Wingwalkers set to barnstorm over Great Yarmouth beach

The AeroSuperBatics Wingwalking team features a pair of classic biplanes doing loops and rolls with daring women strapped on top waving and doing handstands - sometimes while flying upside down.

The spectacle which will be seen at the Haven Great Yarmouth Air Show on June 16-17 harks back to the days of 1920s "flying circuses" when pioneering pilots thrilled crowds with their antics.

Another newly-announced display is the Muscle Biplane of former RAF Tornado ground attack jet pilot Rich Goodwin, who showcases the power and manoeuvrability of his souped-up Pitts Special with gravity-defying, smoke-trailing loops and pirouettes.

And crowds will also see the distinctive shape of a Catalina flying boat - which was a welcome sight for downed Second World War wartime airmen awaiting rescue from ditching in the sea.

The plane is a reminder of the host resort's own military role during the First World War as a Royal Naval Air Station, whose aircraft repelled enemy airships, navy vessels and submarines.

AeroSuperBatics - the world's only aerobatic formation wingwalking team - sees Katie Hobbs and Kirsten Pobjoy tethered to the top of a pair of 1930s Boeing Stearmans, doing moves at up to 150 mph and four times the normal force of gravity.

The air show is organised by the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area and is expected to attract 175,000 people and generate an extra £10m for local traders.

GYTABIA chairman Gareth Brown said: "The wingwalkers are the true spirit of early air shows with their combination of circus and flying skills, the Muscle Biplane will be amazing, and the Catalina is a poignant reminder of the town's serious role as a naval air base in the Great War."

The air show has a growing list of top acts including the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Bremont Great War display team, and vintage jets.

Organisers are urging visitors to book their park and ride and premium parking spaces now.

More information and updates on Air Show (opens new window), on Facebook @GreatYarmouthAirShow and Twitter @GYAirShow.

STATION'S VITAL WAR ROLE

Great Yarmouth's Naval Air Station was part of a network of bases founded by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill to tackle the growing threat of zeppelin raids.

It was located at the South Denes which is now the location of the town's outer harbour.

Unfortunately the local planes were unable to save the town being written into a piece of military history, when it was the victim of the first ever aerial attack on the UK on January 19 1915. The aircraft could not match the airship's cruising height.

The station opened in April 1913, closed in 1919, and was later turned into a holiday caravan park - whose visitors spent a penny in a former barracks.

The only reminder of the station's role is a blue plaque on 25 Regent Street, a former Great Yarmouth Mercury office, which was the regional headquarters of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Issued on behalf of the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area, April 17, 2018