Leuchars Air Show 2011

James and I have been going to Leuchars air show since long before the children were born. Then we have taken the boys with us since before they can remember and it has become a family tradition. James and the boys love aircraft and I love relaxing days out, so it suits us all very well. Over the years we have perfected our air show technique. Long gone are the days of early starts from Glasgow and waiting in long queues as we approach the air field. Now we spend the night before in a Premier Inn in Dundee, have a leisurely breakfast, and arrive at Leuchars early enough to beat the queues and set up camp in a prime spot on the flight line. Our camp consists of a little tent, a picnic rug, and four deck chairs. This means that as long as one person stays with our belongings the rest of us can roam freely along the static display and visit the many stalls, returning to our well positioned tent to watch the air display. I am happy to spend most of my day at the tent, reading my book in between watching the planes, and it is always a pleasant day for us all. Sadly RAF Leuchars is going to close in a couple of years so this may be one of the last Leuchars Air Shows. Ally and Davie came along as usual, but Jamie has spent the last couple of air shows working as a waiter in the VIP tent, so he gets to see the planes and also get paid! Last year he saw Prince Andrew, and yesterday he was texting us with pictures of the planes that he could see. It's a long couple of days for him though, starting at 6.30 a.m. and working for twelve hours. This year Jackie came with us, along with her two gorgeous little boys., Finn and Noah. The wee boys were so delighted when they saw their room at the Premier Inn, they are such a sweet age. They also were very excited by the air show; we walked along the static display and they got to sit in some planes and a fire engine, then they were very interested in the flying display, watching it through their little binoculars (which they called binocleears!). Even sheltering in our tent - which is not waterproof! - during a brief but heavy burst of rain was an adventure to them. Ally and Davie are of course old hands and went exploring on their own, buying posters and chatting knowledgeably about aircraft with James. It was nice to see the Red Arrows display still going only three weeks after their tragic accident. It was a really good day and now I'm quite exhausted by all the fresh air!