Alan Lindley, of Higher Contour Road, Kingswear, writes:

I was totally bemused by what happened with Friday’s regatta air displays.

As I came down Slappers Hill into Kingswear bringing my wife home from work, we saw a duet of prop planes throwing themselves around the sky.

I live at the far end of Kingswear, some 1,000 metres as the crow flies from the spectators in Dartmouth waiting on the embankment.

Due to the tragic accident in Shoreham I was not expecting much, only to be surprised when the Hurricane and Spitfire flew over my house and then gave an accomplished display.

If I had been waiting in Dartmouth, however, I would have been furious, as the display would have been beyond sensible viewing, namely in excess of 1,000 metres away.

Both aircraft are small and the display was meant to show the public what they were like. If anyone went to Duxford in Essex to the famous aircraft museum and the displays were as much as 20 metres away there would be serious complaints, yet flying 1,000 metres away is deemed acceptable.

As a minor point, the flying that took place still displayed over houses, so it would appear that, should something go wrong, killing a few is acceptable.

I am reluctant to comment on the pathetic flypast of the Red Arrows as I don’t know the reason given; however, if it was a restriction due to the accident in Shoreham then the world has gone bonkers. The Red Arrows are military war machines that undergo rigorous maintenance and safety checks, so why would they not be permitted to display fully, yet the memorial flight was, albeit at a ridiculous distance from the main spectators?

The Red Arrows have displayed further and further away from Dartmouth over the years, to the point where the thrill of watching has gone.

If this is the future of air displays, then I would suggest that the Dartmouth Regatta Committee, which does a magnificent job, seriously considers some other type of major attraction if it feels one is necessary. Maybe it’s time to return to the real meaning of a regatta, or will someone, somewhere deem it ‘too risky’?

Unfortunately I was unable to see Saturday’s displays as I had to work.

On a brighter note, my wife and I both thought the fireworks were magnificent.