STUDENTS learning about the mysteries of flight will be helping to lighten the load at an award-winning Yorkshire museum.

York College and the Yorkshire Air Museum, at nearby Elvington, have confirmed a partnership which will mean anyone on the college's City and Guilds aeronautical engineering course will do practical training as volunteer members of the museum.

It is hoped that by putting their skills to use they will be able to help with the restoration of some of the aircraft in the museum's collection.

One of the first aircraft to benefit will be an Avro Anson T 21. After a long service career, it ended up in a children's playground until it was taken to the museum in 1993.

Although a significant amount of restoration work has already been done, it is hoped the new college course will help speed up the process so that the restoration is complete in time for the aircraft's 70th anniversary in March, 2005.

Students on subsequent courses will then follow in the footsteps of the new recruits.

The launch of the partnership is planned at the museum tomorrow.