IT’S back. The roar of the historic Sea Vixen could be heard across Bournemouth as the fighter plane took to the skies before its appearance at the town’s Air Festival later this year.

The twin-boomer De Havilland plane wowed the crowds at last year’s event when it was expertly piloted in its original colours by retiring pilot Brian Grant, who guided it through vertical moves and topside and bottomside passes.

The heavy plane is the only remaining airworthy model and is flying high now after being grounded for a year due to rising insurance costs.

It was at Bournemouth Airport on Friday for a routine service before it is once again in its rightful place, high in the sky when the four-day Echo-backed festival begins on August 20.

All the Air Festival News you need!