The organisers of the inaugural Haven Great Yarmouth Air Show are promising a weekend of family-friendly displays.
Preparations are well under way for the event, which will see an abundance of aircraft soaring above the Great Yarmouth seafront.
Former RAF air traffic controller and flying display director, Ian Sheeley, is tailoring the show to the Great Yarmouth crowds.
He said: “You tend to find seafront crowds are more family-orientated, as the enthusiast will generally want to see the aircraft on the ground close-up, as well as watching them fly.”
The Wildcats aerobatics team and the Army’s Tigers free-fall parachutists have already been confirmed for the air show and details of a range of other displays will be announced in the coming weeks.
While the organisers are promising entertainment for the whole family, safety has been the priority throughout the planning process.
Factors such as tides, offshore structures and spectator boats are all being considered ahead of the show.
Mr Sheeley said the Scroby Sands wind farm had to be incorporated into plans for the displays.
He said: “We did take into account the wind farm when we designed the display area - it is an obstruction to low flying so we needed to ensure that aircraft would be able to fly clear of it when low and only potentially overfly it when at height.”
A Maritime Exclusion Zone (MEZ) will be set up on the sea beneath the display area during the show. The zone will keep leisure boaters seeking to view the show from the surf at a safe distance, though Mr Sheeley advises that the best viewpoints will be accessible from the shore.
A range of additional stands, stalls and military exhibits will be open along the Golden Mile, as well as the usual tourist attractions and amusements.
The Haven Great Yarmouth Air Show is being organised by the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area and is taking place on the weekend of June 16 and 17.
It is expected to attract 170,000 people and generate an extra £10m for local traders.
For more information, visit www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/air-show
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