Leaving trails across the sky at the end of the month will be the Al Ain Aerobatic Show. Not only will it be a superb day out, but an extra-special way to celebrate the National Day weekend.
With the Formula One now a distant memory, Abu Dhabi is looking for the next vehicular-themed event to fill the void. And so the region is trading in its wheels for wings as the Al Ain Aerobatic Show gets ready to ignite flying fever from November 30 to December 2 – and it’s sure to attract thousands of people.
The three days will be full of high-flying events and feats, and with this year’s motto being ‘live every second’, the aviation extravaganza is sure to wow the wannabe pilot in you.
A seven-hour programme awaits you on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, featuring both military and civil aircraft, allowing you to feast your eyes on an assortment of aeroplanes, helicopters and gliders. There’ll even be wingwalkers, facing the perils of a high altitude amble, and to top it all off the world-famous Red Arrows will be streaking across the Al Ain sky with their unforgettable routines.
This year’s show will be a particularly special one, because it will be celebrating its tenth anniversary. The original show in 2003 was the first time an aerobatic display of its nature was put on in the Arabian Gulf, and was enjoyed by 50,000 visitors. Later, in 2006, there were multiple world records set during the show when the World Free Fly Team made what was at the time the largest free-flying formation in the world, with a whopping 70 participants.
Fast-forward to 2011, and the show saw a huge improvement in its number of visitors – 130,000, to be precise. And what will the 2013 edition bring? With it taking place over the National Day weekend, there’s nothing to say it won’t be the best Al Ain Aerobatic Show yet.
Tickets to the show are Dhs40 per day, or Dhs20 for those under the age of 12. But to make the most of your experience, grab yourself a Fly Pass for the incredible value of Dhs125. Not only does it allow you two entry tickets to the air show, but also two entry tickets for the Al Ain Zoo and for Wadi Adventures as well (plus 30 percent off the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club). All in all a top weekend out.
For more information visit www.alainaerobaticshow.com.
The stars of the show
The world’s only aerobatic formation wingwalking team on how they perform their daring mid-air stunts.
‘We perform a very specific, highly-rehearsed flying sequence. However, before each display we have an in depth briefing together in order to discuss the crowd line, timings and weather factors. We are unable to talk to the pilots during the show so we communicate with them using certain hand signals. The pilots communicate with each other using radio communications but as wingwalkers, we have to communicate using hand signals and subtle head movements.’
Heritage Aviation’s Jonathon Whaley on flying the historic Hawker Hunter aeroplane.
‘I enjoy flying her, showing her elegant shape, the contrast between graceful manoeuvres and sheer brute power. Given the airspace, our final manoeuvre is to go vertical from 30 feet until we are just a speck in the sky, all in a few seconds. If I could keep going to outer space, I would.’
The Matadors and their love of the Al Ain Aerobatic Show.
‘What we love to do in our display is all the things that other teams don’t do! We hope to be able to change our show slightly each day. We love the Al Ain Aerobatic Show. We visited twice about nine or ten years ago and enjoyed it tremendously. The scenery as the sun sinks is something I particularly remember. And the lovely weather!’
