THE skies above the Herefordshire village of Much Marcle will be buzzing with replicas of some of the world's must celebrated planes this weekend.

Herefordshire Model Aircraft Club, in association with the Large Model Association, is staging its annual flying display in the village tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday.

And when they say "large", they mean it. Among the models on the ground and in the air are three one-sixth scale replicas of the B17 Flying Fortress.

These models are nearly 20ft in wingspan - there are actual planes that are not much bigger - and the activities of these hobbyists is strictly controlled by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Also among the 100 or so models on display will be a Bristol Beaufighter and a DeHavilland Comet, the aircraft which ran away with the England-Australia speed record in the pre-war years.

Colin Clark, one of the organisers, said: "We've got models of aircraft from before 1914 almost up to the present day. But there are no jets because of fire regulations. We can only fly them from venues like RAF Cosford."

But the dominance of the propeller is not likely to detract from the excitement of the weekend, not when the enthusiasts have organised a mock bombing raid complete with pyrotechnics.

Each day's flying is set to culminate in a First World War spectacular, when up to 14 planes will be in the air simultaneously, recreating the Fokker/Sopwith dogfights of the Western Front.

It is the largest such show in the South-west and on the ground will be numerous trade stands and the full range of refreshments. Money raised will go to a variety of local causes.

Flying is between 10am and 5.30pm each day and the site can be found off the A449, behind the old Weston's garage, in the same field as the annual steam rally.