A new world record has been set in Cumbria after racing pilot Mark Hanson chose the county for his challenging flight attempt.

Aviation enthusiasts, families and locals descended on Kirkbride Airfield, near Wigton, to witness history being made.

Mark, a national aerobatic racing pilot, aimed to break the record for the number of take offs and landings in one hour.

It previously stood at 36, and beating it would be tough.

But Mark, who was using the feat to raise funds for Pendleside Hospice in his hometown of Burnley, was determined.

Taking off just after 12 noon on Saturday, he spent 60 minutes impressing the crowds with his fast yet efficient flying.

Each time he had to climb to 1,000 feet before landing again.

He then had to ensure of three of the plane's three wheels were touching the ground at a specific point on the runway to make it count.

Cheers broke out when news came in that he had managed a total of 39 take off and landings, smashing the record.

Mark, 43, was flying a fast and aerobatic 300L Extra plane. German-manufactured, it is a very light carbon-fibre aircraft with a powerful eight-litre engine - the same as those used in the Red Bull Air Race.

Afterwards he said: "I'm really pleased with how it went. I've been flying three years, since I turned 40. You could say it was a mid-life crisis. We now compete in the British and European air racing.

"I just wanted to do something exciting and a bit different and use it to raise money for a really great cause near where I live.

"Today has been great. We've broken the record - now we'll have to have a think about what we can try next."

To ensure the record will stand officially, Mark and his team had to record every detail on video for verification.

Mark had originally planned the flight for the previous week but it was cancelled due to bad weather. Conditions were far better this weekend, though he said a bit more wind would actually have helped as in practice he had actually managed 40 landings and take offs.

Mark said he chose Kirkbride Airfield because he needed somewhere that would agree to close off its runway for a full hour. He added that he couldn't thank the airfield enough for agreeing.

John Plaskett, operations manager at Kirkbride Airfield, said having a world record set on site was great exposure for them. He thanked all of the locals who turned out to support the event.