THANKS go to chief reporter Mike Laycock for his article about Elvington aerodrome (March 2).

The image of the jumbo, although a light-hearted jest, is relevant to Yorkshire's aviation heritage because it was this Virgin Atlantic 747 aircraft which recently saluted Yorkshireman Sir George Cayley, at Brompton-by-Sawdon, for the 150th anniversary celebration of the first human flight in a fixed-wing aircraft.

The jumbo captain, by second coincidence, was Tim Bailey who went solo for the first time as an RAF pilot from Elvington aerodrome in a Jet Provost.

Tim attended the Yorkshire Air Show as our honoured guest for his service to our aviation heritage which is 50 years older than the celebrated American Wright Brothers' powered flight.

Last week another aviation pioneer, Steve Fossett, touched-down at Salina, Kansas, in the Global Flyer. He is the first to circumnavigate the globe, non-stop, without refuelling.

The media, public and backer Sir Richard Branson will rightly applaud this record-breaking flight.

Aviation is visionary and global, recognised and appreciated by millions of people as a wonderful tool to venture afar.

In Britain it is also heavily regulated, responsible and accountable.

Elvington Park aspires to enable Elvington aerodrome to connect businesses and individuals with wider horizons as part of our vision for the future of York and region.

So we are delighted that business and commerce support the planning application for a low-profile hangar and operations building to enable a modest start to the vision.

Ian Wormald,

Elvington Park, York.

Updated: 09:31 Monday, March 07, 2005