THE Red Arrows sent pulses racing and drew gasps from packed crowds on the Esplanade and Lyle Hill during their stunning aerial salute to the QE2.

The world-famous RAF team plunged up, down and along the River Clyde, making death-defying swoops and passing within just feet of one another at incredible speeds of up to 400mph.

Their daredevil antics stopped Inverclyde in its tracks as thousands looked to the sky.

The stunt team flew into view at 12.15pm and performed a breathtaking series of acrobatics as hundreds of onlookers crowded onto Lyle Hill in Greenock to get a view of the jets as they performed over the QE2.

Anne Ritchie, from Greenock, said: 'They were just fantastic and it is really special to see them here.

'I have seen them before at the Faslane Open Day but it was good to see them here.' Allana Black, from Greenock, said: 'They fly so close together, you think they are going to crash into each other, but they are just amazing. They are going so fast.' Meanwhile, astonished onlookers young and old, including crowds of excited schoolchildren from St Ninian"s, St Mary"s and a host of other Inverclyde primary schools, lined the Esplanade for the 23-minute display.

Martyn Dobbin, seven, of Campbell Street, said: 'It"s the first time I"ve ever seen the Red Arrows. They were brilliant, especially when they crossed over through the smoke.' His St Mary"s Primary classmates, Jane Howie, eight, of Inverkip Road, and Anna Paris, seven, who lives in Lyle Road, were also fascinated by the audacious air display and skill of the pilots.

Jane said: 'I heard the man commentating saying they were only four feet apart.' During the display, the crowd was able to hear the whoops of the exhilarated pilots as they completed a full range of daring manoeuvres and spectacular formations.

Throughout the awesome airborne show, a commentary explaining the Helix, Chevron, Corkscrew and Famous Five stunts was played to the enthralled audience, while passengers lined the decks of the QE2 as the roaring jets screamed over the ship, sometimes just 100 feet above them.

The spectacle was made all the more incredible when the commentator explained the pilots did not use GPS or computer equipment. Plumes of red, white and blue smoke billowed out from behind the jets and filled the sky as spectators cheered and clapped a spectacular finale - then the pilots roared off into the distance.

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