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16
Sept 2020
Eyes to the skies as spitfire flies over Harrogate hospital
A spitfire will fly over Harrogate District Hospital this morning as a special thank you to the NHS.
The plane set off from Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire at 10am and is expected to reach Harrogate at around 10.50am.
Harrogate missed out in the spitfire's last journey in July but today's flypast is intended to thank hospital staff for their coronavirus efforts.
Read more:
- Harrogate District Hospital to increase covid tests for staff
- Coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire below national average
Steve Russell, the chief executive at Harrogate NHS Foundation Trust, said:
The plane has been painted for the occasion with the words "Thank U NHS" under its wings and also bears the names of nominated NHS workers.
The Aircraft Restoration Company, which is behind the project, has raised more than £80,000 for NHS Charities Together, a federation of 250 charities that support the NHS, with flypasts since July.
The blue spitfire PL983 nicknamed 'L' was built for photo reconnaissance in the 1940s and has an interesting history. Lettice Curtis, a famous female pilot, once raced the spitfire, which now carries her name alongside those of the NHS workers.
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