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A first class display by Red Arrows at Whitby Regatta - VIDEO
THE Red Arrows made a resplendent return to Whitby on Regatta Monday for their first performance since 2007.
Due to the low cloud base, the renowned display team could only perform a medium display at around 2,000ft, but it was still enough to leave people's hearts in their mouths as they demonstrated their flying wizardry above Whitby.
Thousands of people gazed up at the sky as the town fell silent at 2pm apart from the noise of the roaring jet engines which left a trail of blue, red and white smoke in their wake.
The nine skilled pilots demonstrated their amazing precision with a series of formations before the real action when the planes dodged out of each others' way with just 100ft or 30 metres separating them.
Red 10, squadron leader Graeme Bagnall, a fully qualified Hawk pilot who flies the 10th aircraft when the Red Arrows are away from base, provided the commentary during the display.
He told the Gazette it was great to be in Whitby.
"I love it. It's my first time here," he said. The whole display takes eight months to plan.
"We would have liked to have done a rolling display but we couldn't because of the cloud base. Other than that it went as planned."
Amazingly it took the Arrows just 12 minutes to fly from their base at Scampton in Lincolnshire to Whitby – a great way to beat the gridlock on the A64.
The team had been in Bournemouth prior to Whitby taking part in the town's air festival before flying the 25 minutes to Scampton and then onto Whitby.
Sam and Graeme MacLeod from Barnetby in South Humberside came to Whitby for a holiday and were delighted to find their visit coincided with the Regatta fortunately managing to find a room at The Dolphin in Bridge Street.
Graeme said: "The Red Arrows were absolutely excellent. I've seen them before all over the country but I still think they are great."
After the display a framed picture by Whitby Gazette freelance photographer Alan Wastell was presented to squadron leader Bagnall.
It features the Red Barrows, a group of friends who drink in The Bridge Inn, Ruswarp, who formed the tongue-in-cheek Red Barrows for fun to take part in the Regatta 2008 parade – the year the Red Arrows didn't perform.
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Weather for Whitby
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
