Al Ain gears up for Air Championship

Al Ain’s annual air show returns this weekend with the 2015 edition revamped with a new format.

The UK’s Breitling Wingwalkers will be among teams competing for the championship trophy. Courtesy Al Ain Air Championship

AL AIN // Lt Col Mousa Al Afifi of the Saudi Hawks air display team says when they take to the skies above Al Ain this weekend the audience will be in for a thrilling experience.

“It’s the dream of many to be a pilot,” he said.

“Being a stunt pilot is not like flying any other type of aircraft, it’s performing to the max, to the limits. You get this adrenalin rush every time and you become an adrenalin junkie.”

For the Al Ain Air Championship he said his team had put together a routine that would include 23 manoeuvres in 25 minutes.

He said in the first part of the routine the team will zip around the skies above the audience, performing stunts that will expose the pilots to G-forces between 4 and 5, with more complex manoeuvres of up to 7G in the second half.

“We’re not just looking at the competition, we would love for the audience to have a good time and enjoy our show. We’ll try to keep them impressed,” he said.

“If a kid lets his ice cream melt because he was watching the show, what more could you want?”

Al Ain’s annual air show returns this weekend with a new format.

The event, now expected to be held every two years, takes on a competitive dimension featuring teams from around the world, including Al Fursan, the aerobatic team of the UAE Air Force.

The squadron’s seven aircraft will be emblazoned with the red, black, white and green of the UAE flag, making it easy for the audience to root for the home team.

Teams include Spain’s Bravo 3 Repsol and Poland’s Artur Keilak, and the all-female Misty Blues Skydiving team from the US – part of an eight-team line-up vying for the championship trophy.

Displays will also be put on by the UAE Air Force’s F16 and Mirage military jets, and Bahrain air force F16s.

Also on hand will be the UK’s Breitling Wingwalkers, whose aerial exploits include two female athletes attached to a post above the wings of two 1940s Boeing Stearmans.

As the 450-horsepower planes reach speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, the two athletes will perform acrobatic manoeuvres, such as handstands.

“The planes do aerobatic manoeuvres such as loops and rolls, but with the girls up top,” said team engineer Matthew Boddington.

Each team’s performance will be graded by four judges, who will award points based on power, grace, national pride and wow factor. Fans will also have the opportunity to vote using a mobile phone app, which will count towards 35 per cent of each team’s score.

Sultan Al Dhaheri, acting executive director of the tourism sector at TCA Abu Dhabi, expects this year’s event, which has operated as an air show since 2003, to be a hit with spectators.

“The idea of changing from an air show to a championship is to have more engagement and interaction with the visitors and the community, so they’re part of the selection process,” he said.

Also on offer will be motorsport demonstrations and a 60,000-square metre village with food vans, displays and interactive exhibits.

Mr Al Dhaheri said Al Ain’s tourism and hospitality sector was looking to use the event to promote the city. Organisers were expecting 45,000 visitors at the event, which runs from tomorrow until Saturday, from 11am to 9pm, with aerial exhibitions ending before sunset.