| Bournemouth Air Show | |
|---|---|
 RAFRed Arrows Aerobatic Display Team performing theircupid formation at The Bournemouth Air Festival 2009. | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Air show |
| Dates | 3–4 days in August/September |
| Begins | Thursday |
| Ends | Saturday |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Bournemouth Beach Area, Bournemouth Gardens. |
| Location | Bournemouth |
| Coordinates | 50°43′12″N1°52′48″W / 50.72000°N 1.88000°W /50.72000; -1.88000 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Years active | 2008 – 2025 |
| Established | 28–31 August 2008 |
| Previous event | 29–31 August 2024 |
| Next event | 2026 (event cancelled for 2025) |
| Attendance | > than 600,000 (2022) |
| Activity | Aerobatic displays |
| Organised by | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council |
| Website | www.bournemouthair.co.uk |
TheBournemouth Air Festival is an annualair show held along the coast atBournemouth, inDorset, England. It features aircraft from theRoyal Air Force and theRoyal Navy, as well as civil aviation displays. Since its formation in 2008, the festival claimed to have entertained over ten million people.
The festival usually took place in late August, over four days including dusk and night air displays with live music. It was organised byBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP Council), and was estimated to generate about £30 million of trade annually for local businesses.[1]
The 2024 edition of the show was the last to be organised and funded by BCP Council. The event will not be taking place in 2025, however BCP council revealed that they were in discussions with a commercial operator to run the event potentially from 2026.
The festival started in 2008, being held from Thursday 28 August to Sunday 31 August.
| Year | Dates | Estimated Attendance (all days) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 28–31 August[2] | 750,000[2] | The first display to perform at the festival was the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The Vulcan was scheduled to fly, however, didn't. The Red Arrows performed on three days of the event, with more than 200,000 people on the Bournemouth beaches to watch their first display on the Friday of the event. The display started with a commemorative flypast between the Red Arrows and a restoredFolland Gnat, the previous aircraft the Red Arrows used from 1964 – 1979, before moving to the BAE Systems Hawk T1A, which they still use today. The first festival attracted 750,000 people.[2] |
| 2009 | 20–23 August[3] | 1.3million[4] | |
| 2010 | 19–22 August[5] | Unknown | The festival was the first air show to have flying during the hours of dusk, with air displays featuring LEDs and fireworks.[6] |
| 2011 | 18–21 August[7] | Unknown | During the 2011 Air Festival,Flight LieutenantJon Egging, aRoyal Air Force pilot on theRed Arrows aerobatics display team, died after crashing into a field inThroop,Dorset after a display at the festival.[8] |
| 2012 | 30 August – 2 September[9] | 964,000[10] | |
| 2013 | 29 August – 1 September[11] | Unknown | |
| 2014 | 28–31 August[12] | 812,000[13] | |
| 2015 | 20–23 August[14] | 750,000[15] | Due to bad weather conditions on the first day of the festival, flying was cancelled on the first day. When flying did take place, the airshow saw one of the last flights before retirement from flying of theAvro Vulcan, sometimes called "the most famous aircraft in Britain".[16][17] |
| 2016 | 18–21 August[18] | 700,000[19] | |
| 2017 | 30 August – 2 September[20] | Unknown | Flying was cancelled on the final day of the festival due to adverse weather of 'strong cross-winds, low visibility and forecast rain'.[21] |
| 2018 | 30 August – 2 September[22] | 1million[23] | |
| 2019 | 29 August – 1 September[24] | 812,000[13] | |
| 2020 | 21–23 August[25] | NA | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual festival did not occur, however, a virtual version did, featuring presentations, music and footage from past air displays.[26] |
| 2021 | 2–5 September[27] | 800,000[28] | The festival was the only event in the world where The Red Arrows performed over four consecutive days.[6] Flying was suspended after a biplane involved in the airshow crashed into Poole Harbour. |
| 2022 | 1–4 September[29] | 600,000[30] | |
| 2023 | 31 August – 3 September[31] | 600,000[28] | Flying between 14:00 and 16:00 BST on the first day of the festival was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. All the displays in the evening were later further cancelled.[32][33] |
| 2024 | 29–31 August | 500,000 | The 2024 edition of the festival was shortened to 3 days and benefitted from good weather. The Red Arrows did not display on any of the days due to their Canadian tour. |
The festival is free to visit and the festival site is 1.5 miles long between Bournemouth and Boscombe piers. The RAF Village is on the East Overcliff. The Royal Navy village, with the Army and Royal Marines, is on the beach in Zone2. There are vehicles, have-a-go equipment and personnel to speak to.
A number of aircraft have been involved over various displays, including:[34]
| Act | Aircraft | Registration | Information | Photo^ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroSuperBaticsWingwalkers | Boeing–Stearman A75N1 (PT17) | N707TJ | They were previously branded Breitling 'Swiss Chronographs' (performing as The Breitling Wingwalkers,2011 to 2018) in accordance with their sponsorship agreement with the Swiss watch manufacturerBreitling. They are the worlds only formation wingwalking team. | .jpg) |
| Avro Vulcan | B.2XH558The Spirit of Great Britain | G-VLCN | Ajet-powered,tailless,delta-wing, high-altitude,strategic bomber, which was operated by theRoyal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. After retirement by the RAF, one example, B.2XH558, namedThe Spirit of Great Britain, was restored for use in display flights and air shows. B.2XH558 flew for the last time in October 2015 and is also being kept in taxiable condition |  |
| B-17G 'Sally B' | Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress | G-BEDF | At 78 years old, G-BEDF is the only airworthy B-17 based in Europe, as well as one of three B-17s preserved in the United Kingdom. The aircraft is presently based at theImperial War Museum Duxford, in eastern England.Sally B flies at airshows in the UK and across Europe as well as serving as an airborne memorial to theUnited States Army Air Forces airmen who lost their lives in the European theatre duringWorld War II. |  |
| North American B-25 Mitchell | North American B-25 Mitchell | An Americanmedium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier GeneralWilliam "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by manyAllied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater ofWorld War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. | .jpg) | |
| Battle of Britain Memorial Flight | Dakota,Lancaster,Spitfire andHurricane Supermarine SpitfireHawker Hurricane Mk IIc PZ865 | TheBattle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is aRoyal Air Forceflight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising anAvro Lancaster, aSupermarine Spitfire and aHawker Hurricane. The flight is administratively part ofNo. 1 Group RAF, operating out ofRAF Coningsby inLincolnshire. |  | |
| Wildcat Demo Team (Black Cats) | AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 | TheWildcat Demo Team (Black Cats) are theRoyal Navy's helicopter display team. The team is composed of twoAgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 anti-submarine and anti-shipping helicopters, with the aircraft and crews drawn from825 Naval Air Squadron based atRNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. | _Naval_Air_Squadron_conducting_flying_trials_(45158434).jpg) | |
| Breitling Jet Team | Aero L-39 Albatros | The Breitling Jet Team was the largest civilianaerobatic display team in Europe. Based inDijon,France, it flew sevenAero L-39 Albatros jets. The team flew a display lasting 18–20 minutes that included formation flying, opposition passes, solo routines, and synchronized maneuvers. |  | |
| Bristol Blenheim | A Britishlight bomber designed and built by theBristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of theSecond World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. |  | ||
| Canadair T-33 Silver Star | Lockheed T-33 | A Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33, the Canadian version is powered by theRolls-Royce Nene 10turbojet, whereas the Lockheed production used theAllison J33. |  | |
| Chinook Display Team | Boeing CH-47 Chinook | The Chinook Display Team is anaerobatics display team in theRoyal Air Force based atRAF Odiham. The team flies the UK variantBoeing CH-47 Chinook, and is composed of volunteers from front-line aircrew who train and executeair show performances between day-to-day primary military operations. |  | |
| Eurofighter Typhoon Display Team | Eurofighter Typhoon | The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinationaltwin-engine,canarddelta wing,multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as anair-superiority fighter |  | |
| Fairey Swordfish | The Fairey Swordfish is abiplanetorpedo bomber, designed by theFairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by theFleet Air Arm of theRoyal Navy. It was also used by theRoyal Air Force (RAF), as well as several overseas operators, including theRoyal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and theRoyal Netherlands Navy. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft. During its later years, the Swordfish was increasingly used as ananti-submarine andtraining platform. The type was in frontline service throughout theSecond World War. | .jpg) | ||
| Fireflies | ||||
| Gerald CooperXtreme Air XA41 | XtremeAir Sbach 300 | The XtremeAir Sbach 300 is a Germanaerobatic aircraft, designed by Philippe Steinbach and produced byXtremeAir, ofCochstedt. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.[35] |  | |
| Hawker Hurricane | Hawker Hurricane Mk X | The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seatfighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built byHawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with theRoyal Air Force (RAF). The Hawker Sea Fury is a Britishfighter aircraft designed and manufactured byHawker Aircraft. It was the lastpropeller-driven fighter to serve with theRoyal Navy, and one of the fastest production singlereciprocating engine aircraft ever built. Developed during theSecond World War, the Sea Fury entered service two years after the war ended. It proved to be a popular aircraft with a number of overseas militaries and was used during theKorean War in the early 1950s, and by the Cuban air force during the 1961Bay of Pigs Invasion. | _(41455530471).jpg) | |
| Hispano | Hispano Buchón 'Black 8' Hispano HA-1112-M4L Buchón 'White 9' | G-AWHH (Hispano HA-1112-M4L Buchón 'White 9') | _(44963120154).jpg) | |
| J-3 Cub (with fireworks) | The Piper J-3 Cub is an Americanlight aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 byPiper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Piper Aircraft'smost-produced model, with nearly 20,000 built in the United States. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity invokes comparisons to theFord Model Tautomobile. | .jpg) | ||
| Jet Provost T.5 | The BAC Jet Provost is a Britishjet trainer aircraft that was in use with theRoyal Air Force (RAF) from 1955 to 1993. | |||
| MiG-15 | The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 is ajetfighter aircraft developed byMikoyan-Gurevich for theSoviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporateswept wings to achieve hightransonic speeds. Inaerial combat during theKorean War, it outclassed straight-winged jetday fighters, which were largely relegated to ground-attack roles. In response to the MiG-15's appearance and in order to counter it, theUnited States Air Force rushed theNorth American F-86 Sabre to Korea. | .jpg) | ||
| Otto the Helicopter | Schweizer S300 | A light utilityhelicopter originally produced byHughes Helicopters, as a development of theHughes 269. The single, three-bladed main rotor and piston-powered S300 is mostly used as a cost-effective platform for training and agriculture. |  | |
| P-51 Mustang | North American P-51 Mustang 'Contrary Mary' | The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seatfighter andfighter-bomber used duringWorld War II and theKorean War, among other conflicts. Following combat experience the P-51D series introduced a "teardrop", or "bubble", canopy to rectify problems with poor visibility to the rear of the aircraft. |  | |
| Boeing P-8A Poseidon | Boeing P-8A Poseidon | The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an Americanmaritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced byBoeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilianBoeing 737-800. It was developed for theUnited States Navy (USN) and is used by a number of countries armed forces. The P-8 operates inanti-submarine warfare (ASW),anti-surface warfare (ASUW), andintelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. It is armed withtorpedoes,Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons, can drop and monitorsonobuoys, and can operate in conjunction with other assets, including theNorthrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillanceunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It was the second engagement in the UK of the year for the aircraft, flown by the US Navy at the 2019 festival.[36] |  | |
| Pitts S2S | Pitts Special | G-JPIT | The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of lightaerobaticbiplanes designed byCurtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, even today, remain potent competition aircraft in the lower categories. | .jpg) |
| RAF Tucano | Short Tucano | The Short Tucano is a two-seatturboprop basictrainer built byShort Brothers inBelfast, Northern Ireland. It is alicence-built version of the BrazilianEmbraer EMB 312 Tucano. |  | |
| Red Arrows | BAE Systems Hawk | The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is theaerobatics display team of theRoyal Air Force (RAF) based atRAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by RAF commands. | .jpg) | |
| Republic P47 Thunderbolt 'Nellie' | Republic P-47 Thunderbolt | The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-erafighter aircraft produced by the American companyRepublic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost Americanfighter-bomber in theground-attack role. Its primary armament was eight.50-caliber machine guns, and it could carry 5-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to 8 tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. | _(27931747027).jpg) | |
| Saab J35 Draken | Saab J35 Draken | The Saab 35 Draken (IPA:[²drɑːkɛn]; 'TheKite' or 'TheDragon') is aSwedishfighter-interceptor developed and manufactured bySvenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. It was the firstWestern European-builtcombat aircraft with truesupersonic capability to enter service and the first fullysupersonic aircraft to be deployed inWestern Europe. Designwise it was one of, if not the first,combat aircraft designed withdouble delta wings, being drawn up by early 1950. The unconventional wing design also had the side effect of making it the first known aircraft to be capable of and perform theCobra maneuver. It was also one of the first Western-European-built aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in level flight, reaching it on 14 January 1960. | .jpg) | |
| Saab 37 Viggen | Saab SK37E Viggen | TheSaab 37 Viggen (TheTufted Duck, ambiguous withTheThunderbolt) is a single-seat, single-enginemultirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the Swedish aircraft manufacturerSaab. It was the firstcanard-equipped aircraft to be produced in quantity and the first to carry an airbornedigital central computer withintegrated circuits for its avionics, arguably making it the most modern/advancedcombat aircraft in Europe at the time of introduction. The digital central computer was the first of its kind in the world, automating and taking over tasks previously requiring a navigator/copilot, facilitating handling in tactical situations where, among other things, high speeds and short decision times determined whether attacks would be successful or not, a system not surpassed until the introduction of thePanavia Tornado into operational service in 1981. | ||
| Great War Display Team | Six WW1 Fighters | The Great War Display Team (GWDT) started out in 1988 and was originally called The Wombats. It was an ad-hoc collection of aircraft including fiveSE5as, twoFokker Dr.Is and aFokker D7, many of them flown by their builders. | .jpg) | |
| Firefly's | Slingsby T67 Firefly | The Slingsby T67 Firefly, originally produced as the Fournier RF-6, is a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft, built bySlingsby Aviation inKirkbymoorside,Yorkshire, England. | .jpg) | |
| Supermarine Spitfire | Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXb Supermarine Spitfire Mk1XT 'Grace' G-LFIX 'ML407' Supermarine Spitfire TR IX Supermarine Spitfire X1X PS853 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire X1X PS853 – G-RRGN | G-RRGN (Spitfire X1X PS853) G-LFIX('Grace' Spitfire Mk1XT 'ML407')G-RRGN(Vickers Supermarine Spitfire X1X PS853)G-IBSY(Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc 'EE602') | The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seatfighter aircraft used by theRoyal Air Force and otherAllied countries before, during, and afterWorld War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined Mk 24 using several wing configurations and guns. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war. |  |
| Strikemaster Pair | BAC Strikemaster | G-SOAF G-RSAF | The BAC 167 Strikemaster is a British jet-powered training and lightattack aircraft. It was a development of theHunting Jet Provost trainer, itself a jet engined version of thePercival Provost, which originally flew in 1950 with a radial piston engine. |  |
| Team Raven | Van's Aircraft RV-8 | The Van's RV-8 is atandem two-seat, single-engine, low-winghomebuilt aircraft sold in kit form byVan's Aircraft. The RV-8 is equipped withconventional landing gear, while the RV-8A version featurestricycle landing gear. The design is similar to the earlierRV-4, although it is larger than that earlier model. |  | |
| The Blades | Extra 300LPs and an Extra 330SC | The Blades were a British civilianaerobatic team based at theSywell Aerodrome inNorthamptonshire. They had been described as "the world's only aerobatic airline" and were the only full-time civilian aerobatic team in the United Kingdom. The Blades were a subsidiary of 2Excel Aviation. The team was founded in 2005 by Andy Offer, a former leader of theRed Arrows, and Chris Norton, a Royal Air Forcewing commander. |  | |
| Tigers Parachute Display Team | NA | NA | The Tigers Army Parachute Display Team is afreefallparachute team of theBritish Army. The unit was formed inSouth Cambridgeshire in 1986 under theQueen's Division. | .jpg) |
| Twisters | Silence Twister | The Silence Twister is a German ultralight designed bySilence Aircraft foramateur construction, either from plans or kits. The prototype first flew on 30 September 2000. | .jpg) | |
| 'Take on Gravity' jetsuits | ||||
| Vampires FB.52 and T.55 | De Havilland Vampire FB.52 and T.55 | The de Havilland Vampire is a Britishjet fighter which was developed and manufactured by thede Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by theRAF, after theGloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by a singlejet engine. |  | |
| Yakolevs | TheJSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau (Russian: ОАО Опытно-конструкторское бюро им. А.С. Яковлева) is aRussian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak). Its head office is inAeroport District,Northern Administrative Okrug,Moscow. |
The first day of the 2011 festival was cancelled due to severe flooding, where 50mm of rain fell. Between 10:00 and 11:00 BST, 35mm of rain fell.[37]
During the 2011 Air Festival,Flight LieutenantJon Egging, aRoyal Air Force pilot on theRed Arrows aerobatics display team, died after crashing into a field inThroop,Dorset. The incident occurred after a display at festival when the Red Arrows were returning to Bournemouth International Airport. It was determined that Flt Lt Egging was incapacitated due to the effects ofg-force induced loss of consciousness until very shortly before impact.Egging was the first Red Arrows pilot to die in an aircraft crash in the 21st century, since Flt Lt Neil Duncan MacLachlan, in 1988.[8][38][39]
During a demonstration of a jet suit made byGravity Industries, the pilot, Dr Angelo Grubisic landed in the sea, having only just taken off. He was not injured but brought to shore by lifeguards.[40]
During the 2021 festival, aBoeing A75N1 (PT17) Stearman biplane, that had performed as part of the AeroSuperBatics wing-walking display at the festival, crashed into the sea inPoole Harbour. The aircraft suffered a loss of power during the display, causing the pilot, David Barrell, to abort the performance and fly away from the festival site, before ditching into the sea. The pilot and Kirsten Pobjoy, who was wing-walking, suffered minor injuries. The footage of the crash was captured on CCTV from the nearbyHaven Hotel. It was discovered the cause of the accident was oil being prevented from reaching the engine by metal strap supporting an oil pipe failing. AeroSuperBatics returned to fly during the 2022 festival.[41]
During the first day of the 2022 festival, Dorset Police seized three drones after they were flown in restricted airspace.Restricted airspace is governed by theCivilian Aviation Authority (CAA) Air Navigation Order 2016, specifically Article 241 (endangering the safety of any person or property).[42][43]
Prior to the 2023 festival, Dorset Police launched anunrelated murder investigation to the festival, after human remains were found nearby to the festival site. As a result of enquiries, two people were arrested and as of January 2024, they are awaiting trial. An access route to the beach was cordoned off as part of the investigation. Organisers of the festival liaised with Dorset Police regarding the investigation, stating they would make 'any minor changes to our organisational arrangements' if they were required. The original cordon remained in place throughout the festival and the festival was unaffected.[44]
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