AMERICAN astronaut John Young touched down in Inverness yesterday to

join the 60th anniversary celebrations of the first commercial flight

between Inverness and Kirkwall, by the pioneer of Highland aviation,

Captain Ted Fresson.

Mr Young, who was the first person to fly in space six times and was

spacecraft commander on the 1972 lunar exploration, will join the

two-day celebration. This will feature lectures to students and the

public, celebratory dinners, and on Saturday a special flight to

Kirkwall, 60 years to the day since Captain Fresson made his first trip.

The programme is being sponsored by the Inverness-based Fresson Trust

in association with local businesses and British Airways.

Mr Young said yesterday: ''Captain Fresson was one of my favourite

aviators. The things he did in the 1930s were fantastic, setting up the

airways from here to Kirkwall, and practically running an accident-free

operation despite the weather and having no navigation aids.''