something like this but I’m convinced that the roll capability yields tighter twists and turns, something about this plane flies truer than anything I’ve witnessed. This plane is a true successor to the Tornado jet. Comparatively its unstable nature in flight lends a greater degree of freedom to its movement although the requirements of fly-by-wire mean that it might not stay up with any scratches on it nor does it have the same stability of the F-15 fighter jet which famously still came back with one wing blown off (saved by engine thrust plus roll controllers as part of the engine). Maybe the comparison isn’t fair but it serves as an example. Eurofighter is fleety but at what cost – in any case its an important addition to European arsenal, well, even if there isn’t such a thing as a European Defence.

The Lynx helicopter performed aerial somersaults over the beach pulling 3G and performed a reversing maneuver at 80mph. Even more bizarre was the MH53 Sikorsky, a US Marine Sea Stallion helicopter, refueling in-flight from a Hercules, also over the beaches of Eastbourne. Helicopter aerial displays are the most underrated and unheard of part of any Air Tattoo, if you can go see it – don’t miss it. With the advent of unmanned UAV helicopters its interesting to think just what the future holds.

The Battle of Britain Memorial flight was also a fascinating display of aerial dogfighting that allows the observer to keep up with the action. Unlike modern planes that would simply be too fast and dangerous to witness going head to head at an airshow, the older generations of planes can interact more easily to the delight of the observer. Watching the low speed turns of the Spitfires chasing Messerschmitts through the skies over the channel just as they would nearly