THE reassuring sight of nine or ten Hawk aircraft landing at Bournemouth airport this August will prompt a sigh of relief from all wanting the Air Festival to be a success.

The return of the Red Arrows to Bournemouth for three planned displays will also reassure the 2011 Air Festival team that all is again right with the world.

Again, we’re hearing ‘rumours’ that RAF cutbacks could put the Red Arrows under threat, but these are not new. It takes a lot to keep the mighty Arrows out of our skies and there will be plenty of people looking forward to seeing them again this summer.

But it would be good if the team’s paymasters would nail these rumours for good... and stop us having these all-too-regular scares.

l IT WAS only a matter of a few weeks ago that I stood on my first Sunseeker.

While it was unfortunate that the remarkable vessel wasn’t cutting through the waves at high speed and was actually parked at the company’s Poole boatyard, it was still a thoroughly impressive first encounter.

I was already very aware of the pride that imbues the Sunseeker name, from the Braithwaite family all the way through the workforce, but my short tour offered some very meaningful insights into the incredible workmanship that typifies the brand.

While some scoff at the idea of a £9 million superyacht, you have to feel for those people who had to watch their work go up in flames.