TWO Royal Air Force flying instructors have celebrated a milestone achievement in their careers with a flypast.

It is 40 years this month since the first solo flights of Flight Lieutenants Dick Shuster and Alan Mawby, from RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York.

To celebrate, they teamed up with two other veteran colleagues for a four aircraft flypast, with a combined age of 235.

Fl Lt Mawby's career has seen him amass more than 3,500 hours on transport aircraft, while Fl Lt Shuster has accumulated 9,000 hours as a reconnaissance pilot and instructor.

Linton station commander Group Captain Dave Harrison said: "This is a unique anniversary. Having two instructors with this amount of experience is fantastic for my student pilots because there can't be much in the flying world that Alan and Dick haven't seen.

"Their willingness to share this expertise is very much appreciated."