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Held under the patronage of His
Highness Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of UAE Armed Forces,
the annual event - which forms part of the
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Grand Prix series - has become a key fixture on the
world aviation calendar with over 120,000 spectators
flocking to Al Ain International Airport for the five
days of competition.
The show had to be extended by a day due to high winds
causing one day of flying to be cancelled as the
conditions were judged too dangerous, but that didn’t
dampen the enthusiasm of the record crowds and
participants. At stake were the formation titles for jet
and piston aircraft and the Al Ain 2006 Freestyle title
for solo pilots, while stunt flying displays and a
number of world record attempts added to the carnival
atmosphere.
In the team event for jet aircraft, it was the ‘Russian
Knights’ – the aerobatic display team of the
Russian
Air Force – which took the top honours, followed by the
French Breitling Jet team,
with the South African Sasol Tigers team third. In the
competition for piston aircraft, the exhilarating
formations of the Royal Jordanian Falcons edged out the
Mazda Zoom Zoom team from South Africa to take the
title.
The Russian
team, which is based at the Kubinka Air Force base, is
unique among aerobatic display teams for its choice of
aircraft – the 4th generation Su-27 – a heavy fighter,
compared with the sports, trainer aircraft and light
fighters flown by all other teams. The average weight of
the aircraft of the six-plane team totals around 150
tonnes, with the sum of their wingspans amounting to
over 75 metres.
In the solo
category, reigning world champion Jurgis Kairys from
Lithuania won the Al Ain Cup, with last year’s winner
Klaus Schrodt from Germany second, and Zoltan Veres from
Hungary third.
Jurgis
Kairys is
one of the most accomplished pilots on the international
circuit. His interest in flying started as a young boy,
while
watching
planes landing and taking off at an airstrip near his
home in Lithuania. He later became an airframe engineer
and began flying aerobatics at the Kaunas Flying Club.
His talents and determination were obvious, and he soon
became a member of the elite Soviet national team.
His exemplary
engineering and piloting skills were recognised when he
was asked to work with the Sukhoi Design Bureau to
develop the Sukhoi 26, 29 and 31 series of aerobatics
aircraft, which went on to dominate the Unlimited World
Aerobatics Championships.
The Royal
Jordanian Falcons National Aerobatics team was founded
in 1976 at the behest of his Majesty the late King
Hussein Bin Talal and has performed in countries
throughout the world, including the United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, the United States, the
United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and
Holland.
The
four-aircraft team, which is based at Aqaba on the Red
Sea, comprises volunteer pilots from the Jordanian Royal
Air Force who usually fly with the team for a period of
three to four years before returning to their fighter
squadrons.
His Highness
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu
Dhabi Tourism Authority and Chairman of the Higher
Organising Committee of Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2006, said
the event was designed to help develop Abu Dhabi
emirate’s great tourism potential, with the development
of the tourism sector seen as a key driver of the
national economy.
“The FAI World
Grand Prix came to the Middle East for the first time in
2004 and proved to be very appealing for all ages and
nationalities of the public,” he said. “This air show is
the most important event of its kind in the Arabian Gulf
region and the entire Middle East. It has become a
valuable opportunity to show to the world the
wide-ranging prosperity of the United Arab Emirates and
its capability to host the biggest world competitions
and activities with distinguished organisation standards
provided by well-trained and highly responsible national
manpower in a way that highlights the civilized image of
Abu Dhabi emirate and the entire country.”
The UAE Air
Force was well represented at the show, performing
breathtaking displays in the Mirage 2000, Hawk and F-16
aircraft, as well as the Apache attack helicopter. UAE
parachuting champion Nasr Hamoud Al Nayadi jumped into
the Guiness Book of Records by skydiving with the
world’s largest flag – a 15 metre long and 7.5 metre
wide UAE national flag – and then helped set another
record of 54 skydivers performing a simultaneous
freefall, beating the previous record of 53.
British pilot
Will Curtis also set a new world record during the
flying festival by cutting eight outstretched ribbons
with the propeller of his Su-26 aircraft. Flying at a
height of just five metres from the ground, the 39
year-old member of the British Honda Dream Team beat the
previous record of seven ribbons.
Commander of the
UAE Air Force, Major General Khaled bin Abdullah Mubarak
Al Bouaynein, paid tribute to the organizers of the
show, adding that the UAE Air Force’s role included
providing all the technical requirements of the
aircraft, guaranteeing the safety of exhibitors and
spectators, and the direct supervision of all technical
details for the participating teams, in addition to
taking part in the daily aerobatic displays.
“We in the UAE
are proud because the organisation of this great event,
which has a worldwide reputation, has been carried out
with 100% UAE efforts of coordination between all
concerned bodies and providing safety measures for
participants, visitors and aircraft, thanks to the hard
work of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, Abu Dhabi
Tourism Authority and all concerned departments,” he
said.
Major General Al
Bouaynein also revealed that a national aerobatic team
will be created in the UAE in the near future. | 
