Royal International Air Tattoo: The exclusive ticket that's attracting global plane spotters to UK
ITV West Country's Ken Goodwin went to meet some of the aviation enthusiasts
The Royal International Air Tattoo will see thousands of people rush to Gloucestershire to hear the roar of jet engines.
But perhaps there are none so excited than the group of plane spotters who were ready and waiting at the gates of RAF Fairford at 4am on the morning of Wednesday 17 July.
The select few had managed to get their hands on the exclusive "Park and View" tickets to watch as 250 aircraft started landing ahead of the show.
They included people from all around the world - including Chinlin Kwek, from Singapore.
He told ITV News he has been going to the event for around seven years. We might have caught up with him early in the morning, but he'd already had a long day.
"Thirteen hours by plane to Heathrow. Another one hour by train to Swindon. Then 45 minutes to get here," he said.
Some say tickets to the Park and View zone are some of the hardest in the world to come by, selling out faster than Glastonbury tickets as plane spotters try to get the best seat in the house.
A group of spotters from the Netherlands managed to secure a spot right at the front of the viewing point.
"When you get to the front, you can see everything clearly and you can make the best pictures, and that's the goal," one said.
And the enthusiasts are well prepared for a day of plane spotting - bringing plenty of home comforts with them.
"We've got umbrellas, we've got our cool-box, we've got everything... Food, drink, everything - sweets, most importantly.
"We literally cover all scenarios. All weathers, because Fairford does have all types of different weather. You never know, you wake up one day and it could be sunny but the next it could be hailstones and thunder and lightning."
It is not long before the sight of planes like the C17 from the Canadian Airforce or the Saudi Arabian C130 Hercules got their cameras clicking.
For these plane spotters, the event provides a chance to get up close to the aircraft and secure some superb shots of them.
"I like the Hercules," said one spotter. "Anything that's military is good; that's why we are all here."
And, of course, the sound of the engines is a big draw for many.
One woman told ITV News: "It just pumps blood through your system. It gets the adrenaline going.
"I like the jets, the Tornados, F16s, F35s. A bit noisy. But I like that."
The Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest military air show and will run from Friday 19 July to Sunday 21 July this year.
Around 150,000 spectators are expected to visit the event over the course of the weekend.