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SPITFIRES will be flying over Salisbury at the weekend as part of the Support Our Paras Fun Day being held at Old Sarum Airfield.

Many of these now iconic World War Two aeroplanes were assembled in the city, at Castle Street, and Old Sarum was home to many pilots in the run up to the Battle of Britain.

The Supermarine Spitfire was developed in Southampton but when Luftwaffe bombs threaten production in Britain's Darkest Hour, production was swiftly moved to shadow factories.

One such factory was the Wilts & Dorset bus depot in Salisbury, conveniently close to High Post airfield, from where these beautiful machines were test flown.

Today, another battle is underway, albeit four thousand miles from Salisbury.

Fighting this war are men of The Parachute Regiment, members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, who make up the bulk of the Helmand Task Force in Afghanistan.

At Old Sarum on Sunday there will be a fun day and, as well as historic aeroplanes like Spitfire, Hurricane and Mustang, there will be a huge variety of ground events for all ages, including James Bond's original Aston Martin.

The Fun Day will raise money for the families of the dead and seriously injured PARAs.

Tickets cost just £10 for adults and £5 for children. There are family and group discounts available and bookings can be made on-line or by post. You can book online up until 3pm on the 23rd May at www.sopara.org.uk, emailing info@airborneshop.com or by calling 01252 310304. Tickets are available for purchase on the day at the Old Sarum Airfield.

1:38pm Wednesday 21st May 2008

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