PRINCE Michael of Kent made a flying visit to the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop last week to unveil a very special new glider.

The Prince is the museum's patron and has a keen interest in aviation.

After his arrival in a Gazelle helicopter he chatted to museum staff before he unveiled a replica of a Hotspur glider.

After the unveiling he chatted to a large number of veterans from the old Glider Pilot Regiment who had turned out for the occasion; clearly excited many of them hadn't seen a Hotspur glider for almost 60 years.

The Prince warmly congratulated the four men who have painstaking built the new Hotspur over the last decade and the assembled veterans raised three cheers for the Prince.

The glider's tail section and a few other parts are original and the rest was constructed using the original plans.

Chairman of the Glider Pilot Regiment, Lt Col Nick Nicholls, said: "This is an exciting day for glider pilots and the museum as this Hotspur completes the line-up of military gliders.

"The museum has the finest collection of military gliders in the world.

"The Hotspur was the first military cargo glider ever built. "It was given the go-ahead in May 1940 and the first one flew in November 1940 - which is quite remarkable when you consider that the war effort was for fighters and bombers at that time.

"It was later used as a trainer and from 1941 onwards every glider pilot flew the Hostpur."

In all 1015 Hotspur gliders were built.

But the one unveiled at Middle Wallop is now the only complete one anywhere in the world.

The exploits of the Glider Pilots Regiment is less well known than some but they took part in the daring airborne assaults on Sicily, on D-Day, at Arnhem and the Crossing of the River Rhine.

Once they had landed the glider's personnel became infantry, often taking heavy casualties.