TWO thousand feet up and staring face down, plummeting towards the ground, is not how I usually spend a Monday afternoon.

With your heart in your mouth, the blood in your feet and your stomach behind you somewhere along that loop that I've have just performed, this has to be one of the greatest adrenalin rushes going.

I'm at the controls of an Xtra 300 aerobatic display plane with the Ultimate High Top Gun team, set to be the star attraction at one of Hampshire's largest charity summer shows this month.

Capable of spinning round 400 degrees in just one second and pulling forces in excess of ten G, these are among the top high-performance aircraft in the world. Thousands of people are expected to descend on HMS Sultan, in Gosport later this month to catch a glimpse of the display team's spectacular high-flying antics.

Last year more than £30,000 was raised at the weekend show in aid of the Gosport War Memorial Hospital, the Ark animal sanctuary in Stubbington and Rowans Hospice.

Circus entertainers, helicopter rides, the Red Devils parachute display team, Tigers and the Solent Eagles motorcycle display teams, a steam fair and, of course, Ultimate High are among the main attractions expected to pull in crowds in excess of 25,000 over the June 26 and 27 weekend.

Show director First Lt Richard Hanslip said: "The show is unique in that every year we start with a clean sheet, zero money, and have to cover the costs through sponsorship. Every penny we raise once we've covered the costs goes straight to charity."

Meanwhile I'm still pulling stall turns somewhere over the West Sussex coastline near Chichester, on a hot, sunny Monday. Under the watchful eye of my instructor, ex-Red Arrows pilot Andy "Cubes" Cubin - one of 21 instructors at the Goodwood-based flying school - my head is a mixed bag of serene nausea and exhilarated fear.

The control stick is capable of making the plane flip at just the most delicate touch - this is no place for a sneezing fit. We land safely after half an hour in what has to be THE ultimate roller coaster ride.

Tickets for the HMS Sultan Summer Show cost £12 for a family, £5 adult and £2.50 child/OAP on the day. Advance tickets are available at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth this weekend and Gosport and Fareham Tourist offices. Or visit www.sultan.org.uk

For more information about Ultimate High visit www.ultimatehigh.co.uk