A beautiful cloudless late summer sky provided the perfect backdrop for the Royal Jubilee Battle of Britain Airshow.

Tens of thousands of plane enthusiasts poured into Shoreham airport for the two-day event at the weekend, sponsored by The Argus.

This year the Battle of Britain airshow honoured the Queen during her Golden Jubilee year. She is patron of event organisers the Royal Air Forces Association (Rafa).

The airshow is one of the most popular in the UK with record numbers of spectators each year and increasing numbers of display pilots wanting to show off their talents.

It attracts spectators from a wide spectrum, from flying fanatics, armed with binoculars and step-ladders to ensure they get the best views, to families enjoying the festival atmosphere with a picnic.

The show, which was expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors, appeals to all generations.

Thomas Kemp, five, was visiting from his home in Tangmere, near Chichester, with his family and grandfather, John Chandler, from Worthing.

He donned ear protectors as jets roared across the skies, tipping their wings, rolling and completing complex manoeuvres.

For the youngsters, the trip back in time appeared to be a popular diversion from the speed and noise of 20th and 21st Century fast jets as spectators enjoyed a mock dog- fight by the gentle aerobatics of the First World War biplanes.

They chased each other with Lancing College in the background and smoke poured from the plane's wing-tips as the historic engines feigned a successful hit for the crowds.

A battalion of First World War British soldiers, the Royal Victorian Military Society, in replica uniform stood on the ground and "shot" at the German biplane as the dogfight took to the sky above, as would have happened during the 1914-1918 conflict.

And not only were the aerobatics a display of the mastery of pilots throughout the two-day event but entertainment as well.

An almost silent glider brought the crowd to a stunned silence with its aerobatics and orange plumes of smoke from its wing-tips to the song Sleeping Satellite by Tamsin Archer drifting from loudspeakers.

And once again the tranquillity was broken as the powerful Harriers roared through the skies and into action above, watched by a group of visitors from Princess Marina House in Rustington, a Royal Air Forces Association Benevolent Fund house.

Among the group was Avis Parsons MM (Military Medal), who was only one of six members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during the war to be honoured with the medal.

Mrs Parsons was just 24 when she went to Buckingham Palace in 1941 to receive her commendation from George VI. She had worked with radars in Poling, near Arundel. It was top-secret work and vital to Britain's war effort.

She said: "We were bombed there. About 30 planes dropped about 90 bombs on us."

Mrs Parsons remained at her post despite the onslaught and was honoured with the medal. She has lived at the Rustington home for the past five years. She said: "I was very proud to receive the medal and the work was very interesting but very, very secret. It was very different then to these planes."

Mary Baker, also a resident at the home, said: "We're having a lovely time. I came last year and it really is good."

Mrs Baker's late husband, Wing Commander Alfred Baker, served with the RAF for 35 years. He was mentioned in dispatches during the war. Mrs Baker donated his medals to the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.

The airshow brought together the RAF and the Army and featured planes from throughout aviation history, including Spitfires, Hurricanes, Harriers and Hawks.

There was also the Utterly Butterly wing-walking display, the RAF Falcons Parachute teams and the incredible Danny Dobson, showing his heart-stopping skill at flying under a tap set at 15ft.

Among the guests were actor Warren Mitchell, best known as TV's Alf Garnett, and Ian Lavender, who played Pike in Dad's Army.

The event does more than just entertain, it educates both young and old. The Royal Medical Corps from Keogh Museum in Aldershot joined members of the Royal Sussex Living History Group and the Isle of Wight Rifles Living History Group to recreate a First World War medical post.

They were wearing full First World War uniform, some of it original, including their very own First World War-style moustaches, waxed for the occasion.

John Baines, of the Sussex group, said: "The jodhpurs are original and very hot to wear. When you take them off they stand up on their own they are so thick."

The groups also offer research information to people who want to know about the era.

On a lighter note, the lads from the Home Guard were on hand. The lookalike Dad's Army crew proved a popular attraction for people wanting to get a snap of the crew made famous from the BBC comedy set in the Second World War.

As well as fairground rides, stalls offering flight memorabilia and military attire, there were classic car shows and displays of military vehicles.

Martin and Corinne Cross, from Newhaven, ferried their five children to the event in their American late Fifties Reo M35.

Mr Cross said: "We do all the big military shows and sleep in the back of it.

"We've only had this vehicle for a month and it's quite heavy to drive but I'm happiest when I've got some spanners in my hand."

Last year's airshow raised more than £100,000 for the Rafa Wings Appeal, which was a record amount, and organisers are still counting this year's total.