World class pilots from the UK's Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (Red Arrows) wowed crowds of delighted onlookers in Bahrain yesterday (November 10) with their display of air aerobics.

Minutes before the display was set to start, clouds appeared and it was feared the British pilots may have brought the weather with them, but the sun soon came out again and hundreds of people were treated to a 45-minute show.

The nine aircraft were seen flying upside down and splitting off in different directions to make a heart-shape with multi-coloured smoke.

The display was part of a Middle East tour, which will see the experts perform in Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Air Show. It was also part of festivities marking the bicentenary of Bahrain-British relations, which will culminate in Great British Week, starting January 15.

His Majesty King Hamad's Personal Representative Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa patronised the event and watched the display from a special viewing area at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

State Minister for Defence Affairs Lt-Gen Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Transportation Minister and Economic Development Board acting chief executive Kamal Ahmed and British Ambassador Iain Lindsay were present.

"I was delighted to see the world-famous Red Arrows, the RAF Aerobatics team, performing their fantastic high speed display here in Bahrain, as part of their Gulf tour," Lindsay said.

"They are a credit to the RAF and to the UK.  The warm welcome they have received underlines the closeness of the long-standing relationship between the UK and Bahrain as we prepare to mark 200 years of bilateral relations."

The Chelsea Pensioners who are on a visit to Bahrain were also present.

Meanwhile, Bahrain resident Trish Barkley took her visiting sister Margaret Gooderham to watch the show. "They are truly magnificent, it make me feel very proud to be British," she said.

"I've seen them before in the UK, but it doesn't matter how many times you see them, each time they seem more impressive." – TradeArabia News Service