The first Airshows Down Under Shellharbour will be held at Shellharbour Airport on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd March and is set to be the biggest airshow in NSW.
Previously known as Wings Over Illawarra, the airshow is now run by the AMDA Foundation Ltd, a not-for-profit corporation with 30 years of experience in aviation.
It is the biggest event on the Shellharbour event calendar and is expected to forge Shellharbour’s reputation as an aviation headquarters. Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer says, “Shellharbour will be known as the destination for aviation enthusiasts.”
HARS media officer Ian Badham says a highlight of the show will be the Southern Cross Replica that has “just returned to flying after 21 years of restoration at HARS”.
It has been a huge Australian project to restore the replica of the famous aeroplane, which became the first to cross the Pacific Ocean when Charles Kingsford Smith flew it from Australia to the US in 1928.
The Southern Cross Replica was built in the 1980s, HARS acquired it in 2010 and their mammoth task of restoring it to fly again will come to fruition at the airshow.
There’s much to get excited about, with two big days of events for the public to enjoy. The former RAAF Lockheed Neptune from HARS will return to the skies and there will be plenty of military aircraft demonstrations as well as civil aerobatics displays.
Paul Bennet Airshows will be performing incredible feats, including the heart-thumping “Wolf Pitts Pro Aerobatic Solo.” This is a solo display featuring Paul in “12 minutes of high-energy, engine-screaming precision aerobatics starting at a height of 3500ft down to ground level”.
Paul’s teammate and pilot of 26 years, Glenn Graham, will be showcasing the "manoeuvrability, speed and impressive 420-degree per-second roll rate" of his aircraft (an Edge 540). And if that doesn’t put the wind beneath your wings, Red Bull Air Race World Champion and former Royal Australian Air Force 'Top Gun' fighter pilot Matt Hall along with his Matt Hall Racing teammate Emma McDonald, will also be putting on spectacular aerobatics displays.
New to the show this year is the Yak 110 – a unique flying machine created by combining two Yak 55 aircraft. Having this one-of-a-kind attraction is a real coup. It has been featured at international airshows and is a sight to behold with one extra-long wing that joins the two craft together, two cockpits, two engines and even two tails!
On the ground, there will be classic vehicles on display, rides for the kids and helicopter joy flights.
Justin Giddings, AMDA CEO, says one of the key aspects of the revamped airshow will be the School Careers Day on March 1. This Friday, 1300 students will hear from representatives from the defence force and companies such as Qantas and Boeing, who will be showcasing aviation and the types of careers on offer to the next generation of aviators.
Representatives from the aerospace, aviation and defence industries will be there to inspire students to follow a pathway into Australian aviation.
A full program is available on the website, but schools must register to attend.
Airshows Down Under Shellharbour will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, at Shellharbour Airport, Airport Road, Albion Park Rail. For more details and to view the flying program go to www.airshowsdownundershellharbour.com.au
