BOURNEMOUTH Air Festival has become the biggest show in the country, say pilots.

The annual event, now in its seventh year, attracts more than one million people over its four days and those in the cockpits of the aircraft say there is nowhere better to display.

Speaking to the Daily Echo at the morning pilots’ briefing event, Brendan O’Brien, who performs his O’Brien’s Flying Circus display as part of the Night Air programme, said: “This is one of the premier air shows, let alone one of the premier beach shows, in the UK.

“We’ve had up to 1.2 million people over the four days and look at the weather, it’s wonderful.”

The event sees everything from training aircraft to the RAF’s frontline jet fighter, the Typhoon, showing what they can do.

Typhoon display manager, Andrew De Gier, told the Echo: “Bournemouth is our biggest festival of the year in terms of numbers and the actual show itself.

“It’s coming towards the end of our season, but we have been really looking forward to this one.”

The Typhoon is one of the highlights of the show, demonstrating its capabilities at the forefront of RAF operations in conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan with ear-splitting noise and incredible speed.

Andrew added: “People can expect to see a ‘shock and awe’ display.

“Each manoeuvre is designed to showcase the incredible performance that the aircraft has.

“You’re going to see almost the full speed range, all the way up to sub-sonic.”

The festival’s assistant flying display manager, Dave Walton, said that planning for the event began in September of the preceding year.

He added: “On the lovely weather days it’s easy, we can sit back and watch the flying displays and enjoy ourselves.

“When the weather is bad or marginal then it starts becoming harder work.”