It is this accessible, aspirational image – a fresh face for Sierra Leone, where international narratives have long centred on child soldiers, British colonial rule and blood diamonds – that has won her millions of likes on social media. She posts regularly, often dancing and engaging directly with her followers.

The Bolton Ramblers has been facilitating accessible walking routes in and around Bolton for more than 50 years.

Part of Britain’s walking charity, The Ramblers Association, Bolton’s branch is led by a small but dedicated team of volunteers.

The group offers a range of walks for all abilities, from midweek and weekend rambles of roughly five miles to much longer hikes locally and further afield.

To discover more about the Bolton Ramblers, The Bolton News attended a two-hour circular walk on Thursday morning (May 14).

We were met by Judith Heale, publicity and information officer, outside Horwich Leisure Centre.

Every Thursday, a walk takes place from there at 10.30am, except for the third Thursday of the month, when a different starting point is used.

Setting off outside Horwich Leisure Centre (Image: NQ)

Judith shared fascinating information about the history of the Bolton Ramblers and the extraordinary volunteers whose drive has kept the group thriving.

The walk leader for the day was Tony Hough, 71, who is also the membership secretary and walks co-ordinator.

Tony from Blackrod has been with the Ramblers for the past 12 years and is a walking encyclopaedia on routes around the area.

He confidently leads the walks and even scouts out the journey beforehand to ensure everything is as it should be.

Tony Hough (Image: NQ)

The midweek walk typically draws around 30 participants, making it a scenic and sociable way to spend the morning.

Once the friendly group had arrived, Tony shared a few welcoming words and reminders about upcoming events before we set off.

The route first took us up to Wilderswood, a small strip of native woodland following a brook that flows down from the moorland above.

It was especially relaxing not having to worry about directions, as Tony led the way.

Despite a brief spell of light rain, the sun soon began to shine and the beauty of Horwich in late spring could be fully appreciated.

Lambs grazing in a nearby field (Image: NQ)

Along the way, we met Sean Lovell, 63, from Smithills.

Sean has been part of the Ramblers for the past three years, joining after working from home left him keen to get out and about.

“It’s been a great way to socialise, with flexibility through the number of different walks on offer,” he said.

“The exercise, connection with nature and social contact are all brilliant for mental health, which is the field I work in.”

As we hiked further up the hill, we were greeted by lambs grazing and even some Huacaya alpacas from Poppywood Alpacas.

On the hills, there were wonderful views of Rivington Pike Tower and a historic trackway buried in the fields, which Tony pointed out.

Rivington Pike Tower (Image: NQ)

We then made our way towards Tigers Clough, a charming woodland featuring the River Douglas, and onwards to the Liverpool Castle replica.

Lord Leverhulme commissioned a replica of Liverpool Castle to be built on his Rivington estate at Lever Park, Tony explained.

Walking by Lower Rivington Reservoir, we chatted with Sue Farrell, 71, from Horwich.

Sue has been on the Bolton Ramblers committee for 18 months but has been walking with the group for years.

She is a walks co-ordinator and occasional walk leader, putting together the programme for the short Sunday walks.

These four-mile walks enable ramblers to explore the network of footpaths around Bolton.

Liverpool Castle replica (Image: NQ)

Winding back round through picturesque woodland and past more sheep, Annie Turner, 68, shared why she joined the Bolton Ramblers.

Annie said: “I lived in Chester for 25 years and walked in Wales a lot with an outdoor group.

“I’ve always loved being outdoors, and when I moved over here I wanted to carry on, so I joined The Ramblers.”

Annie has completed training to become a walks leader and successfully led her first walk.

She is now looking forward to leading her next walk this summer.

Stunning woodland (Image: NQ)

As the ramble drew to a close, and before the group went for a well-deserved drink, Tony shared news of an exciting project he has been working on.

On behalf of the Bolton Ramblers, Tony has put together Our Favourite Local Walks, the group’s first publication.

Featuring experienced walk leaders, the handy A5-sized book includes 11 handpicked walks around Bolton.

“The leaders shared why it’s their favourite walk, points of interest, step-by-step directions and photographs,” said Tony.

Tony guided us along a winding route that had been thoughtfully planned (Image: NQ)

The book has already received a great response from group members, and copies can be obtained directly by emailing boltonramblers@hotmail.co.uk.

For £6.99, all proceeds go back into the Bolton Ramblers.

As well as offering a huge variety of walks, the Bolton Ramblers are also at the heart of helping to maintain local footpaths in the area.

Its footpath liaison officer works with Bolton Council to scrutinise planning applications involving issues with local rights of way.

The Ramblers Association is committed to keeping these routes open and in good condition.

Bluebells set the woodland ablaze (Image: NQ)

To volunteer on the monthly footpath maintenance programme, email boltonramblers@hotmail.co.uk.

To join the Bolton Ramblers, visit the Ramblers Association website at www.ramblers.org.uk and select “Join The Ramblers”, specifying the Bolton Ramblers group.

Visit www.boltonramblers.org.uk for more information.

If you’re looking to make new friends while enjoying the beauty of Bolton’s countryside, we can’t recommend the Bolton Ramblers highly enough.

Good Food Scotland works with housing associations and local charities to open stores in neighbourhoods which often lack regular retail outlets.

Food banks risk becoming “permanent” fixtures in the poorest Scots communities unless investment is made in alternatives like community-run shops, a charity has warned.

Good Food Scotland works with housing associations and local charities to open stores in neighbourhoods which often lack regular retail outlets.

Former Glasgow South West MP Chris Stephens said greater investment was now required in affordable community food models to help prevent families from reaching a “crisis point” in the first place.

The charity already runs nine affordable food spaces in Glasgow and is planning more. A new survey of its 3,000 members found access to affordable food helped them people feel less anxious about food and skip meals less often.

Almost a third of respondents said their use of food banks had reduced or stopped altogether since accessing Good Food Scotland’s affordable food clubs.

Customers typically pay a small monthly fee to sign-up for access to community shops, which offer a range of discounted provisions and household items.

Stephens, chair of Good Food Scotland, said: “Food banks were never meant to become a permanent part of life in communities across Scotland, yet for many families emergency food aid has become normalised.

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“What this survey shows is that there is another way. Investing in affordable community food models can help prevent people reaching crisis point in the first place.

“When nearly a third of members say they have reduced or stopped using food banks, policymakers should pay attention to that. This is about dignity, prevention and long-term community resilience.

“We need to move beyond emergency responses and invest in approaches that give people consistent access to affordable food while connecting them to wider support in their communities.”

Scott McFarlane, director of Good Food Scotland, said: “These findings reflect what staff and volunteers are seeing every day across our affordable food spaces.

“People are coming to us feeling under huge pressure from the cost of living, but what they find is more than affordable food. They find somewhere welcoming, somewhere local and somewhere they can access support without stigma.

“We are seeing people eat more regularly, feel less anxious about food and become more connected to their communities. The fact that so many members are also accessing wider support services shows these spaces are becoming trusted community hubs.

“For many families, having reliable access to affordable food is helping prevent problems from escalating into full crisis.”

Almost 220,000 emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship across Scotland last year, according to figures from the Trussell Trust.

The charity’s community of foodbanks in Scotland are providing the equivalent of 600 food parcels a day – or one parcel every two and a half minutes.

But Trussell eported a 13 per cent drop in the total parcel numbers provided in Scotland compared to the previous year of 2024, largely due to easing inflation – reflecting a slowdown in the rising cost of essentials – alongside fewer people losing their jobs.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rai was just another name among a dozen others who had reason to believe the PGA Championship was theirs for the taking Sunday at tough Aronimink.

There was Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, with 10 majors among them, all ready to seize the moment on a stage that was unfamiliar to Rai.

Justin Thomas was the clubhouse leader for nearly four hours after a 65 before the course turned hard under a hot sun.

What followed was a master class from golf’s newest major champion.

Rai made six birdies over the last 10 holes, taking the lead for good on the 13th and pouring it on with a 70-foot birdie putt across the 17th green that evoked a roar so loud everyone else on the course must have realized it was over.

He closed with a 5-under 65 for a three-shot victory to become the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship.

“To be here is outside my wildest imagination,” Rai said.

Three shots behind as he approached the turn, Rai got back in the game with a 5-wood up the hill and a 40-foot eagle putt. His 40-yard bunker shot was sublime and set up a 6-foot birdie on the 13th hole, the reachable par 4 that moments earlier gobbled up McIlroy and Schauffele.

And then the 31-year-old Rai — who wore Ferrari shirts at junior golf tournaments because he once dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver — hit the gas with a back nine that ranks among the best in major championship history.

The previous two players to go 6 under or better over the final 10 holes of a major were Cameron Smith at St. Andrews when he won the 2022 British Open, and Jack Nicklaus when he won the 1986 Masters.

Rai now takes his place in some exclusive company.

Those chasing him with a better golfing pedigree — even Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid, who also took turns atop the leaderboard while going for their first win — were undone by untimely mistakes or failure to get good looks at birdie.

McIlroy, who closed with a 69, played the par 5s in even for the week and he chopped up the reachable par-4 13th for a bogey. He also glared and softly cursed at a fan who said “USA!” after McIlroy hit a wedge from the rough to the bunker on the par-5 16th. It was an indication McIlroy knew his hopes were all but gone.

Rai, who finished at 9-under 271, is the first player from England with his name on the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919, the second edition of this major and the first after World War I.

Rahm and Smalley tied for second, a big deal for both of them.

Rahm had his best finish in a major since defecting to LIV Golf at the end of 2023. He was slowed by a pair of bogeys on the front nine, and managed only one birdie on the back nine for a 68.

Smalley lost the lead with a messy double bogey on the sixth hole, and his best golf was too late. Rai already had his eye on the Wanamaker Trophy when Smalley made birdie on the 18th for a 70. The runner-up finish gets him in the next four majors, including the Masters.

Thomas made a 16-foot par putt on the final hole to post at 5-under 275, one shot behind as the final group was only in the second fairway. For the longest time, as Aronimink got tougher and the pressure got tighter, it looked like Thomas might have a chance.

Like everything else on this final day, Rai ended those hopes, too.

So concluded a most remarkable week in the Philadelphia suburbs when no one could separate themselves at Aronimink. The 22 players within four shots of the lead going into the final round was a PGA Championship record.

From that pack emerged the 31-year-old Rai, with one PGA Tour title, three on the European tour, and no finishes inside the top 15 at any of the majors.

He might not be well known among casual observers, but he is a star in the eyes of his peers for his humility and gracious personality.

“You won’t find one person on property who’s not happy for him,” McIlroy said.

“Super pumped for him and his team,” Schauffele said. “All-world gentleman, no doubt.”

He wears two gloves, a habit he started as a kid in England to battle the cold winters when he was practicing — and he was always practicing. Even more unusual for Rai is the plastic covers on each iron, a reminder of his roots.

He once said his father sacrificed to buy the nicest golf clubs and then would clean the grooves with baby oil after his son was done playing. Rai has left the iron covers on since then “to remember where I came from and to respect what I have.”

“Anybody that uses head covers in his irons because he coveted his irons when he was a kid so much that he wanted to respect the equipment and to still do it? Yeah, it shows a lot about a person,” Rahm said. “What he did today is nothing short of special.”

Rai had seven straight one-putt greens, the last one a 6-foot birdie putt on the 13th that made him the first player all week to reach 7 under. And then he kept right on going.

Thomas wound up in a for fourth with Ludvig Aberg (69) and Schmid, whose 5-foot par putt on the 18th hole gets him into his first Masters next year. Smith, who didn’t drop a shot until the 17th hole, had a 68 to join McIlroy and Schauffele (69) another shot back.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the third hole and twice missed 3-foot par putts on the back nine in his closing round of 69 to tie for 14th, his first time out of the top 10 at a major since the 2024 U.S. Open.

Rai now has a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, and into the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. He can play the PGA Championship for life.

“Golf is an amazing game,” Rai said. “It teaches you so many things, and it teaches you so much humility and discipline and absolute hard work because nothing is ever given in this game.”

Nothing was given to him Sunday. Rai simply outplayed the strongest field in golf and won it.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

SIR Keir Starmer was yesterday left looking like a political lame duck after a Cabinet minister suggested he may quit rather than fight a Labour leadership bloodbath.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy admitted it would be a “personal decision” whether the PM carries on if a contest is triggered.

Her comments are the clearest sign yet senior Labour figures now believe Sir Keir could walk rather than battle to stay in No10.

Nearly 100 Labour MPs have called for the PM to go or demanded a timetable for his departure.

But the crisis has now shifted from whether he faces a challenge to whether he even wants the fight.

Ms Nandy said Sir Keir had previously shown he was “up for a fight” but repeatedly stressed staying on was ultimately his choice.

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She told the BBC: “It’s a very personal decision for him.

“I haven’t spoken to him this weekend, but I’ve spoken to him several times over the last week, and obviously he’s shown before that he’s up for a fight.”

Ms Nandy pointed to Sir Keir’s victory in the 2020 Labour leadership election, and his success in the 2024 general election, adding: “So I wouldn’t write off the Prime Minister, but I would just say that this is a very personal decision.

“He’s got to make that decision himself.” Her remarks came as rivals circle for the top job.

Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting reignited Labour’s Brexit wars by calling leaving the EU a “catastrophic mistake” and saying Britain should one day rejoin the bloc.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is preparing for a potential return to Parliament through the Makerfield by-election after Labour MP Josh Simons agreed to step aside.

Ms Nandy, who a close ally to Mr Burnham, praised his focus on the cost of living while taking a swipe at Mr Streeting’s Brexit intervention.

Downing Street insisted Sir Keir would still fight any leadership challenge and pointed to the fact nothing had yet been triggered.

A Labour contest is initiated only if 20 per cent of the party back a specific candidate to stand against the leader, which right now equates to 81 MPs.

Xabi Alonso has agreed to take over at Chelsea and will face off against compatriot Mikel Arteta in the Premier League next season

Former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso will do battle with compatriot Mikel Arteta in next season’s Premier League after agreeing to take over at Chelsea. Granit Xhaka is in the rare position of having played under both bosses and has already spoken about the differences between the pair.

Xhaka was part of Arteta’s FA Cup winning squad in 2020, playing the full 90 minutes of a victory over Chelsea at Wembley. He spent seven years in north London before joining Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 and won a domestic double in Germany at the first time of asking.

Arteta and Alonso were both at early stages of their respective coaching careers when they worked with the Swiss midfielder. Even with that context, though, there was a visible difference between the two which was most visible in Alonso’s willingness to be more flexible with his formations.

“Mikel has his philosophy and that’s it,” Xhaka told the PFA in 2024. “You know this always change the sides, the free man, let him jump for example.”

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He continued: “Even to play always with a back four and never change to a back five for example, or never change like a 4-4-2 with two proper strikers. So you had this 4-3-3, with one six and two eights.

“Xabi is a little bit different. I think that Xabi can play a back four, but he can play as well a back five… What he wants is always two number sixes, not running everywhere or more of the time be in the position.

“But I think that if you are a coach you need your own philosophy, your own tactical, your own ideas. Of course you can always change one or two [things] but you can’t change so many things about it you know?”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

The Chelsea job will be Alonso’s first in English football and first since he left Real Madrid just a few months into his three-year contract at the Bernabeu. He has signed a four-year deal with Chelsea, who had interim boss Calum McFarlane in the dugout for their FA Cup final defeat after dismissing Liam Rosenior in April.

“Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club,” the new Blues manager said after his arrival was confirmed. The 44-year-old has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge and will take over on July 1.

“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition,” Alonso continued. “We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.

‘”There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”

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Manchester United have struck a deal for Michael Carrick to continue as manager

It could be a busy week of announcements at Manchester United after Michael Carrick agreed a deal to stay on as permanent manager.

Carrick was brought in for the remainder of the campaign following Ruben Amorim’s January exit and has overseen a marked upturn, with United sealing Champions League qualification with three games to spare. With the managerial situation sorted, many fans’ attention will now turn to the summer transfer window, which could be a busy one at United.

While United have made great strides under Carrick, it’s clear the squad needs to revamp if they are to mount a title challenge next season. Beyond transfers, there is the not-so-small matter of the coaching team to iron out.

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Carrick’s backroom team has included Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, former United player Jonny Evans and goalkeeping coach Craig Mawson, with all four potentially staying on.

Holland spent 11 years as Sir Gareth Southgate’s assistant manager, first with England Under-21s and then the senior team. He has been praised for his work as United’s number two.

Carrick said: “Steve’s been fantastic. He’s got an awful lot of experience and seen pretty much everything before. He’s gone through it in some good times and in some more challenging times.

“He’s a very wise man, Steve, and says things that really are important at the right time. I think just general calmness and composure around for everyone. I think with all the staff, there’s the dynamics of bringing something a little bit different.”

Evans has been another key figure over the last few months. Following his retirement from playing, Evans took up the position of head of loans and pathways at Carrington, but the appointment was short-lived as he stepped back in December, only to return to help Darren Fletcher during his caretaker manager stint.

Carrick subsequently retained him on his coaching staff, praising the Northern Irishman for the work he has done on set-pieces. There are suggestions that a set-piece specialist, like former United coach Andreas Georgson, could be brought in to complement the group, but Evans is set to remain.

Former Leeds and Real Madrid defender Woodgate was hired, having been part of Carrick’s coaching team at Middlesbrough. Carrick likes having Woodgate around because he “challenges and pushes” me.

Mawson, who initially joined United from Burnley in 2019, is the only member of the coaching team left from Amorim’s reign. He was promoted to senior goalkeeping coach following Carrick’s arrival and is likely to be retained in the role. The futures of all four could be confirmed soon.

Elsewhere, it remains to be seen what role Travis Binnion will take up going forward, having been promoted from the under-21s to work with the first team.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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The Woodside viaducts are crumbling – despite tens of millions of pounds being spent on propping them up – and some residents want radical alternatives to be considered.

Glasgow should look to the examples of New York and San Fransisco when it comes to redeveloping a crumbling section of the M8 motorway, a Scottish Labour MSP has said.

Transport chiefs are currently considering what do with the Woodside viaducts – which pass Cowcaddens to the north of the city centre – as the condition of the concrete structures is progressively worsening despite being under constant repair since 2021.

The SNP-led Glasgow City Council last week raised eyebrows after announcing it backed the total demolition of the viaducts and replacing them with a street-level road or “boulevard”.

Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney – a prominent campaigner for improved public transport in the city – told the Record he supports support “a compromise option of replacing the obsolete and ugly viaducts with a more urban boulevard road at surface level”

A final decision on the viaducts rests with Transport Scotland but there is already significant local support for a total rethink of how the motorway interacts with the city centre.

An ongoing programme to temporarily prop-up the viaducts is ongoing but could end up costing taxpayers £152m, with transport chiefs keen to identify a long-term solution.

Sweeney told the Record: “I have been involved in the Replace the M8 project to explore alternatives to the 1970s motorway through the centre of Glasgow for the last four years. I have repeatedly raised the matter with Ministers in Parliament and I also met with Transport Scotland officials at the consultation just before the election.

“I was impressed by their open mindedness about the various options to tackle the complex and expensive problem of the crumbling Woodside viaducts. The structures were actually built higher and wider than is needed, as the planned interchange with the Maryhill motorway along the Forth & Clyde Canal was successfully opposed in the mid-1970s by Labour councillors Vince Cable and John Gray, after a public outcry at the damage caused by the initial phases of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road project.

“Completely removing the trunk road route through central Glasgow would be very difficult to achieve, so I support a compromise option of replacing the obsolete and ugly viaducts with a more urban boulevard road at surface level. It has already been done successfully in San Francisco with the Embarcadero and Octavia Boulevard, as well as in New York City with the new Sheridan Boulevard and replacement of the West Side Elevated Highway.

“As much of the motorway traffic bypasses Glasgow city centre anyway, a large share of it could be redirected from the M80 and M77 round the M73 and M74 with new slip roads, reducing unnecessary traffic flow on a new urban boulevard.”

READ MORE: Scottish Labour MP claims ‘no mood’ among members to force out Anas Sarwar as party leaderREAD MORE: ‘Independence not impossible but Scotland is currently like a bust company’ says Labour donor

The decision in the 1960s to construct a motorway through the heart of Glasgow city centre proved hugely controversial at the time. It led to the wholesale demolition of several residential districts as well as flattening landmark buildings like the Grand Hotel at Charing Cross.

WSP UK, the engineering and professional services firm, was appointed by SNP ministers in January last year to provide technical advice.

A Transport Scotland consultation this spring outlined three options, of which the cheapest was closing that section of the M8 and diverting drivers to the city road network or the M74. This would cost £125 million and take two years to put in place.

Further repairs and reinforcement of the viaducts would take up to three years and cost about £200 million, and replacing the viaducts would take up to four years and cost up to £500 million.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.

The two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, were performing an aerial demonstration when they collided, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The crash was under investigation, Umayam said. Base officials said the crew members were in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.

“Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show.

Planes fell to the ground together

The base announced it was locked down immediately following the crash. The remainder of the air show was canceled.

Videos posted online by spectators showed four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummeted to the ground near the base about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boise.

The EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet with sophisticated electronic warfare systems.

Shane Ogden said he was filming the two jets as they came close together. The video shows the two aircraft appear to make contact and then spin in tandem as the crew members eject and their parachutes open. The planes then fall together, exploding into a fireball upon impact as the crew members drift to the ground nearby.

“I was just filming thinking they were going to split apart and that happened and I filmed the rest,” Ogden said in a text message. He said he left soon after the crash because he did not want to get in the way of emergency responders.

The National Weather Service reported good visibility and winds gusting up to 29 mph (47 kph) around the time of the crash.

Organizers said the air show that includes flying demonstrations and parachute jumps is a celebration of aviation history and a look at modern military capabilities. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron headlined the show both days.

Little room for error

It was remarkable both crews safely ejected, and aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said that may have been possible because of the way the planes collided. They appeared to remain stuck together in midair before falling to Earth. Crews usually don’t have a chance to eject in a midair collision, Guzzetti said.

“It appears to be a pilot issue to me. It doesn’t look like it was a mechanical malfunction,” he added. “Rendezvousing with another airplane in formation flight is challenging, and it has to be done just right to prevent exactly this kind of thing.”

The pilots who perform at air shows are among the best, but there is little room for error, said John Cox, an aviation expert and CEO of Safety Operating Systems.

“Air show flying is demanding. It has very little tolerance,” he said. “The people who do it are very good and it’s a small margin for error. I’m glad everybody was able to get out.”

This year’s Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, when a hang glider pilot died in a crash during an air show performance.

In 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver. The pilot, who was not hurt, was able to steer the plane away from the crowd and eject less than a second before it hit the ground.

The air show industry has been working to improve safety for years at the roughly 200 events held annually in the U.S.

John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, said that there used to be an average of 3.8 deaths a year at U.S. air shows from 1991 to 2006. That number has been steadily improving and since 2017 there have been an average of 1.1 deaths per year, even including a crash in Dallas in 2022 that killed six when two vintage planes collided.

There were no air show deaths in 2025 or 2023, and a spectator hasn’t been killed at an air show in the U.S. since 1952.

“Safety wise we’ve enjoyed really an unprecedented term of few accidents,” Cudahy said.

Investigators may be able to quickly get an idea of what happened in Sunday’s crash because the crews of both planes survived and will be able to tell investigators what they saw and experienced before the collision. The Navy will lead the investigation, so there won’t be as much information shared publicly as in civilian crashes.

The Iran war has led to the cancellation of some air shows this year at bases where military units are flying missions related to the conflict.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana. Associated Press writers Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed. ___

This version has been updates to reflect that International Council of Air Shows President John Cudahy corrected himself to say there were no air show fatalities in 2023, not 2024.