Australian International Airshow

With the whiff of avtur in the nostrils and the belt of adrenaline in the veins kids young and old cast their gaze skyward to witness everything from the grace of the solo glider to the roar of the jet.

This year’s aero spectacular, the biggest such event in the southern hemisphere, coinciding as it did with Australia’s centenary celebrations and the 80^th birthday of the RAAF, attracted not only record crowds but also record numbers of exhibitors. In the wake of the recent Australian Defence White Paper and with some notable projects, including FA18 and F111 replacements beginning to poke their heads over the horizon, many of the world’s major players in the aviation game were on hand, keen to woo potential customers. And with Project AIR87, the Australian Army’s requirement for up to 24 attack/reconnaissance helicopters, nearing final selection stage, Eurocopter’s Aussie Tiger and Boeing’s AH64-D Apache Longbow took to Avalon’s airspace with gusto. For many first-time visitors, and indeed even airshow veterans, the sight of rotary-winged aircraft climbing and falling and looping and barrel-rolling with the apparent ease of their fixed-winged cousins was almost too much to comprehend.

Representatives of some of the world’s mighty airforces also dropped in to help their Australian counterpart mark its historic milestone. British Nimrod and Tornado aircraft were a first (and hopefully not last) experience for many, while the Royal Singaporean Airforce added significantly to static displays with an up close and personal look at a KC130 in-air refueling tanker.

New Zealand participation was sadly curtailed, however, following the death of CO 2Sqn RNZAF Sqn-Ldr Murray Neilson in his Skyhawk jet fighter while rehearsing for the airshow near Nowra.

With more than 420 exhibitors showing their wares on site, a record 19 countries sent more than 40 official trade, government or military delegations. More than half of these were headed by ministers of state or military leaders. Asia Pacific representatives of both the civil and military aviation industries were delighted at having one of the world’s most significant airshows on their own back doorstep and took full advantage. China alone sent four high-level missions covering trade science and government interests.

In the skies, American air superiority was appropriately tempered by the host-nation’s airforce and army aviators with a little help from a few of its birthday-party guests.

Military might was not the only attraction, however, with several civil craft gracing the sky. Connie, the venerable transport in Qantas livery, touched a nostalgic chord on her return visit while one of the smallest participants, the Western Australian-designed and built two-seater Eagle 150B sowed the seeds of affordable flight in many romantic hearts.

The Eagle, latest in a proud heritage of Australian-designed aircraft, currently rolling off Australian and Malasian production lines (mostly for the American market) has won several international engineering-design awards. Recent improvements to the model, including a constant-speed propeller, look set to enhance the aircraft’s attractiveness not only to private operators but to the lucrative flying-schools’ market as well.

The Australian Defence Force itself launched a major offensive on Avalon with 2700 sq m of exhibition space showcasing 100 years of Federation set out in prime position at the entrance to the huge airfield facility. Every aircraft type currently in service with the ADF – from the army’s four disparate helicopter types to the RAAF’s newly acquired Hawk lead-in fighter trainer – were also on hand to wow crowds. Even the navy’s newest submarine hunter, the Seasprite, was on display despite not yet being commissioned into service.

While most of the old favorites of previous shows attended, several aircraft of various shapes and sizes put in debut appearances for what, we hope, will not be the last time. Notable first-time visitors included the Concord-lookalike B1-B Lancer bomber from the Kansas Air National Guard on its debut excursion south of the equator was accompanied by the awesome C17 Globemaster heavy-lift transport.

Space restrictions at Avalon prohibited the statically displayed Lancer from getting off the ground but to everyone’s delight and amazement a second airframe flew in from Queensland’s Amberly airbase to demonstrate its slow-speed handling capabilities. Then, with wings swept back it made several high-speed low-level passes before returning to Queensland. The Globemaster’s impressive takeoff and even more spectacular landing capabilities also impressed.