Bournemouth Air Festival: day one blog

8:58am Thursday 30th August 2012 in Latest Photograph of the Author By Sam Shepherd, Digital Projects Coordinator

This live event has finished

Latest

  • The Red Arrows made an emotional return to Bournemouth to open the Air Festival today. Their first display in Bournemouth since the death of Flt LT Jon Egging last year featured a poignant tribute to their fallen colleagues
  • Bournemouth Tourism say it's been the busiest Thursday since the Air Festival began
  • The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was forced to cancel thanks to bad weather at their base in the North East
  • The day displays finished with a show from the Hawker Hunter Miss Demeanour
  • The Night Air Dusk Displays staredt at 7.20pm with the Spitfire and finished with the SWIP team duo.
  • For all our info, maps, schedules and photos go to bournemouthecho.co.uk/air

8:37pm

8:37pm

8:32pm

We will be back bright and early - and don't forget there's still lots going on in the Gardens and by both piers. And you can browse all our pictures and video on www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/air!

8:29pm

And last but not least, the Swip Team Duo:

8:29pm

Some final videos for you before we say ta-ra - the Flying Circus

8:28pm

8:23pm

8:18pm

8:17pm

Especially for that earlier Tweeter:
 

8:15pm

8:15pm

8:15pm

Steve's sent us this video of the Breitling Wingwalkers:

8:13pm

8:12pm

8:11pm

Corin's sent us this one of the O'Brien's Flying Circus:

O'Brien's Flying Circus

8:07pm

8:07pm

8:07pm

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8:07pm

WIngwalker

8:03pm

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8:03pm

wingwalkers

8:01pm

7:59pm Thu 30 Aug 12

The-Bleeding-Obvious says

Best bit about today was that there were no 'land train battering rams' toot tooting and bulldozing their way through the crowds! In fact there didn't seem to be much in the way crowds, certainly towards Durley Chine compared to last year.

8:01pm

The Wingwalkers doing their stuff:

Wingwalker

8:00pm

7:46pm

7:44pm

7:42pm

7:31pm

7:28pm

And here is the Spitfire...

Spitfire

7:26pm

7:23pm

7:20pm

We can hear the Spitfire from Echo Towers!

7:16pm

7:11pm

OUr video of today's events: just ten minutes before flying starts again!

6:59pm

6:59pm

6:59pm

6:43pm

Now might also be a good time to mention that you can get 25 per cent off on prints of all our Air Festival pictures by using the code Summersave25 at the checkout :)
 

6:07pm

Lots of new pictures from today in our gallery - and if you were on the seafront today you might see yourself in our people gallery!

5:35pm

5:32pm

So, here's what you need to know if you're coming down this evening:

7.20 -7.30pm

  • Spitfire
  • O’Briens Flying Circus

8 – 8.30pm

  • Dusk display – SWIP Twister Duo,
  • The Breitling Wingwalkers

Also happening: circus acts in the Lower Gardens from 6pm; music at the bandstand from 8pm; local acts at the Corona Live Boscombe stage from now and the Complete Madness tribute band at the Corona Live Bournemouth stage from 8.30pm. If you want to know where exactly any of those places are you need our handy map

5:27pm

Here's Steve's video of the Miss Demeanour

5:14pm

5:13pm

5:10pm

Our traffic feed is showing it's extremely busy all over town at the moment, and with the day displays just finishing it could be about to get worse - so unless you really need to, hang around a bit, we say.

 

5:09pm

5:00pm

4:59pm

And here she is...

Miss Demeanour

4:52pm

4:51pm

The RAF Hawk

Hawk

4:49pm

4:40pm

4:40pm

4:32pm

Corin's pic of the Tigers:

Tigers

4:28pm

4:25pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Wallisdown says

Ouch, two no-shows on day one, not good. Still was great to see the Reds zoom past my office window!

4:27pm

4:24pm

Here's a clip of the Red Arrows Steve Smith took earlier: 

4:21pm

4:11pm

4:09pm

And here's the Tucano. Did you know...? The Tucano is operated primarily from No 1 Flying Training School, at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. It has a maximum speed of 345mph and can operate at up to 30,000 feet.

 

Tucano. Bournemouth Air Festival 2012. Picture by Corin Messer.

4:06pm

4:03pm

Here's the first picture of the Red Arrows Pheonix turn in memory of Jon Egging and Sean Cunningham.

Red Arrows memorial turn

4:00pm

 

3:57pm

3:56pm

3:56pm

Here's that superfast Lynx. Did you know...? The Lynx holds the world speed record for helicopters. The helicopters are powered by two Rolls-Royce Gem mk42 turboshaft engines.

Lynx

3:47pm

3:43pm

3:43pm

3:38pm

We've started a gallery of pictures that we've taken so far today. We will keep adding to it as the day goes on - take a look here

3:36pm

3:29pm

And here's one sent by reader Kevin Wood: 

Red Arrows arriving

3:27pm

Corin, our photographer at the seafront has just sent these images: 

Red Arrows Aug 30

Arrows crowd

3:23pm

3:21pm

3:20pm

3:19pm


 

3:18pm

Don't forget, it's not all about the Reds today so if you're stuck in the office like us there's plenty more still to come - here's what else is happening between now and 10pm .

3:15pm

3:11pm

Here's what the Red Arrows look like from the top of Echo Towers 

roof

3:09pm

3:00pm

2:59pm

Here they come!

2:56pm

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2:54pm

2:52pm

Steve Smith, also in a great spot on the seafront, says:

Just a quarter of an hour to go now before the Red Arrows return to Bournemouth and crowds are lined along the cliff top and beach.

They will perform for around 20 minutes and do a special tribute pass over the Jon Egging memorial that was unveiled yesterday.

The expected memorial pass will take the form of a banked turn, with two jets of red smoke in honour of Flt Lts Jon Egging and Sean Cunningham, Red 4 and 5.

 

2:49pm

Chief reporter Darren Slade has the best job of the day...
 
 
We'll be heading for the roof of Echo Towers (we hope)...

2:30pm

2:28pm

Here's what our promotions team spent all day doing yesterday...

Goody bags

2:17pm

Air Fest cadets

Awww.

2:17pm

Air Fest crowds

2:14pm

Looks like our Echo stand is quite popular! 

Echo stand

2:04pm

And another: looks like there's plenty of time to find a good spot before the displays start!

Crowds on the seafront

2:02pm

And here's an image from photographer Corin Messer:

Crowds at the Jon Egging memorial

1:57pm

More from Steve on the beach : The beach is a bit patchy at the moment but this is weather everyone is hoping for. Just over an hour now until the Red Arrows roar into view to kick start this year's show.

1:52pm

We've also been looking back at the last four years of the Air Festival - look out for Saturday's paper for a special souvenir supplement - but you can also check out what happened in 2008 and 2009 here (including the infamous Roar on the Shore...)

1:42pm

Steve Smith has sent this from the seafront:

People are grabbing their spots on the cliff top over Bournemouth seafront ahead of the start of the fifth air festival.

The flying kicks off with the Red Arrows at 3pm, in what is sure to be an emotional return for the team after last year's tragedy.

The sun is shining and everyone is crossing their fingers it will stay that way for a full flying programme, which continues this evening with dusk displays.

1:39pm

1:36pm

1:19pm

Some Red Arrows facts:

The Red Arrows formed in 1965.

The name 'Red Arrows' was chosen to combine the appeal and expertise of two earlier teams, the Black Arrows and the Red Pelicans.

From 1966, nine jets would fly together in displays from time to time, but it wasn't until 1968 that they formally became a nine-strong team.

The Diamond Nine that everybody knows and loves today was not a new formation, but through the Red Arrows it came to represent the pinnacle of quality flying. It was then registered as an official trademark.

The first display with nine pilots was in July 1966 for the benefit of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1979 they switched from Folland Gnats to the BAE Systems Hawk T1, which flies to 48,000 feet.

All nine display members, plus their road manager 'Red 10', are fast jet pilots from front-line RAF squadrons. After completing a three-year tour with the Red Arrows, they return to the front line, instructional or staff duties.

The team have been based at RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire since 2001 and fly to all their displays. There are three types - full, rolling and flat - at different heights.

1:11pm

T-minus two hours to the Red Arrows! To whet your appetite, why not browse this awesome gallery of Red Arrows pics in our Air Festival section?

1:08pm

And here's Jon Weaver, from Bournemouth Tourism, at this morning's launch 

12:37pm

Steve Smith was at the official Air Festival launch event this morning and got this chat with Red One, Jim Turner:

12:02pm

11:57am

There's been a slight problem with traffic after an accident on Holdenhurst Road.

Here's our report: Emergency services were scrambled to Holdenhurst Road this morning following a collision involving a bus and a lorry.

A Dorset police spokesman said there been no injuries as a result of the accident, reported just before 11 am.

The local authority was called to deal with broken glass at the scene. The collision involved a white truck, registered to a Wimborne company, and a single decker bus, registered to a Bournemouth company.

11:51am

And just in case there was any doubt about how much people love the Arrows, here's a pic we were sent from Bournemouth Flying Club yesterday - the team has just landed, in the rain;

Red Arrows BFC

11:49am

Here's a picture of the Red Arrows outside the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott during this morning's launch

Red Arrows outside the Bournemouth Marriot Highcliff for the launch of the Bournemouth Air Festival 2012

11:33am

11:16am

One of the weekend's big attractions is the Vulcan. It's 60 years to the day since the first prototype flew and The Vulcan to the Sky Trust have just posted this update - on Saturday she'll be flown by the only pilot to have captained a Vulcan in action.

‎60 years ago today, traffic stopped and many thought they had seen an alien spaceship when Avro prototype 698 – the remarkable delta jet later christened the Vulcan – climbed into the skies for the first time.

The test flight came just 11 years after the first flight of her predecessor the Avro Lancaster, yet she could fly across continents close to the speed of sound, at altitudes that even today are impressive.

In 1952, August 30th was a Saturday. This Saturday (and again on Sunday), 60 years after that first ground-breaking flight, the only pilot to have captained a Vulcan in action, Martin Withers DFC, will put the last flying example through her paces in a spectacular display over the sea at the Bournemouth Air Festival and at the Shoreham Airshow infront of their gorgeous Art Deco terminal.

Happy Birthday to all surviving Vulcans and a big Thank You to those who support them and look after them. Here is a pic of that first prototype, VX770.

11:11am

Here's the Red Arrows poster featured in today's Echo:

Red Arrows poster

11:05am

10:52am

That last tweet, from Bournemouth Council. refers to this advert, to get people to recycle their rubbish:

Will we all be whistling this tune by Sunday? 

10:51am

People are starting to get excited on Twitter....
 

10:50am

10:42am

A commenter asks:

10:31am Thu 30 Aug 12

ianmcrv@gmail.com says

a very useful service, thank you.

I don't suppose there is an internet radio channel for the evcellent comentary played on the beach speakers is there?

The Air Festival Radio frequency is 87.7FM - I'll check to see if you can get it via the interwebs and let you know...

 

UPDATE: We're pretty sure that because 87.7 FM is used under a restricted service licence by lots of communities and organisations across the country, you can't get it online - it's location specific. Sorry.

10:26am

Here's what's happening this morning: there's an official launch event at 10.30, which reporter Steve Smith is covering, and our photographers will be out and about at the on the ground events taking photos before the main event at 3pm.

If you're heading to the seafront, there's a funfair, and the RAF and Royal Navy villages will no doubt be full of things to play with or sit in. And Optimus Prime is apparently also somewhere on the seafront...

10:00am

This is some impressive balloon work:
 

9:55am

9:53am

9:53am

As ever, we're running our Air Festival photographic competition: all the details are here  but in brief:

The adult prize is a Canon Powershot G12, and the young photographer under 16s) prize is a a Samsung SH100.

You can only enter ONE photograph from the four days, but you have until Friday September 7 to enter so plenty of time to sort through your shots!

9:50am

This afternoon will be the first time the Red Arrows have displayed in Bournemouth since the death of Red 4, Flt Lt Jon Egging, after a display at last year's Air Festival and it's bound to be an emotional start to the four day festival.

The team are flying as a seven, as they have been all season, bar the Olympics and a Diamond Jubilee flypast at Windsor Castle.  The decision was taken after what the team called the hardest few months they had had to endure. After the accident at Bournemouth, Red 5, Sean Cunningham, was killed in November 2011 and in March this year, the first female Red Arrows pilot, Kirsty Stewart, who flew as Red 9, left the team.  

 

9:28am

9:25am

Here's our video of the opening of the Jon Egging memorial yesterday.

9:25am

And here are some more useful links you might like.

Today's schedule

What's happening on the ground

Get the kids excited with our downloadable colouring-in sheets

And our parking and road closures map

9:16am

And if you're travelling to Bournemouth today, here's the latest traffic and travel ...

9:15am

Here's the weather forecast as it stands today: looks good!

 

9:06am

And speaking of the Jon Egging Memorial, the Air Festival organisers are asking that people don't try and arrange any organised gatherings there, because it's at an access/exit point for festival crowds. More details on their Facebook page .

9:04am

First; today's Daily Echo features a pull out Red Arrows poster.

Second: if you want to know what's flying when today, you need to go to our schedule page , which has all the info you need.

And third, if you've not seen it yet, here's our video and full story from the unveiling  of the Jon Egging memorial yesterday.

8:59am

Morning! Just six hours until the Red Arrows take to the skies, but we've got plenty to tell you about before then...

Comments(11)

ianmcrv@gmail.com says...
10:31am Thu 30 Aug 12

a very useful service, thank you.

I don't suppose there is an internet radio channel for the evcellent comentary played on the beach speakers is there?

Report this post »

HRH of Boscombe says...
10:43am Thu 30 Aug 12

Pictures of peoples model planes. Yes very useful!
.
If it's the same Optimus Prime that was at the motor show it is very disappointing. A scaled down 1/3 juggernaut is not something the Transformers would be proud of :)

Report this post »

wonderway says...
11:20am Thu 30 Aug 12

council have recycle bins everywhere then you see council employee come along with big black wheelie bin empty everything into the single bin so everything is mixed great recycling scheme so whistle while you mix

Report this post »

muscliffman says...
11:40am Thu 30 Aug 12

Noticed this comment "I'm working all 4 days on the Recycling/Green Goals stand. Can't wait to see some flying! "
Incredible! Gallons of fossil fuel causing unnecessary pollution in the name of entertainment and there is a 'Recycling/Green Goal' stand there!
Presumably it will be blocking the runways to prevent the flying?
Love the air-show before anyone starts (too late!), but just hate this 'green' hypocracy. But where there is a band-wagon there is a 'green'.......

Report this post »

beachcomber1 says...
12:29pm Thu 30 Aug 12

have to agree the hypocrisy is staggering.

it does make me queasy when i see motor "sports", events like this and so on. but just the tip of the iceberg in terms of unnecessary fossil fuel usage.

Report this post »

Imaximus says...
1:22pm Thu 30 Aug 12

What time is the Imax flying???Im so looking forward to seeing it. Also the surf reef wingwalkers are a favourite of mine.

Report this post »

Imaximus says...
1:23pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Please be careful people,,,,,there will be dog walkers down there.....with dogs.

Report this post »

beachcomber1 says...
2:00pm Thu 30 Aug 12

cycling restrictions on the Prom are lifted on saturday. it could be carnage.

Report this post »

Wallisdown says...
4:25pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Ouch, two no-shows on day one, not good. Still was great to see the Reds zoom past my office window!

Report this post »

The-Bleeding-Obvious says...
7:51pm Thu 30 Aug 12

beachcomber1 wrote:
cycling restrictions on the Prom are lifted on saturday. it could be carnage.
Cycling won't be the problem...@Imaximus says 'there will be dog walkers down there....with dogs', you're more at risk of injury from dogs than cyclists.

Report this post »

The-Bleeding-Obvious says...
7:59pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Best bit about today was that there were no 'land train battering rams' toot tooting and bulldozing their way through the crowds! In fact there didn't seem to be much in the way crowds, certainly towards Durley Chine compared to last year.

Report this post »

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