Aviation fans are in for an amazing Angus treat next week.
On July 20 the skies over Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre will be graced by the RAF’s Red Arrows display team.
And the same day, the distinctive sound of a Spitfire and Hurricane will fill the Angus air.
It’s the latest coup for the volunteer-run attraction in a sensational summer return from the Covid pandemic.
And MAHSC chairman Stuart Archibald hopes people will turn out to enjoy the spectacle.
The Red Arrows are due to make a single flypast at around 11am.
They will be on their way north to thrill crowds at the 60th anniversary of Peterhead Scottish Week later in the day.
In 2016 the famous aerobatic display team performed over Arbroath seafront for the town’s Festival of Heroes event.
The Spitfire and Hurricane are part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
They are due to make several flypasts of the historic airfield.
Montrose became Britain’s first operational military air station in 1913 when aircraft of No. 2 Royal Flying Corps set up base there.
It trained pilots from the UK and overseas.
During the Second World War, Montrose was home to Spitfires and Hurricanes which defended the skies over Edinburgh.
So the distinctive sound of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines over Broomfield will be a throwback to eight decades ago.
Community thank-you
Stuart said: “It’s been a long period of isolation and missed events for Montrose Air Station Museum.
“But we are thrilled with this and want to invite people from all over Angus and beyond to enjoy this sight.
“We’re hoping local businesses who have supported the museum over the years will also be coming along.
“Without them and our partners the museum would not be the huge success it’s become.
“The flypasts are weather dependent and we will confirm timings as soon as we can, but we are looking at these happening between 10.30am and 2.30pm.
“We hope people will take the opportunity to visit the museum at the same time and enjoy all of our displays,” added Stuart.
Those include a replica of the Red Lichtie Spitfire funded by the folk of Arbroath in 1942.
And the centre’s jewel in the crown was added to the Broomfield collection just weeks ago.
It is an RAF Tornado GR4 that saw action in the Gulf War.
The plane gifted to Montrose was one of the last of the multi-role machines to fly before being retired from active service in 2019.
It flew with No. 2 Sqn, and also the famous Dambusters, No. 617 Sqn.
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