Well, Tyabb Airshow has come and gone for another 2 years – and what a great show it was!
The day started out a bit grey and gloomy, at least it was when I arrived at 0700 to open up our hangar and organise our planes. By that time, the airfield was already buzzing with people setting up and preparing for the day. Next to our hangar were Avia Aviation, Cirrus agents for Australia, and main sponsors East Link (motorway) as well as a welcome coffee van.
Next door to us in hangar 10, a P51 Mustang is being restored and although the engine has yet to return from the States after re-building, the Mustang had its cowlings on and really looked the part. To add to the fun, the Mustang Car Club rounded up about a dozen varieties of convertible and coupé Mustang cars to surround the aircraft. They also had a 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine on display – an engine used in the Spitfire and Hurricane WWII fighters, as well as in the P51. Next to it was a Mustang car V8 engine which did look rather small next to its aero-engine companion!
The cloud base was high enough for the flying display to start on time at around 1230 and we were treated to an almost unending procession of wonderful old warbirds, from Sopwith Pup and Snipe, right through to the huge C-17 Globemaster transport, which did a few low-level fly-pasts along the strip. It was quite something to see such a large aircraft over our little airfield.
The finale seemed to have just about every display aircraft in the air at the same time, with lots of aerial explosions and a ‘wall of fire’ to end the show.
There will soon be an official DVD of the show available, so I can’t show off too many photos of the action, but here’s a small selection – click here to go to the gallery. All photos courtesy of Mike Rudd.
Thanks for photos Peter – induces both consolation and chagrin for not be able to get there ! Excellent photography by the way..first class stuff.
I would love to have a flight in a P51 – that is possible at Caboolture in QLD but only at more than $900 for 10 mins ! More than $3000 for a decent 45 min flight..just …too….flipping…much .
Cheers,
AM
Mmmm – expensive. But a Mustang must be worth A$1.5-A$2 million and drinks avgas at the rate of about 300 litres an hour – just cruising.
Yupp…rich man’s toy I fear. I bear no grudge about this, just recognise that it not something I can realistically aspire to..even if I managed to persuade my better half that a P51 is a very good substitute for …say..a house or two.