Hampshire is well known for the development of experimental aircraft. During the war, many factories sprang up including Southampton’s Supermarine site. Today, the RAF aerobatics team – the Red Arrows – are at the cutting edge of that aviation technology.
The familiar red, white, and blue trails of the RAF Red Arrows in the skies over the Clarence Esplanade in Portsmouth. Photo taken on 5th June 2014.
Thousands gather to watch RAF display
Thousands of spectators gathered on Southsea Common on 5th June 2014, one day before the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Among them were hundreds of surviving veterans of the Normandy campaign.
In the searing heat of the south coast, the Red Arrows offered a soaring 22-minute display to onlookers. Red 10 called the shots from the ground as the familiar pattern of nine red fighter jets took to the skies over Portsmouth.
Precision moves from the Red Arrows
With precision moves, they cut through the cloudless sky leaving trails of red, white, and blue smoke. A heart was drawn in the blue sky as well as the RAF pilots performed precision moves at hundreds of miles per hour.
As the Red Arrows wound down, a fleet of landing craft approached the shoreline for a continuation of the commemorations.