An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows".
Some air shows are held as a business venture or as a trade event where aircraft, avionics and other services are promoted to potential customers. Many air shows are held in support of local, national or military charities. Military air firms often organise air shows at military airfields as a public relations exercise to thank the local community, promote military careers and raise the profile of the military.
Air show "seasons" vary around the world. Whereas the United States enjoys a long season that generally runs from March to November, other areas often have much shorter seasons. The European season usually starts in late April or Early May and is usually over by mid October. The Middle East, Australia and New Zealand hold their events between January and March. However, for many acts the "off season" does not mean a period of inactivity, they use time for maintenance and practice.
The type of displays seen at an event are constrained by a number of factors, including the weather and visibility. Most aviation authorities now publish rules and guidance on minimum display heights and criteria for differing conditions. In addition to the weather, pilots and organizers must also consider local airspace restrictions. Most exhibitors will plan "full," "rolling" and "flat" display for varying weather and airspace conditions.
The types of shows vary greatly. Some are large scale military events with large flying displays and ground exhibitions while others held at small local airstrips can often feature just one or two hours of flying with just a few stalls on the ground. Air Displays can be held during day or night with the latter becoming increasingly popular. Shows don't always take place over airfields; some have been held over the grounds of stately homes or castles and over the sea at coastal resorts.
Contents
1 Attractions 2 Safety 3 Weather 4 Historical air shows 5 Major air shows
1. Attractions
Air racing at an air show in England: the Red Bull Air Race heat held at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire. The aircraft fly singly, and pass between pairs of pylonsBefore the Second World War, air shows were associated with long distance air races, often lasting many days and covering thousands of miles. While the Reno Air Races keep this tradition alive, most air shows today primarily feature a series of aerial demos of short duration.
Most air shows will feature warbirds, aerobatics, and demonstrations of modern military aircraft, and many air shows offer a variety of other aeronautical attractions as well, such as wing-walking, radio-controlled aircraft, water/slurry drops from firefighting aircraft, simulated helicopter rescues and sky diving.
Specialist aerobatic aircraft have powerful piston engines, light weight and big control surfaces, making them capable of very high roll rates and accelerations. A skilled pilot will be able to climb vertically, perform very tight turns, tumble his aircraft end-over-end and perform manoeuvres during loops.
RAAF F-111 performing a dump-and-burn fuel dump at the Australian International AirshowSolo military jet demos, also known as tactical demos, feature one aircraft, usually a strike fighter or an advanced trainer. The demonstration focuses on the capabilities of modern aircraft used in combat operations. The display will usually demonstrate the aircraft's very short (and often very loud) takeoff rolls, fast speeds, slow approach speeds, as well as their ability to quickly make tight turns, to climb quickly, and their ability to be precisely controlled at a large range of speeds. Manoeuvres include aileron rolls, barrel rolls, hesitation rolls, Cuban-8s, tight turns, high-alpha flight, a high-speed pass, double Immelmans, and touch-and-gos. Tactical demos may include simulated bomb drops, sometimes with pyrotechnics on the ground for effect. Aircraft with special characteristics that give them unique capabilities will often display those in their demos; For example, Russian fighters with Thrust vectoring may be used to perform Pugachev's Cobra or the Kulbit, among other difficult manoeuvers that cannot be performed by other aircraft. Similarly, an F-22 pilot may hover his jet in the air with the nose pointed straight up, a Harrier or Osprey pilot may perform a vertical landing or vertical takeoff, etc.
2. Safety
Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, September 14, 2003: U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Captain Christopher Stricklin ejecting from his F-16 after realizing he could not pull up in time from a Split-S and ensuring the aircraft would not crash into spectators. The aircraft was destroyed less than a second later with no loss of life.Air shows present some risk to spectators and aviators. Accidents occur, sometimes with a large loss of life, such as the 1988 disaster at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and the 2002 air show crash at Lviv, Ukraine. Because of these accidents, the various aviation authorities around the world have created set rules and guidance for those running and participating in air displays. Air displays are often monitored by aviation authorities to ensure safe procedures.
Rules govern the distance from the crowds that aircraft must fly. These vary according to the rating of the pilot/crew, the type of aircraft and the way the aircraft is being flown. For instance, slower lighter aircraft are usually allowed closer and lower to the crowd than larger, faster types. Also, a fighter jet flying straight and level will be able to do so closer to the crowd and lower than if it were performing a roll or a loop.
Pilots can get authorisations for differing types of displays (i.e. limbo flying, basic aerobatics to unlimited aerobatics) and to differing minimum base heights above the ground. To gain such authorisations, the pilots will have to demonstrate to an examiner that they can perform to those limits without endangering themselves, ground crew or spectators.
Despite display rules and guidances, accidents have continued to happen. However, air show accidents are rare and where there is proper supervision air shows have impressive safety records. Each year, organisations such as The International Council of Air Shows and The European Airshow Council meet and discuss various subjects including air show safety where accidents are discussed and lessons learnt.
3. Weather
Air shows, and other big shows such as agricultural shows, on grassy land, are vulnerable to continued heavy rain waterlogging the ground, and making the cloudbase too low for flying, forcing cancellation, or the show ending early, costing much money for the show's organizers, as people and parking cars have difficulty moving about and turn the land into a morass, and the organizers may be tempted to put straw or cinders down to make movement easier, and the owner of the land cannot accept the resulting damage.
4. Historical air shows
1909 — The "Internationale Luftschiffahrt-Ausstellung" was first held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany from July 10 to October 17, 1909, later becoming the Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung(ILA) and as such can lay claim to being the oldest aviation show in the world.
1909 — Reims Air Meet in France in August 1909. A key aviator was Glenn Curtiss, who won the Gordon Bennett Cup. This show inspired John Moisant.
1910 — Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field from January 10 to January 20, 1910. Participants included Glenn Curtiss, Charles Hamilton, Lincoln Beachey and Louis Paulhan. The Los Angeles Times called it "one of the greatest public events in the history of the West."
1910 — Harvard-Boston Aero Meet at the Harvard Aviation Field in Atlantic, Massachusetts, from September 3 to September 13, 1910. It was the first major air event in the Eastern United States and offered $90,000 in prizes and appearance fees. Participants included the Wright brothers, the Glenn Curtiss exhibition teams and Claude Grahame-White. This show inspired Harriet Quimby to become the first female pilot in the United States.
1910 — Belmont International Aviation Tournament offered approximately $75,000 in prize money. Participants included Count Jacques de Lesseps, Roland Garros, Claude Grahame-White, Glenn Curtiss, John Moisant, Arch Hoxsey, Ralph Johnstone and Charles Hamilton.
1925–1931 — Ford National Reliability Air Tour offered the Edsel B. Ford Trophy; it was inscribed, "This trophy is offered to encourage the up-building of commercial aviation as a medium of transportation."
5. Major air shows
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Royal International Air Tattoo, EnglandThe world's largest military air show is the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom. The RIAT gathers military aircraft and military display teams from all over the world.
Europe's largest free annual airshow is the Bournemouth Air Festival held on the Bournemouth seafront. It takes place over the course of four days each August and attracted around 1,300,000 spectators last year.
The annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show (Oshkosh, Wisconsin), organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association, is famous for its crowded fly-in of visitors. The air show includes multiple displays as well as talks by influential people in aviation.
Aero India is a biennial air show held in Bangalore, India at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. It was first held in the year 1996 and since then has become one of the largest air shows in the world. In 2009 it had 592 exhibitors from over 25 countries[1] it is the largest air show in Asia.[2]
The closest European equivalent to Oshkosh is Tannkosh, held annually at Tannheim airfield in Germany.
The Southport Airshow is the largest airshow in the North West of England.
The Aerosport Airshow, created in 1993 in Igualada, is the only Spanish airshow dedicated to corporate and sport aircrafts.
The Abbotsford Airshow is Canada's largest airshow.[citation needed]
There are several annual air shows in the United States that display a variety of modern military aircraft, including the Miramar Airshow every October, and Aviation Nation at Nellis AFB every November.
The United States air shows showing warbirds include the Planes of Fame air show held at Chino, California each May. A British equivalent is the Flying Legends air show in Duxford each July.
Two large air and aerospace trade shows are the Paris Air Show (Le Bourget Air Show) in France, held in June on odd-numbered years, and the British Farnborough Airshow held in July on even-numbered years.
Dubai Air Show has been held since 1989 each November on odd-numbered years, after every Paris Air Show.
Asian Aerospace has been held in Singapore since its inception in 1981, until moving to Hong Kong in 2007. The Singapore event was rebranded as the Singapore Airshow in 2008, and is held in February on even-numbered years at the Singapore Changi Exhibition Centre which was the source of the dispute between Asian Aerospace organisers.
The Langkawi International Maritime and Air Show since 1991, is held at Langkawi Island, Malaysia on odd-numbered years.
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster, called Spirit of Freedom, currently operated as a flying museum regarding the Berlin Airlift, at a Lancaster, Ohio air show.The biggest air show and aerospace trade show in Russia is MAKS, held at Zhukovskiy in June.
The world's oldest air show is the Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung (ILA) (Berlin Air Show), in Germany, going back to 1909.
The only air show in West Africa is held in Ghana each year (light aviation) in November hosted by WAASPS
China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition.
Australian International Airshow is held every two years at Avalon Airport.
Warbirds Over Wanaka a military oriented show is held every two years in Wanaka, New Zealand
Latin American best air show, since 1980, is held at Santiago, Chile. FIDAE (Feria Internacional Del Aire y Del Espacio) take place in Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in march every two years.
