting at 11am.

Admission is £13 for adults, £6 for under-16s and free for under-fives. A family ticket for two adults and two children is £35.