@robin: re Farnborough 1952, it's a sad coincidence that the organisers' response was to carry on directly after the accident with Neville Duke flying the nuts off a Hunter. That was a very different era, where the WWII mentality prevailed and the RAF was still content to lose a trainee pilot every week in a Meteor.
Again, in a different era, late '60s, I was at Biggin with family being thrilled by the show. The Red Arrows did a vertical dive en-masse where they pulled out at equidistant headings around the compass. One came straight our way - I lost sight of him behind the crowd in front - then in a second roared directly over our heads about 30' up at most. I was just a kid, so that was "normal" to me (if a bit breath-taking), but the adults at large thought it rather close. Could you see that as acceptable today? Don't think so, things have moved on.