The festival usually takes place in late August, over four days including dusk and night air displays with live music.

A number of aircraft have been involved over various displays, including:[37] Supermarine Spitfire Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc PZ865 Hawker Sea Fury T.20 Hispano HA-1112-M4L Buchón 'White 9' P-51D Mustang 'Miss Helen' The P-8 operates in anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles.

It is armed with torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons, can drop and monitor sonobuoys, and can operate in conjunction with other assets, including the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The team was founded in 2005 by Andy Offer, a former leader of the Red Arrows, and Chris Norton, a Royal Air Force wing commander.

[10][41][42] During a demonstration of a jet suit made by Gravity Industries, the pilot, Dr Angelo Grubisic landed in the sea, having only just taken off.

The aircraft suffered a loss of power during the display, causing the pilot, David Barrell, to abort the performance and fly away from the festival site, before ditching into the sea.

[44] During the first day of the 2022 festival, Dorset Police seized three drones after they were flown in restricted airspace.Restricted airspace is governed by the Civilian Aviation Authority (CAA) Air Navigation Order 2016, specifically Article 241 (endangering the safety of any person or property).