Red Arrows dazzle 50,000 fans at Cosford Air Show

John BrayBBC News, West Midlands
Pilot's eye view of an aerobatics display

The red, white and blue superstars of the sky delighted 50,000 aviation fans as the RAF Cosford Air Show returned for the first time in three years.

The RAF Red Arrows performed over the Shropshire air base on Sunday at the first post-Covid event.

From their temporary weekend base at nearby RAF Shawbury, the seven jets emerged shortly after 15:30 BST to form the centrepiece of the afternoon's flying action that also saw fighter jet performances by pilots from France and Belgium.

Red Arrows Squadron Leader Graeme Muscat said: "It's fast, it's dynamic, it's exciting. We do what we do best, which is put on a great show for the crowd."

News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The Red Arrows are booked to appear at 65 shows across the UK in 2022
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The 20-minute display is created by Squadron Leader Tom Bould, who is Red 1
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
In 2022, the Red Arrows are flying in a seven-aircraft formation, although they use nine for major national flypasts
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The Red Arrows are BAE Systems Hawk T1 aircraft and have been flying since 1965
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The Arrows' 110-strong support team is known as the Blues, because of their display overalls
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
Each of the Red Arrows pilots has experience of flying the RAF Tornado or Typhoon
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The display team is closing in on 5,000 performances since being formed
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
Reds 6 and 7 are known as the Synchro Pair, performing the opposition manoeuvres
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The show's finale sees the jets reach speeds of 360 knots, pulling a G-force of 6G
News imageBBC Red Arrows at RAF Cosford Air ShowBBC
The display is split into two halves - large shape aerobatics before the team splits into smaller sections
News imageBBC Presentational grey line

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