THE 50th anniversary of the Gazelle helicopter is going to be celebrated in style this weekend in Middle Wallop as a whole host of aircraft descend on the area.

Threshold.aero, supported by the Museum of Army Flying and the Army Air Corps, will be hosting a commemorative fly-in of Gazelle helicopters at AAC Middle Wallop, the Army's home of the Gazelle, on Saturday 8 April.

On 7 April 1967, Aerospatiale SA.340 F-WOFH made its first flight in the hands of test pilot Jean Boulet. Five decades later, the Aerospatiale Gazelle remains a valued asset to the armed forces of twenty nations worldwide.

The Gazelle 50th Anniversary Commemorative Fly-in will open to the public from 10am, with free parking available in the field to the west of the A343 opposite the Museum of Army Flying available from 8.30am.

Signage and traffic management will be in operation to ensure that visitors can park quickly and safely. Disabled parking will be in the Museum of Army Flying car park.

A number of aviation, craft and charity stands, as well as helicopters on static display, will be present in addition to the aircraft flying in.

Attendees will be able to see the helicopters arriving and departing, at either end of the day, and will have an opportunity to get up close to the aircraft when the airfield is opened to the public.

Tickets are available from the Museum of Army Flying website and are priced at £15 – adults, £8 – children. A family ticket is available at £40, allowing admission of two adults and two children. Under 5s are free and all tickets include museum admission.

For more information about the event visit: www.threshold.aero/events/fly-in/gazelle-50th-anniversary-commemorative-fly-in] For tickets go to: www.armyflying.com/events/