WHAT a difference a day makes. After a total loss of the flying programme on Thursday, on Friday the crowds were treated to a full afternoon of jaw-dropping displays at Bournemouth Air Festival.

Against largely blue skies it was the Red Arrows that were the highlight for many, as they managed to perform a full display filled with red, white and blue smoke.

Pulling off their full range of moves of close passes, loops and rolls, everyone revelled in a full show that included a special ‘Spitfire’ formation to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The day began with the Royal Marines beach assault, before French team Patrouille Reva, making their first appearance since 2011, got the flying under way.

It was then a trip back in time as the Spitfire and Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight paid their own tribute to The Few, their iconic forms against a blue sky evoking memories of the summer of 1940.

Things were quickly back up to date with aerobatics from the Twister Duo, before the popular Chinook got up in the air.

The versatile helicopter showed moves that defied its bulk as its distinctive ‘wokka wokka’ sound rumbled across the seafront.

After the Reds had made their mid-afternoon appearance, the packed beach and cliff tops were taken back to World War Two once more, as the graceful B-17 bomber, Sally B, swooped in to the sounds of In the Mood as she paid tribute to the brave American crews that flew daring daytime raids over Europe.

Modern technology was then back to the fore, as the Black Cats helicopters, this year using the new Wildcat for the first time, showed off the Royal Navy’s latest airborne kit.

Then it was time for a big Bournemouth favourite, the Tigers parachute team, to drop in, free-falling towards the sea at 120mph before landing on the beach to meet their fans on the ground.

Celebrating their 10th display season, The Blades brought the most gravity-defying aerobatics of the day to town, with the former Red Arrows pilots leaving the crowd gasping with stall turns, tumbles and backwards flying.

It was left for the RAF to close the show, as three parts of pilot development were demonstrated.

The humble but able Tutor, where all pilots initially sit, was first up, before a new spectacle, the Hawk T2 Role Demo Team, roared into the arena at 600mph just 100ft over the sea.

In a pair of T2 Hawks – more advanced versions of the aircraft used by the Red Arrows – the team demonstrated some of the training that pilots undergo before graduating to the front line Typhoon.

And it was the Typhoon that closed the afternoon’s flying, bringing the noise to town.

With neck-breaking speed and loud enough to turn your stomach, the RAF’s cutting-edge fighter brought the daytime programme to its climax, afterburners burning bright, with a roar.

 All our coverage, including schedule information is at bit.ly/bmthair