Red Arrows thrill crowds then mingle with fans

Sep 24 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Red Arrows

AN AMAZING aerial display thrilled a bumper crowd at the Southport Airshow who turned out in their thousands despite the poor weather forecast.

The Saturday and Sunday event is now in its 15th year and was planned to be bigger and better than ever, with The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight one of the major highlights of the two days.

The airshow has regularly attracted crowds of up to 150,000 people, and organisers last night said early indications were that this year has been one of its most successful.

Among the most popular events were the aerobatics of display teams including the Red Arrows and the Blades.

Peter Sandman, Sefton Council’s tourism events manager, said: “The Southport Airshow is always an excellent day out for the whole family and this year’s event was just as spectacular.

“The Red Arrows put on a typically impressive performance and this year it was fantastic to see them make a rare appearance on the ground to meet fans and talk to spectators.”

The Red Arrows’ first authorised flight with nine aircraft was on July 8, 1966, and since then they have flown over 4,000 displays in 52 countries – and six of the 12 Hawk aircraft currently used have been used every year since 1980.

In the current RAF training programme, the Hawk T1 is the first jet aircraft that a student pilot will fly.

An advanced and very successful trainer, the Hawk is used to teach operational tactics, air-to-air and air-to-ground firing, air combat and low-level operating procedures.

Spectators were able to view the jets along with the Typhoon, The Hawk and The Black Cats Lynx Helicopter Display team.

In addition, civilian aircraft included the Blades aerobatic team, Wingwalkers, Vintage Jets and Yakovlevs display team.

The Airshow delivered heart-stopping aerobatics displays, including the Blades display team conducting head-on passes of a few feet at closing speeds of 400 knots.

The RAF Falcons also made a welcome return as they parachuted into Southport, skimming just over the top of the crowds to land within touching distance.

This year’s event also saw the return of the Airshow Village, featuring an extensive military village from the Army, Navy and RAF including static aircraft, flight simulators and vehicle and equipment exhibits.

New for 2007 was the Dairylea Freestyle Action Arena, including urban sports entertainers Team Extreme.

liammurphy