Features

BBC Radio Suffolk will have full coverage of the festival and the travel situation. Lesley Dolphin will be broadcasting live from the seafront 12-2pm on Thursday and Luke Deal will be there 2-4pm on Friday. Kate Arkell and Guy Campbell will also be doing live reports from the seafront throughout both days.

This annual event attracts up to 300,000 people and last year it brought around £11m to the region's economy.

The pilot ejects from the Harrier 2002

RAF involvement is on a smaller scale than usual this year. Old favourite the Harrier isn't on the bill, so there's no chance of a repeat of 2002's spectacular crash into the sea.

But there's still plenty to delight the aircraft enthusiast and day tripper alike. Tradition has it that people start to bag their place on the beach soon after dawn. Throughout the day there'll be displays and activities on the ground, but in the afternoon all eyes will be on the skies. 

On Thursday, the parachute display team opens the programme at 1230 and the Red Arrows close the show at 1700. During the afternoon there'll be a tribute to local veterans of the Falklands War, along with air show regulars Carolyn Grace's Spitfire, the Blue Eagles Helicopter display and the Royal Navy's Lynx helicopter. 

Messing about on the water

The programme is much the same on Friday - although the Red Arrows will open the show and the parachute team will close it. 

Friday also looks ahead to the weekend's events when Lowestoft hosts the Honda Formula 4 Powerboat Grand Prix for the first time. It's one of just five venues in the UK to host the world's largest off-shore powerboat racing series this year, and competitors include Lowestoft based Lings Racing.

Air Festival Flight Director Brian Lewis says the recent bad weather in central and western England hasn't affected the program. Wattisham's search and rescue helicopter will still be making an appearance, providing of course it's not involved in any rescues here on the East Coast. If you're looking forward to the usual firework display at the end of day one though you will be disappointed. It's been cancelled because no sponsor could be found. 

Air Festival 2005 by Johnason Ling

Organisers are warning that Lowestoft town centre and seafront will be congested so, unless you've got a boat to moor up at the marina, your best bet is to use the park and ride or park and walk facilities. 

The Park and Ride sites at Dip Farm in Corton and at Pakefield will open at 0830 and cost £10 a car. You can also Park and Walk from the Walmer Road Recreation Ground for £6 or the Riverside ASDA for £10. One Railway is putting on extra trains between Ipswich and Lowestoft for the event.

Don't forget - tune into BBC Radio Suffolk for the latest traffic news.