THOUSANDS of people basked in the sun with their necks craned to the skies for the final day of the Great Yorkshire Air Show.

The Evening Press-sponsored event, which began on Sunday, attracted more than 15,000 spectators again yesterday who were treated to an exciting display of aeronautical feats.

Some motorists had to queue more than two hours to get in and out of the event at the airfield on the outskirts of York and thousands got stuck in slow traffic on the A64 last night heading out of York.

Spectators were also treated to an attempt by daredevil Jim Ellis-Beech to complete his mammoth round of death-defying stunts.

At the age of 81, the retired Army PT instructor from Bishop Monkton, near Boroughbridge, tackled a round of stunts to raise money for Alzheimer's disease charities.

He began his challenge at the airfield by doing aerobatics on one of the wings of an Utterly Butterly biplane.

He hot-footed it across the county to do a bungee-jump, abseil down Sutton Bank and rock climb his way back up before jumping 10,000 ft from a plane.

Meanwhile, thousands of parents and children milled around the airfield enjoying the show and tucking into food - and for those less interested in flying, but accompanying the enthusiasts, there was plenty of opportunity to stretch out and catch some rays.

The Red Arrows gave a repeat visit and filled the skies with their brightly coloured vapour trails.

Other highlights at the 10th anniversary show included displays by jet cars, a Tornado, Harrier, Spitfire and aerobatics teams.

Lining the runway where dozens of stalls and a display of vintage cars.

One visitor Sheila Newey, who had travelled from Sheffield with her family to see the show, said: "It's been a wonderful day. Something for all of us to do. Mind you I think we'll be a bit deaf later with all the amazing noise that some of the aircraft make!"

Updated: 08:35 Tuesday, August 28, 2001