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Air Show

What’s hot (or cool) at this year’s Paris Air Show

The 50th International Paris Air Show started on Monday and will run until Sunday, but both Bloomberg Television and the Wall Street Journal have already profiled what’s hot or cool at this year’s air show.

To begin with, Andrea Hildenbrand, the co-founder and head of marketing & sales at Sensefly, appeared on Bloomberg Television’s “The Pulse” to talk about her company’s drones or UAVs:

Meanwhile, a French aerospace firm is developing a drone that could fly people and cargo across the ocean, powered only by the sun:

In addition, Igor Pasternak, the founder of air-cargo transportation company Aeros Corp., also talked about his company’s plans to create a market for helium-filled cargo airships:

Finally, the Wall Street Journal profiled some of the array of future cockpit designs that were unveiled at the Paris Air Show which allow pilots to control aircraft by tapping or swiping one of the many touch-screen pads that fill the cockpit:

AeroExpo UK, the UK’s festival of aviation, starts on Friday

AeroExpo UK, the UK’s festival of aviation at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire will start on Friday and continue until the end of the weekend. The expo will showcase everything from aircraft to the latest products, services and seminars for pilots or would be pilots. In fact, there will be three hangars of dedicated exhibition display areas with over 170 international exhibitors. So if you are thinking of buying an aircraft or aviation related products or services or if you aren’t yet a pilot but are interested in learning about flight lessons, this is the place to do it.

Dates and Opening Hours

Friday – 31st May 2013: 10:00 – 17:00

Saturday – 1st June 2013: 10:00 – 17:00

Sunday – 2nd June 2013: 10:00 – 16:00

Show Entry

1 Day Entry: £15 / £10 (Online Price)

2 Day Entry: £20 / £15 (Online Price)

3 Day Entry: £25 / £20 (Online Price)

Book online & save £5 off any ticket while children under 15 get in free with an accompanying adult.

For direction on how to fly, drive or take public transportation to the AeroExpo UK, click here.

Saying goodbye to military flyovers in the USA

NBC in the states is reporting that military flyovers at American sporting events are about to become a thing of the past thanks to the “sequester” budget cuts with a March 10 flyover at the NASCAR races in Las Vegas being the last one scheduled:

As you can imagine, the video segment posted on Yahoo! sports about cutting military flyovers has attracted a number of entertaining comments (more than 4,000 and counting), with some of the most popular comments right now being:

And yet we will send $1 billion and new F16s to Egypt, a country that hates us. Idiotic.

And:

Gosh, how many years did it take the brain child’s in DC to figure this out. Now, time to cut back on all the wasted "flyovers" of Air Force 1 too.

And:

What’s next? Ending the Space Shuttle Program? Oh … wait. At least we will always keep minting pennies which cost the govt 2 cents to make.

So it looks like Americans will have to travel to Britain to see military flyovers at special British events!

The Autumn Air Show at IWM Duxford is coming this weekend

The last air show of the season for Britain will be the Imperial War Museum’s (IWM) Autumn Air Show this coming Sunday ( October 14) at Duxford with a number of “thrilling” displays to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Merlin-engine Mustang. That first flight was a pivotal moment in aviation history that began thanks to events at RAF Duxford.

The story there begins during World War II when the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) was based at RAF Duxford where it provided technical intelligence to the RAF, developed operational tactics and tested captured enemy aircraft. Wing Commander Ian Campbell-Orde, Commanding Officer of the AFDU at RAF Duxford, had called Ronnie Harker, a Rolls-Royce service-liaison pilot, to start the sequence of events leading to the Mustang aircraft and the Rolls-Royce engine being combined.

Harker was offered the chance to fly one of the new Allison-engine Mustangs that had recently arrived at RAF Duxford (which he did on April 30, 1942) and he was impressed with its maneuverability, speed and agility but he also thought that combining it with Merlin 61 would lead to even more outstanding results.

Ultimately and after subsequent visits by Rolls-Royce personnel and coordination with the American Embassy, North American Aviation (the aircraft manufacturer making the Mustang) and the Air Ministry, the first aircraft was assigned for conversion and the rest is history.

With that in mind, a major highlight of the IWM Duxford air show will be a display by P-51Mustang Ferocious Frankie alongside Spitfire IX from the Old Flying Machine Company – aircraft equipped with the Merlin engines. Also flying will be North American TF-51 Mustang Miss Velma from The Fighter Collection.

Displays worth highlighting will include the Black Cats Lynx Pair from 702 Naval Air Squadron, RNAS Yeovilton, the Apache helicopter from the Army Air Corps at RAF Wattisham, BAE Systems Hawk from 208 Squadron at RAF Valley, Shorts Tucano from the Central Flying School Flight at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Beechcraft King Air from 45 Squadron at RAF Cranwell and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Douglas DC-3 Dakota. In addition, there will also be displays by B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B, North American F-86 Sabre, two Spitfires, two Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and a Goodyear Corsair.

IWM Duxford will be open from 8 am to 6 pm with the flying display scheduled to start at 1.30 pm and finish at around 4.30 pm. For more information, call 01223 499353 or visit the Imperial War Museum’s website here. However, advance ticket booking is now closed but tickets will be available on the day of the event (Click here for the prices). There is also an Air Show app with the latest information plus a library of over 100 aircraft that can be downloaded here.

Vulcan and other rare aircraft set to appear at this weekend’s Victory Show

The Victory Show at Foxlands Farm (Cosby) will be held this weekend and on Sunday (weather permitting of course), visitors will be able to see the XH558, the world’s last flying Vulcan and a symbol of British aviation during the Cold War, take to the skies. This will be the first Vulcan appearance at the show in three years and is intended to mark the 60th anniversary of the first Vulcan flight and the 30th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict – the last time the Vulcan bombers saw action.

The Victory Show itself will run all weekend and there will be plenty to see and enjoy for the whole family on the 100 acre site – including over 50 authentic Second World War re-enactment displays along with more that 200 military vehicles plus (for the kids) there will be tank rides, miniature steam train rides, model aircraft and a model boating lake.

However and besides the Vulcan, aviation buffs will enjoy an air show featuring two Spitfires, a Hurricane, three P-51 Mustangs, two P-40 Warhawks, a C-47 Dakota and plenty of other classic aircraft.