Empire Air Day

{{Short description|1930s annual air show in the United Kingdom}}

Empire Air Day was an annual air show open to the public held at Royal Air Force (RAF) stations in the United Kingdom in the 1930s.{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.iwm.org.uk/historic-duxford/category/between-the-wars/empire-air-days/|title=Historic Duxford - Empire Air Days|website=IWM.org.uk|publisher=Imperial War Museum Duxford|date=30 June 2011|access-date=4 August 2014|archive-date=19 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719040443/http://blogs.iwm.org.uk/historic-duxford/category/between-the-wars/empire-air-days/|url-status=dead}} According to a speech on by Anthony Muirhead in the House of Commons recorded in Hansard, "The idea of Empire Air Day is that the public should be enabled to see the Royal Air Force at its everyday work. As many stations as possible... are opened to the public on payment of a small charge for admission. At each station a programme of flying is arranged."{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1937/jul/28/empire-air-day-displays-accidents|title=Empire Air Day displays (accidents) - House of Commons Debates - vol 326 cc 3095-100|date=28 July 1937|work=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)|access-date=4 August 2014}} The first Empire Air Day was held on {{Start date and age|1934|05|24|df=y}}.{{Cite web|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/raftimeline_19301939.cfm|title=RAF timeline 1930-1939|website=RAF.MoD.uk|publisher=Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence|access-date=4 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626135342/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/raftimeline_19301939.cfm|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=dead}} The last Empire Air Day was held on {{End date and age|1939|05|20|df=y}}.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/british-military-aviation/1939.aspx|title=British Military Aviation in 1939|website=RAFMuseum.org.uk|publisher=Royal Air Force Museum|access-date=5 August 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051219/http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/british-military-aviation/1939.aspx|url-status=dead}}