Red Arrows to Headline Lowestoft Airshow
6th April 2012
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The Lowestoft Airshow organisers have announced the line-up for this year's event, that takes place at the weekend for then first time, and they are thrilled that the Red Arrows will again lead a very strong RAF contingent.

Paul Bayfield, the Air Festival's managing director, in making the announcement expressed his delight that the RAF events team, who sift through literally hundreds of applications for RAF display aircraft to perform at shows all over the country and abroad, had allocated such a great selection to Lowestoft.

He said "We realise that the RAF have had to make substantial cuts in their finances this year but they have done Lowestoft proud and we are so very grateful to them for committing to us once again.

As well as the Red Arrows, who this year will be a seven strong team instead of the usual nine, other RAF displays will include the ever popular Battle of Britain Memorial Flight featuring the Dakota, Hurricane and Spitfire.

A Hawk, Tucano, Grob Tutor, King Air and Tornado will also grace the skies and delight the crowd at the 16th Lowestoft Air Festival. The Falcons Free Fall Parachute team will be making their first appearance in the town when they drop onto the South Beach during the airshow."

This year the festival of flying is being held at a weekend in June for the first time to avoid clashing with the London Olympics but organisers believe this will give many more local people, who may otherwise have been working, the chance to see the town's biggest summertime event.

Mr Bayfield added "Our display programme has received a wonderful boost from the RAF but we have also booked some great commercial displays to make a varied programme. Regular favourites the Brietling Wing Walkers will be appearing as will the thrilling Red Bull pair and the Aerostars, the largest civilian formation aerobatics team in the UK flying six Russian Yakovlev aircraft.

We would love to have some foreign air forces displaying their aircraft at our Airshow too, but despite our Air Display Director Tim Miller contacting them, so far we haven’t had any positive replies – but we live in hope."

An airshow spokesman said that perhaps the biggest dilemma that the organising committee had faced this year was whether or not they could afford to include the Vulcan in the airshow. But with costs of £10,000 for the Saturday display and £12,000 for Sunday, a total fee that would represent well over a quarter of the flying budget, they reluctantly accept that it is unlikely that the Vulcan will be in the programme this year. That is of course unless someone willing to sponsor the display of such an iconic and awe inspiring aircraft comes forward.

He added that negotiations with other display aircraft operators were still going on, so the Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival, which takes place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June, could also feature some further surprises.

Don't miss out on the chance to see the Red Arrows and all the other great flying displays at the Lowestoft Airshow.

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