Cosford show's a soaraway success

Dazzling displays, good weather and a 54,000-strong crowd of aeroplane fans made this year's RAF Cosford Air Show a soaring success, organisers said today.

The annual one-day spectacular attracted one of its highest attendances in its history and featured aircraft such as a Eurofighter Typhoon jet, Chinook helicopter, Lancaster bomber, Spitfire and Battle of Britain memorial flight.

Organisers said yesterday's extravaganza had "exceeded all expectations".

Visitors from across the country packed the airfield near Wolverhampton to enjoy a host of aeronautic attractions.

Despite low cloud, the RAF Falcons parachute display team got the main event off to a flying start as their 11 members jumped from a Chinook helicopter at 12 noon.

The world-famous Red Arrows RAF aerobatic team wowed crowds as they painted the sky red, white and blue with their trademark vapour trails and daring manoeuvres.

Other highlights included a flypast by the Typhoon jet, which roared through the sky reaching speeds of 520mph, and a mock airstrike, complete with pyrotechnics, led by Tornado jets acting out an operational rescue scenario.

The last working Vulcan bomber, which carried Britain's Cold War nuclear deterrent, had to pull out after a delay in securing permission to fly from the Civil Aviation Authority.

And a display by an Apache helicopter which had been lined up as a replacement had to be grounded for technical reasons.

Despite the glitches, visitors gave the festivities a glowing report.

Julian Atkinson, 43, from Birmingham, and his son, nine-year-old Harry, said their first taste of an air show had been "excellent".

Rob Clemson, 39, joined girlfriend Jacqui Smith and sons Taylor, seven, and Cameron, four, for the show.

Mr Clemson, of The Rock, Telford, said: "It's our first time here and we've really enjoyed it. The Typhoon and the Red Arrows were brilliant."

Airshow organising committee chairman Wing Commander Tony Legg, from Shrewsbury, praised the event's success and said preparations for next year's show would begin this week.

Visitors kept the 27 West Midlands Ambulance Service staff and 15 St John's Ambulance volunteers on their toes with 41 patients needing treatment for minor injuries at their field hospital – slightly down on last year's figure of 45.