NewsScottish NewsCrowds enjoy thrilling displays of flying at East Fortune

Crowds enjoy thrilling displays of flying at East Fortune

THOUSANDS of spectators enjoyed thrilling displays of flying skill at Scotland’s National Airshow 2016 at East Fortune, East Lothian, on Saturday.

From the awesome, ear-splitting roar of the RAF’s Typhoon fighter to the WW2-era Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber, there was plenty to keep the crowd entertained.

The RAF Red Arrows display team and a Vietnam-era US military chopper were among the highlights of the show.

The airshow took place at the National Museum of Flight, a former WW2 airbase, now part of the National Museums of Scotland.

East Fortune Airshow July 2016 (8)
The RAF Red Arrows stunned the crowd with their unique brand of precision flying
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Two Red Arrows’ Hawk jets approach each other at a combined speed in excess of 700mph
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The jets’ smoke trails show the astonishing precision of the team’s flying.
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Two Wildcat helicopters of the Royal Navy’s Black Cats display team

 

East Fortune Airshow July 2016 (16)
A Fairey Swordfish gave a much quieter and sedate display. But the “Stringbag” was an effective machine of war, crippling the German battleship Bismarck in 1941.
East Fortune Airshow July 2016 (18)
The RAF Typhoon during its heart-stopping display of raw power combined with agility.

 

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A P51 Mustang bearing the red tail of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black military pilots and their support personnel.

 

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A WW2-era Catalina flying boat
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The iconic Bell UH-1 Iroquois, made famous by its widespread use by US forces in Vietnam.

 

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