This is an excellent four-day airshow, held on Eastbourne's seafront from Thursday until Sunday usually one, occasionally two weeks before the August Bank Holiday weekend (see the show calendar for the date this year).

As well as an input from contemporary Nato aircraft, there are usually displays by various permutations from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, light aircraft aerobatics and helicopters, sometimes including an enactment of Search and Rescue, troop landings and/or vehicle recovery.

Eastbourne has a very long seafront. The aircraft can been seen from the Sovereign Harbour at the eastern extreme through to Beachy Head on the west. The flying line is more or less between the pier and the foot of Beachy Head and is centred on an area called 'Western Lawns'. This is also where the events arena is. From a distance, look out for the Martello Tower (called the 'Wish Tower') which is on the edge of the Lawns.

There are many excellent and unobstructed viewing areas in the centre of the flying line on the promenade in front of the Western Lawns and on the beach.

Because the arena is in the middle of the flying line, the major spectacles including the flying highlights, parachute landings and the off-shore enactments can all be viewed from the almost same place - unlike some coastal venues where the flying highlights, the off-shore spectacles and the arena events are some distance apart so you have to hike or choose between them.

The arena itself is also the focus for family entertainment and is surrounded by the usual military, charity, craft and trade stalls and other amusements.

Non-air highlights include evening concerts in a bandstand along the promenade and a firework finale, preceded by a sunset fly past. Eating is a breeze as well, with hotels and other eating places all along the road that runs parallel to the promenade and other roads off it.

More combination flying would be good, but as it is this the best free airshow in the UK and one for the whole family to enjoy.

Eastbourne has a reputation for innovation. In past years the B1 bomber has made a rare appearance and in 2005 Eastbourne was the venue for the first outing of the Eurofighter at a family show.

This year Eastbourne scooped the only family show appearance for the Royal Jordanian Falcons, currently on a European tour during which the only other British showing is at the Royal International Tattoo at Fairford, a military airshow.

Royal Jordanian Falcons at Airbourne 2007

Other unusual additions to Airbourne's display list this year were two craft from the US, the MH-53 heavy-lift helicopter and the MC-130 which demonstrated in-flight refueling on Friday.

The Messerschmitt ME-108 also makes a rare Eastbourne appearance. Two were programmed to be in a dogfight with two Hurricanes on Saturday and Sunday. In practice, on Sunday the Hurricanes displayed separately and only one Messerschmitt made it for a display later in the afternoon. On Saturday it was more of an aerial procession that a dogfight. Nevertheless it was good to see all four aircraft in the skies at the same time.

Messerschmitt on Saturday

A DHL cargo 747 displayed at Airbourne in 2005. This year a passenger 747-400 from Oasis Hong Kong made several passes on Saturday.

747 'Jumbo' jet

As well as these innovations, the expected 800,000 crowd will enjoy the more traditional teams. The Red Arrows, always amongst the most popular displays at Airbourne, displayed on Saturday and Sunday.

Red Arrows on Sunday

On Saturday their programme was interrupted when a possible intruder was spotted and the display was curtailed when the weather closed in.

Red Arrows on Sunday

Although the sun didn't shine to bring out the bright red of the Arrows, the murky cloud showed off the coloured smoke trails.

Red Arrows flew a shortened flat programme on Saturday

On Sunday the team performed a full rolling display despite the weather.

Airbourne has a focus on recruitment for the RAF and there is invariably a demonstration by the sequence of aircraft recruits would expect to experience in their training and service careers. At Airbourne 2007 this range was represented by the trainers, the Grob 115e (known as the Tutor T1), the Tucano T1 and the Hawk T1 advanced trainer.

Tucano T1 at Airbourne 2007

From Friday to Sunday the newest aircraft, and the target of all that training, the Eurofighter Typhoon, showed how the effort is all worthwhile, accompanied by an enthusiastic commentary from Team Manager, Flight Lieutenant James Bolton.

Blades in 4 Extra 300s

Lighter aircraft were represented by the Extra, which featured in a solo display by John Taylor from Ultimate High and formation displays by the Royal Jordanian Falcons and the Blades, and the king of the aerobatics, Will Curtis performing his amazing display in a Sukhoi Su-26.

Will Curtis in his Sukhoi 26

Will, the holder of the Guinness Book of Records for flying upside down between twelve sets of poles just one metre above the ground, hovers the Sukhoi like helicopter, flicks, loops and tumbles like a falling sycamore seed.

The plane has been further modified and now sports a with a 9 cylinder 525hp radial engine and massive specially designed 2.7metre diameter propeller.

With two propellers, four arms and four legs, the Stearman Wingwalker pair have dropped their blue and yellow for the livery of new sponsors, Guinot.

Guinot wingwalkers at Airbourne 2007

Rotaries were be well represented at Airbourne. As well as the Blue Eagles, displaying in their Lynx and four Gazelles, the USAF MH-53 displayed on Friday and the Belgian Air Force Sea King simulated a rescue on the last three of their scheduled four days, (the Thursday display was cancelled for technical reasons).

The Chinook, a regular at Eastbourne, flew Friday-Sunday.

Chinook

Curtiss P40M "Kitty Hawk"

The wartime prop planes are well represented this year, with a novel appearance by the Kitty Hawk and the welcome return of the Mustang ....

Curtiss P51 "Mustang"

.... to support the more traditional displays of the Hurricanes and Spitfires, including the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Spitfire and Hurricane of the BBMF

John Romain wanted to make sure that everyone got a close look at the Mk IX Spitfire, bringing it very close to the crowd on Thursday but flying a more normal line the rest of the show.

Mk IX Spitfire

The RAF Falcons jumped on two of the scheduled four days, but not without incident (see box bottom right), whereas the smaller army Tigers team also managed a jump onto the beach on Thursday.

Army Tiger