The sky is the limit for new attractions at the Lincolnshire Show! 18 May

The new Aviation Zone will impress more than 60,000 visitors at the Lincolnshire Showground on the 22 and 23 June as they explore real-life cockpits and fuselages, listen to talks from experts including local RAF representatives and experience lightning and spitfire simulators.

Jayne Southall, CEO for the Lincolnshire Showground, is delighted that the Show will be celebrating Lincolnshire’s aviation heritage. She said: “We have always been committed to showing visitors the best of Lincolnshire at the Show, whether it be through our local produce, our great rural heritage or showcasing local companies and businesses.”

“With the Scampton Air Show looking likely to relocate next door to the Showground in 2017, it is an exciting time to bring a new zone to the Show and inform visitors about Lincolnshire’s impressive aviation history.

“The area already has a fantastic line-up with attractions spanning back as early as World War One. Visitors will be able to enjoy talks from the Lincoln-based International Bomber Command Centre and see appearances from the Hawker Siddley HS748 and the British trainer aircraft, Jet Provost. We are also excited to announce that the replica of the renowned S-Sugar Lancaster aircraft will make its first public appearance, since being unveiled at a private Anzac Day ceremony at RAF Waddington.”

Aviation enthusiast, Martin Willoughby from Grimsby spent eight years reproducing the replica S-Sugar Lancaster aircraft. It will be unveiled at the Show as an interactive experience for visitors.

He said: “The S-Sugar Lancaster was a vital part of the Bomber Command Offensive during World War II, both with the 83 Squadron at RAF Scampton and with the 467 Squadron at RAF Waddington. The aircraft also became the first allied bomber to reach 100 operations.

“My late Father, Ted Willoughby, served as a ground engineer on the S-Sugar and after the war, he always wondered what had happened to it. In 1969, when I was just four-years-old, he rediscovered the S-Sugar at RAF Scampton, despite the majority of the 7377 Lancasters being scrapped.

“We both worked together to restore the S-Sugar and now it is an exact reproduction of the World War II aircraft, down to the very last detail.

“Show visitors will be the first to experience a special guided tour of the replica aircraft and will even be able to sit in the crew stations. I wanted to provide an educational and interactive tour, so both adults and children could get the full experience and learn about Lincolnshire’s Bomber Command’s history during the war.”

Representatives from the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire - a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council, various district councils and the aviation councils - will also join Martin in the zone to promote Lincolnshire’s aviation history.

Aviation development officer, Phil Bonner for the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, said: “It was during the Great War that aviation really developed in the county. By the end, there were more than 35 landing grounds in Lincolnshire. Today, the region is home to five active RAF Stations, four of which can trace their origins back to World War One.

“The Aviation Zone will be an exciting, new development for the Lincolnshire Show and we are really looking forward to being a part of it and having the opportunity to promote Lincolnshire's great aviation heritage."

To celebrate the launch of the Aviation Zone, the Showground is donating 100 Show tickets to military personnel, as part of Armed Forces Day on 25 June which is this year, being held in Cleethorpes.