IT is a reproduction of one of the aircraft that was used to attack Germany, but aviation enthusiasts always want to go one better.

The Halifax known as Friday the 13th is the pride of the Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, near York, and was painstakingly created over a number of years.

Volunteers searched Europe for pieces needed while engineers meticulously recreated parts that could not be found.

But although the aircraft has been externally complete for some time, the museum's engineering team is hard at work again.

They are making good progress on their project to create a tail-plane for the huge bomber.

The museum planned to re-fabricate the tail plane once the internal fitting of all crew positions was complete.

Museum director Ian Reed said: "This is no mean task for a volunteer workforce, and the task is progressing with the usual skill and ingenuity displayed so often by these volunteers.

"Friday the 13th is seen by tens of thousands of people each year, and it represents the 18,000 aircrew of many nationalities who lost their lives from Yorkshire airfields.

"It remains a unique testament to their bravery and sacrifice."

In the Second World War, the average life of a Halifax bomber was nine months, and of the 6,178 built, no complete aircraft was kept after the end of the war.

The aircraft will play a main role in the museum's 60 Years On programme, marking the anniversaries of campaigns that helped to liberate Europe and Asia.

Published: 14/02/2004