The Red Arrows stunned crowds with a grand display for the “highlight” of Peterhead Scottish Week.
Hundreds turned out to see the famous pilots perform their tricks in the sky on Friday evening.
Peterhead Bay became a festival ground as food vans, amusements and playing children took over the Buchan town.
The Red Arrows have long been a fixture in the Peterhead Scottish Week’s calendar, and many of the Blue Toon onlookers had seen them before.
Red Arrows delight Peterhead aeroplane enthusiasts
One such family was Darren and Amy Duncan, who came along with their three-year-old niece Jessica and their brother’s girlfriend Danielle.
They had “lost count” of how many times they had seen the Red Arrows perform in Peterhead.
“It’s something different. Something to do. It gets you out of the house”, said Amy.
For her husband Darren, the Red Arrows helped feed his interest in planes.
He first became fascinated by planes after hearing stories from the Second World War from his granddad. His grandma moved up from London during the Blitz and stayed in Banff ever since.
Mr Duncan and the crowds were also treated to a flypast from a range of historic planes, including a Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire.
They were celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Dam Buster raid in Germany during the Second World War.
‘It is a great community event’
Another family out enjoying the famous planes was the McDonald’s. Mum and dad Michelle and Shawn were out with sons Findlay, 11, and Jamie, 9.
“It is a great community event. A really good atmosphere”, said Mrs McDonald.
“We have been to aeroplane museums before and we have really loved them.”
Red Arrows are the highlight of Peterhead Scottish Week
The RAF has a long association with the Peterhead Scottish Week and first carried out a public flypast at it in 1968.
Starting in 1962, it is the biggest and longest-running week-long gala in the country and this year’s event will include activities, including carnival parades, dog shows and sandcastle competitions.
The Carle family came along to the Red Arrow display with their friends Cameron Richie and Dean Hewitt.
Alison Carle had been to several events during the week including the fireworks, buttery mornings and craft fayre.
However, the Red Arrows was definitely the “the highlight of the week” for her.
“It is good to see everyone coming together”, she said.
Mr Richie joked: “I always wanted to fly a plane when I was little. If I had the brains I would.”
The Red Arrows is the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team and is the public face of the Royal Air Force.
More daring acts of showmanship will follow on Saturday as RAF Lossiemouth’s annual families day – Lossie Fest.
