Red Bull gives you wings (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Red Bull gives you wings

TEMPERATURES soared last weekend and so did the world's top aerobatic pilots as the Red Bull Air Race World Series descended on beautiful Longleat.

More than 60,000 spectators crammed into Lord Bath's country estate to watch pilots manoeuvre their planes at speeds of up to 250mph just metres above the ground.

Lord Bath flew back from Paris to officially open the event, which will be the only UK stop in the inaugural World Series.

Speaking before the race, Lord Bath told the Wiltshire Times he was delighted to be hosting such an exciting international event in his own back garden.

Lord Bath said: "It's fantastic to see so many people enjoying their day in the sun at Longleat.

"I'm a huge fan of flying so this is terribly exciting for me I hope we can hold more events of this nature in the future."

Aviation fans paid up to £100 for tickets to the event on the internet auction site eBay, after more than 800,000 people applied through last month's random ballot for tickets to the free event.

Neil Bailey, 38, from Gloucestershire, said he was desperate to see the air race from the moment he saw it on advertised on television.

American-born Audra Stoner, 35, said she was equally impressed with the show and much preferred the thrills of aerobatic racing to motor sports like Formula One.

The day got off to a flying start when British pilots Steve Jones and Paul Bonhomme, better known as the Red Bull Matadors, produced a spectacular display of controlled tandem flying in their light Sukhoi aircrafts.

Crowds gasped in amazement as the two planes hurtled towards each other at speeds of 400mph before pulling up into the clouds in perfect harmony.

The main event was then preceded by a vintage aircraft display and a 1,200ft parachute jump by the Red Bull skydiving team.

The air race itself involved a three-dimensional slalom course in the sky above the rolling hills and through the trees at Longleat.

The 10 pilots competing were required to fly a pre-set course through 11 inflatable 'gates', giant pillars erected across the parkland, executing difficult aerobatic manoeuvres in a race against the clock.

The race was won by former US Top Gun pilot Mike Mangold with the UK's Paul Bonhomme and Steve Jones finishing fifth and sixth respectively.