WITH Bournemouth Air Festival now just three weeks away, a chance to relive the first five years of the event will soon be yours.

The Daily Echo’s new air festival book, in association with Castle Cameras, hits the shelves on August 19, and will make a cracking souvenir for any flying fan.

The hardback coffee table-style book contains 176 pages in full colour, featuring hundreds of stunning photographs taken by the Daily Echo’s award-winning snappers over the first five years of the event.

It features the highs and lows of each year, with pictures of the planes and the people who were there.

We look back at each event, from the first in 2008 to the latest in 2012.

Pictured are all the favourites of the event so far – the Red Arrows, Vulcan, Miss Demeanour, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and many more.

Miss Demeanour pilot Jonathon Whaley has written the foreword for the book.

He said: “Bournemouth’s show only began in 2008 and it was a brave step to put on a four-day show.

“I can’t help feel that those who took that decision should be looking back with great satisfaction.

“For us display pilots, the site doesn’t get much better. The airfield is close, so even if the weather is not brilliant, we can often still make it to the display – and we’ve had most of the extremes of weather over the past five years.”

* The book will be on sale at book stores and available from the Daily Echo stand during the Air Festival, but to order yours now for just £15.95 (plus £5.85 postage), visit bournemouthecho.co.uk/book and follow the links or call the subscriptions department on 01305 830924 to place your order over the phone, paying by debit/credit card.

* The official Bournemouth Air Festival brochure, sponsored by the Daily Echo, is on sale this week. Priced at £6, which includes a £1 charity donation, a charity wristband and an access code to keep up to date with changes to the flying programme.

This year also sees, for the first time, a golden ticket giveaway, which will see some programme-buyers win money-can’t-buy prizes.

The brochure will be available from Daily Echo offices and the Tourist Information Centre at Westover Road, as well as other stockists around the town.