What a weekend, what a fantastic time we have all had. This was my first experience of the Sunderland International Airshow and I can safely say we will be there next year.
We went on Saturday with mum and found a great spot on the promenade grass for us all to sit. We packed a picnic and flasks and drinks and had a super afternoon watching all the planes.
Mum took the boys to the beach and they made a volcano and sandcastles and I went down to join them before the tide came in.
Sunderland Airshow i Europe's largest free airshow and all you pay for is parking at the park and ride. Sunderland is such a great place as there are plenty of places to sit and watch and you get great views of the planes pretty much where ever you may be. The programme only cost £3.00 and you really do need one to find out what is on when and it also tells you all about the aircraft and pilots.
The boys loved it, so much so that the boys begged to go back again on the Sunday. So we packed up a picnic again and set off. The weather was colder and more overcast, so I was glad that I packed a blanket for us all to cuddles under. I also took some colouring for the boys for in between the planes.
The highlights of the weekend for us all were the Hawker Hunter, who was called Miss Demeanour on Saturday, she had such a cool paint job and the boys loved her. MadDad really loved the Typhoon, which Mini also declared the best as it was the loudest!
On Sunday Team Breitling were something else, we were in awe of the lady wingwalkers and the Red Arrows put on a fantastic 20 minute display to end the show. They were out of this world and spectacular just doesn't cover it.
The only down side was getting out of the car park and home on Sunday evening. It took 2 hours to goo 100 yards and by this time the boys were very tetchy and tired. We didn't get home till 8.30 and then it was straight to bed for them.
Top tips for next year:
- Arrive early to go round the aircraft on the cliff and look round the stalls.
- Take a beach tent to pitch on the grass area in case of rain.
- Get lost children wrist bands for the boys and agree a meeting area if lost.
- Take buckets, spades, swimwear and towels for the boys.
- Take an extra flask.
- Take colouring etc for the boys.
- Take a good picnic.
- Leave 15 mins before the end, so you can get out of the car park!
