THERE was a new sight for the dusk displays at Bournemouth Air Festival tonight as The Blades swept in to town.
Although not new to the event, the aerobatic team performed during the Night Air programme for the first time.
It was a rip-roaring start, as the team defied the low cloud to dazzle the crowds with loops, hair-raisingly close passes, 360-degree twists and mid-air stalls.
The Blades' pilots - all former Red Arrows members - defied gravity on multiple occasions and had smoke on aplenty.
Although the Red Devils parachute team had to stay on the ground because of high winds, the thrills and spills of full-on aerobatics gave the audience plenty to cheer, before it was time for a little romance.
The Rolls Royce Spitfire roared into town for the second time today, having flown during the afternoon.
But it was a different spectacle as dusk fell as, despite the grey sky, the iconic World War Two fighter, with Land of Hope and Glory playing on the speakers, pulled off a display to get lost in.
There was even the odd chink of blue sky as the sun went down to evoke memories of the summer of 1940.
With the onlookers left with a lump in their throats, there was still time for some fireworks.
The sky now almost dark, the biplane of O'Brien's Flying Circus and a solo Twister aircraft arrived together, LEDs shining.
They then took it in turns to end the night with a bang - literally.
Fireworks spat from both aircraft in a stunning spectacle, probably made all the better by the sky being darker because of the weather.
With fireworks flying off the beach as the pair left, it was another Night Air to remember.
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