AL AIN// All eyes were on the skies as daredevil pilots performed hair-raising stunts at the tenth annual Al Ain Aerobatic Show.
Deafening roars from overhead aircraft matched the roaring cheers of approval on the ground as four elite military teams, seven aerobatic teams, wing walkers, parachutists and two solo fighter-jet displays took to the skies.
Other spectacular aerial displays included a jet school bus and the famous indigenous Fazza skydiving team.
The celebrations marked the start of the three-day show, coinciding with this year’s National Day celebrations.
“Over the years we have seen many amazing stunts and this year is even more mind-blowing,” said Sultan Al Muhairi, general coordinator of the show.
He said he expected 10,000 visitors over the course of the show.
The Air Force’s Al Fursan aerobatic team was widely recognised as one of the highlights of the event, setting the standard sky-high with new manoeuvres including the horizontal split. The move saw six planes roar towards the stadium before shooting in different directions, leaving plumes of red, green and white – a salute to the flag – billowing behind them.
“I had goose bumps,” said Canadian expatriate Kaarin Greenshields, 43, following the spectacular performance.
She was with her children Jonah, 4, and Joshua, 9, who both declared Al Fursan’s final stunt – creating a red, white and green heat in the sky – as their favourite.
Her husband, Farid Nouisser, 53, said he had taken part in wing walking the day before, describing it as “exhilarating”.
The legendary Red Arrows were among the aerobatic teams performing at the event – their first appearance in the show’s decade-long history.
The team performed stunts including the classic diamond formation, the python – a snake-like formation in the sky – and the carousel, a series of 360-degree turns at speeds of about 800kpm with each turn marked by a different colour of smoke.
Chris Lyndon-Smith, 33 was one of the Red Arrows pilots taking part, whose aerobatic stunts drew gasps from the thousands of visitors.
“It is my first time at Al Ain Aerobatic Show and the atmosphere is really great,” the British pilot said. “The people seem to be really friendly and we just wanted to put on the best show we can for them.
“It is the same what we do here as on the front line, it is just we take it a bit further with the aerobatics.”
The pilot said each member of the team had at least 15,000 hours of flying experience.
The Red Arrows team perform at about 80 air shows each year, he said, and trained for the events by flying about three times every day.
“Everything is very scripted and we train a lot to make sure we put the best show on possible,” Mr Lyndon-Smith said.
The opening day of the show was poignant for Jonathon Waley, 65, the British pilot of solo act Miss Demeanour. The appearance was his final in an air show.
The pilot, who has been flying since 1965, said it was time to retire and he deliberately chose Al Ain for his swansong.
“I just love flying over the desert,” the former Royal Navy pilot said, whose freestyle flights were between. 15metres and 2,700m.
“You have the crowd and then you just have the desert. Somehow, the desert is just great,” Mr Waley said.
The Goodyear Eagles team was one of the closing acts, rounding out the day with a spectacular skydiving stunt which proved to be one of the highlights.
Amy Shaw, 28, was one of two team members who performed a dual inverted skydive during the show. They were each ejected out of two planes during a loop stunt.
“It is like a champagne cork,” said the pilot, Glen Warden, 57.
“It is very exciting,” Ms Shaw said. “It is a pretty unique thing we are doing here.”
Paul Strender, 48, was part of the Jet School bus Indyboys, a static stunt show using what appeared to be an average yellow school bus – with the added benefit of being able to shoot 23m flames from the rear, and the ability to go through 150 gallons of fuel in a quarter of a mile.
“Its pretty cool,” said Mr Strender, a self-confessed adrenalin addict who has broken 28 bones throughout his career.
“We do speeds of about 200mph (320kph) while drag racing behind a plane. It’s a blast.”
Other features of the show, at Al Ain International Airport, included a massive spectator zone, a wide range of aircraft displays, runway demos and a dedicated area for children.
On-the-ground attractions included stilt walkers, jugglers, face painters, pit-lane inspections, meet-the-pilot signing sessions and hot air balloon rides.
The action will continue on Sunday between 11am and 7pm and on Monday, when an Etihad Airways A346 plane will fly over the venue.
jbell@thenational.ae
