The Bournemouth Air Festival which spanned four days is over and although the weather was not favourable on all days, hundreds of thousands of people came to watch the displays. But for all intents and purposes it was a success. Sadly the Vulcan bomber developed a fault and although the fault was rectified, DeHaviland Aviation could not find an inspector to certify and sign it off.
The worst day was Sunday when very low cloud and rain forced the stunts to be cancelled but visitors were treated to fly pasts by some of the other aircraft including the fabulous DC6 and everyones favourite the Lancaster bomber. Saturday proved to be the best day of all with hazy sunshine but with a low sea mist reducing visibity for visitors but the crowds were treated to some great flying. First up was the Red Arrows who always entertain with furious close formation flying. The Folland Gnat (Gnaty) flew too, she was the Red Arrows leader's aircraft in the old days before the flight was updated with BAe Hawks.
The Yakovlevs flying Yaks, specifically designed for stunt and hard flying. Four propellor driven aircraft with a serious growl to their engines spiralling through the air, streaming coloured smoke above the hundreds of small boats anchored quarter mile offshore.
 Team Guinot For those who like a more graceful flight the fabulous Douglas DC6 from Air Atlantique, the first real long haul "airliner" with it's four powerful engines, too noisy today for general flying but a classic aircraft that show the advancement made in longhaul passenger services - a sort of "Airbus" of the 1940's to 1960's.
Another rare sight was a Catalina, an aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. For us in the UK we probably saw more of these amphibious aircraft in movies. Relatively slow flyers they were ideal for marine reconnisance and rescue and used all round the world sometimes in very inhospitable places.
Entering the festival from the east came the noisy roar of the well known and recognised to the older generation the DeHaviland DH110 Sea Vixen, flying low at 500 feet before pulling into a vertical climb into the clouds. A frontline carrier borne aircraft that served the Navy from 1959 to to 1972. Only 145 were built and 55 were lost in accidents killing 51 aircrew. You can read the sadder stories of the Sea Vixen from the aircrews themselves here.
 Catalina Flying Boat For many the flypast of the Avro Lancaster with it's unmistakeable four engine throb escorted by a Spitfire and Hurricane. For many older people a lump may appeared in their throat that this lumbering bomber in tens of hundreds would have taken off many nights during the WW II and not returned with massive loss of young aircrew. The Spitfire defended us admirably especially in the first years of the war followed later by the Hurricane to defend and attack enemy aircraft and ground bases.
Team Guinot appeared with their Stearman biplanes with their wing walkers duly atop the wings. These aerobatic aircraft looped and soared and the engines had an absolutely powerful definitive growl that made it irresisitable not to look up.
Between the fast and furious onlokers were treated to displays from the helicopter flights from the Royal Navy's Lynx and the Blue Eagles featuring another Lynx, Gazelle, Alouette and a Scout.
The RAF Falcons from the Parachute Traing School at Brize Norton drifted down to the beach in front of the crowds jumping from the unmistakable C130 aircraft which is still the backbone carrier of forces and freight for many countries.
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Red Arrows
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