MUSEUM volunteers are taking advantage of the winter season to give one of their cherished exhibits a facelift.

The refurbishment of the Yorkshire Air Museum's Lockheed/Canadair CT-133 Silver Star was made possible by a donation from museum supporters Murray and Louise Cornblum.

During the Second World War, Murray served in air traffic control at various RAF bases, including Linton-on-Ouse, near York.

Although they now live thousands of miles away in Canada, they are both keen supporters of the museum at Elvington, near York.

The aircraft is a tandem, two-seat armed trainer, one of 636 built under licence by Canadair for the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1952.

It was used as an instrument trainer while in service with Canadian forces stationed in Germany during the Cold War.

The Silver Star was powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet, giving the aircraft a service ceiling of 48,000ft and a maximum speed of 600mph at sea level.

Its operating range was up to 1,275 miles and was armed with two nose-mounted machine guns, plus various light bombs, rockets and gun pods.

The aircraft was formerly mounted as a gate guardian at Baden Soellingen in Germany and was presented to the museum in 1993.

Published: 09/01/04