Now, they are inviting anyone brave enough to join them on a ghost watch at the site.

The North East Aircraft Museum is fast becoming a Mecca for ghost-hunters and mediums who say it is one of the most haunted places in the region.

In 2006 it featured on Living TV's Most Haunted programme, and has been the subject of scores of paranormal investigations by the Ghost Haunted group.

Echo reporter Ross Robertson spent a night in the museum with Ghost Haunted last year and reported strange phenomena, including having a stone thrown at him when he was alone in one of the hangars.

Members of the latest team to focus on the site, Cleveland Paranormal Investigators, based in Redcar, say they spent a spine-tingling night at the museum just days ago.

Investigators said they had stones thrown at them, witnessed strange sensations and at one point felt as if they were being choked.

Now the group, led by mediums Trevor Weller and Martin Jobson, want Wearsiders to witness the ghoulish secrets of the museum for themselves at a fund-raiser for the museum in March.

Trevor said he has carried out a number of investigations at some of the most haunted places in the North East, but the aircraft museum is the most active so far.

"We had all kinds of activities planned when we did the investigation, but it all just started happening," he said.

"Myself and my business partner Martin are both mediums and we picked up all manner of things while we were there."

The aircraft museum is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the pilots and ground crew who served at the base when it was used during both world wars – and by the pilots of the planes which are now on display there.

It is also believed to be haunted by the ghosts of Roman plague-victims who were buried there.

One of the more famous museum ghosts Trevor says the group came into contact with was that of Czech collaborator Gustav Pultiz, who was sent to Britain by the Nazis to steal a plane.

Posing as a pilot fighting for the allies, he gained access to the airfield and took the base commander's personal Hawker Hurricane.

But he came to a nasty end when he was killed by the Czech underground at the end of the war.

Trevor said: "We picked up the Czech pilot that was there – the spy who was captured.

"When we were there one of the group said they started to feel tight round the throat – it wasn't until afterwards that we found out when he was executed he was hung."

Cleveland Paranormal Investigators will be holding the fundraising night for the North East Aircraft Museum on March 1, starting at 8pm and going right through until 6am the next day.

As well as the ghost watch, the group will be providing refreshments, tarot card readings and giving people the chance to try out ghost-hunting equipment, including pendulums and EMF meters.

Tickets cost £45. For further information contact Trevor on 071642 280 408 or email enquiries@clevelandparanormalinvestigators.co.uk