Unidentified aeroplane damaged at Sherburn in Elmet aerodrome.
Over the weekend of 6th / 7th June 1936 an international flying meeting arranged by the Harrogate Aeroplane Club at Yeadon aerodrome with visitors flying in from various areas of the country as well as some overseas visitors invited. Strikes in France saw a number of foreign pilots be not able to make the meeting but four of the twenty international club representitives made it to Yorkshire. Kurt Tank, of the Fokker Aeroplane Company, was due to attend the meeting in Yorkshire but does not appear to have arrived. He was due to attend with one the latest Fokker machines. Poor weather also hampered many pilots from reaching the initial intended destination of Newton House, Leeming with some simply landing at Yeadon. Four German pilots made it through to England in three aeroplanes, they were Herr Walthur Schumacher and his wife but who flew to England earlier in the week and then landed at Leeming on Friday 4th June 1936. The other three Germans set out from Germany early on 6th June 1936. Fritz Bischoff in one, and Cpt F Poulet and Franz Series in the other, flew all the way from Germany to Heston in the two aeroplanes. Poor weather and also the strike in France gave them problems with fuel but they arrived safety in England. After a short time at Heston they flew north through poor weather and landed safely at Yeadon. Schumacher also flew from Leeming to Yeadon on the morning of Saturday, 6th June 1936 to join them. The German aeroplanes had swastikas on the tails and were of some interest to the British pilots in attendance. All were guests of a civic luncheon of the Mayor of Harrogate during the afternoon. The initial plan was to fly to Plumpton and use a temporary landing ground there but permission to use this site was refused by the Air Ministry so they were driven to Harrogate from Yeadon.
About twenty aeroplanes flew from Yeadon to York on Sunday, 7th June 1936 with the pilot's invited to be civic luncheon guests of the Lord Mayor of York in conjunction with the flying meeting. This luncheon was held in a hanger at the new York aerodrome that was nearly completed at Rawcliffe. With the lunch concluded the initial plan was that the visitors should flew home but these plans were changed after the lunch, so that they would remain in Yorkshire until Monday and then fly home. The aeroplanes then left York and flew to Sherburn in Elmet and landed. A short time later they flew back to Yeadon but one of the German visiting aeroplanes was slightly damaged on take off from Sherburn. The damage was not noticed until it landed at Yeadon but was not serious. A newspaper report located suggested the damage would be repaired the following day but as it transpired this happened as three took off the following day.
Pilot - Name unknown.