The high life! (From Bournemouth Echo)
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The high life!
8:38pm Thursday 28th August 2008 in Video By Joanna Codd
FLOCKING TO THE SHOW: The crowds descend demonstrates how the air festival drew large numbers for its first day of displays
ALL eyes turned skywards at 2pm on Thursday when a throaty roar heralded the arrival of the historic RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - and the long-awaited opening of the first Bournemouth Air Festival.
The stately Lancaster - one of only two still flying - dwarfed its companions, a Spitfire that actually took part in the Battle of Britain and a Hurricane that first flew in 1944 and stayed in continuous service until 1991.
Thousands of spectators lined the promenade, pier and clifftop as the great afternoon of free entertainment unfolded against a backdrop of steely grey clouds. Out to sea, a flotilla of small boats hardly moved on the flat water.
Some sat in deckchairs while their children swam in the sea and played on the beach. Others strolled along the seafront, taking in the stalls and static displays put on by the armed services.
But what was happening in the sky was probably the best recruiting tool, with the RAF, Royal Navy and Army taking turns to show off their dazzling airmanship.
There were swoops, dives, barrel rolls and loop-the-loops aplenty, but perhaps the biggest thrill came from the mighty and ear-splitting Eurofighter Typhoon, which looked and sounded like every child's idea of an aeroplane.
- SEE Friday's Daily Echo for more words and pictures
