IT WAS high noon when they roared in from the west and, even at their cruising speed of 400 mph, they must have been able to see the 300,000 spectators cramming Bournemouth seafront.

Red Arrows 2004 was a stunning tribute to British aviation: to 40 years of the world-famous display team and also to some of our best-known planes.

To loud cheers they started off with a vixen roll and moved into a delta bend, in homage to the Vulcan bomber, and then a Concorde into a diamond loop.

The crowd loved it. The cheers grew louder still when they broke out the coloured vapour and went into a series of bends, double diamond rolls and a champagne split, before the two synchro planes broke off to complete the breathtaking gypo pass right in front of the BIC and above the scores of little boats anchored in the choppy sea.

Then it was a series of corkscrews, vertical breaks and more diamonds, all received with cheers from the packed prom.

There was even time for a cheeky nod to the film Top Gun, during one manoeuvre, with one craft flying upside down the full length of the seafront.

And then, after the final Vixen break, roaring towards the BIC, it was all over. The Red Arrows left as they had arrived; trailing clouds of glory and leaving their audience begging for more.

First published: August 14