AVIATION royalty visited North Yorkshire with a brief flight past after performing in Northern Ireland for Armed Forces Day.

Those astute enough to glance skywards on Saturday afternoon would have been rewarded by the sight of the RAF's aerobatic team, the world-famous Red Arrows. Led by Yorkshireman Squadron Leader Tom Bould, the team had been performing at venues across Northern Ireland to celebrate Armed Forces Day. Choosing a return route to their Lincolnshire base via the Yorkshire Dales, their transit formation contained ten aircraft – nine display pilots plus Red 10, Squadron Leader Adam Collins, the team’s supervisor, who also provides the commentary once on the ground and often carries a team photographer.

Flying low in two V shaped formations of five aircraft, their journey took them over the Irish Sea to Carlisle, then south to Garsdale where they turned east along the River Ure valley as far as Leyburn, where they executed a precision turn south east. Thanks to their low flying they were clearly visible to anyone curious enough to glimpse upwards at rare weekend military flying.

All it needed was a bit of coloured smoke to complete a much needed treat, but the canisters would have been more than spent entertaining the good folk of Northern Ireland: perhaps next time.