The Sidmouth Airshow is being hailed as a great success – and a record year for fundraising.

On the warm sunny evening of Friday, August 27, an estimated crowd of up to 35,000 people came out on to Sidmouth Esplanade, beach and Peak Hill to watch the aircraft, with perfect visibility and light clouds providing a perfect display sky. Many people had wandered into town early in the day to browse the local shops and businesses, as well as visiting the David Rowland Funfair at the Ham before visiting some of the team support stands.

A series of exciting air displays

The airshow began with the Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter performing some daring manoeuvres for a rotary bladed aircraft, in one of just a few of the Wildcat displays held this year. Next up was Richard Goodwin in his Muscle Biplane, performing some incredibly fast and twisting manoeuvres, prompting cheers and screams from the audience.

With the Dakota grounded due to problems with its 75 year-old engine, it fell to the two Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfires to perform a full duo display, followed by their usual individual performances.

The show's finale was the RAF Red Arrows, roaring back into the sky above Sidmouth with their trademark 'over crowd arrival' after a three-year absence. They performed a series of stunts including the drawing of a heart shape in the sky with their vapour trails.

Council thanks spectators for their support

Sidmouth Town Council said it was 'delighted' with the success of the event – and with the amount of money collected. It looks like a record breaking year, even with the income from some sources including car parks not yet received.

The council has expressed gratitude to residents and visitors for supporting the event and helping towards the future of the airshow with their donations. The council would also like to thank the army of 'fantastic' volunteer collectors including the large contingent of RAF Air Cadets.