Red Arrows will fly at Cosford show

The Red Arrows will fly at Shropshire's Cosford Air Show on Sunday after a dramatic change of plan just five days before the big event.

The Red Arrows have been a regular crowd-puller at the massive show in recent years but flight fans were left disappointed earlier this year when they were forced to pull out.

Appearances at 10 shows had to be scrapped following an accident over an airfield in Crete on March 23. The team's synchro leader Flight Lieutenant Mike Ling suffered a dislocated shoulder after ejecting from his aircraft.

He was replaced but the Arrows said the extra training needed meant the team would not be ready to get a licence to perform at public events until June 16 at the earliest.

However, spokeswoman Emma Thomas today said the team now had the permission.

Bill Hartree, flying display director at Cosford, said: "We are very pleased to announce that the RAF aerobatics team, The Red Arrows, will display at the RAF Cosford Air Show on Sunday.

"The RAF Cosford Air Show will be the Red Arrows's first display in the UK in 2010, and the first opportunity for the public to meet Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore, the first woman to fly as a member of the world famous Red Arrows.

"When the team has completed their display, they will land at RAF Shawbury and return to Cosford to meet the public."