A spot of bad weather and a looming economic recession did nothing to dampen spirits at the Australian International Airshow held at the Avalon airport near Melbourne, Victoria, from March 10th-15^th this year. Commonly referred to as the Avalon Airshow, it has grown into one of the largest aviation expositions in the southern hemisphere since its inception in 1992. 

            2009 marked the final displays at Avalon of two of the Royal Australian Air Force’s most venerable aircraft. Both the F-111 Aardvark and DHC-4 Caribou will be out of service with the RAAF by the time the next air show is held in 2011.  The F-111 is due to replaced by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet until the F-35 JSF comes into service around 2015, yet there is much controversy as the whether this aircraft will be able to fill the F-111’s long range strike role.  The F-111 is always a favourite at Avalon, performing its trademark ‘Dump and Burn’, along with simulated attacks on the airfield.  The retirement of the Caribou leaves many communities on small South Pacific Islands unreachable by conventional aircraft until its replacement comes into service (either the Lockheed /Alenia C-27J or CASA CN-295M).  Showing off its extreme STOL abilities and low speed handling, the Caribou puts on a captivating display.  These aircraft will be sorely missed from Australian skies.

            The Australian Defence Force has always been a major contributor to Avalon, using the air show as a large scale recruitment exercise.  Much of its hardware was on display this year, with the unfortunate exception of the new MRH-90 and Tiger ARH helicopters.  The RAAF F/A-18A Hornet performed four-ship formation and high energy solo routines, and contributed to the ‘Role Demo’ simulated Airfield Attack in combination with two OH-58 Kiowa’s and three S-70-A9 Blackhawk helicopters inserting ADF Commandos.  The C-130H Hercules was put through its paces performing an impressive ‘Khe-Sanh’ hostile perimeter approach and STOL displays.  The RAAF’s new Boeing C-17A Globemaster and C-130J Hercules were on static display, providing a glimpse into the future of the ADF’s airlift capability.  A pair of Royal Australian Navy AS350 Squirrel helicopters wowed the crowd with extremely close formation and handling displays, their blades literally a few meters apart.  The Australian Army also had a substantial presence with a large amount of equipment on static display.

            The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society brought its Lockheed Super Constellation, affectionately known as ‘Connie’, back to Avalon this year.  Currently the only Super Constellation flying today, her gracious lines and roaring engines remain a highlight of the show for all who had the privilege of seeing her fly.

In the aftermath of the tragic bushfire disasters in Victoria, the volunteer fire-fighters of the Country Fire Authority have become local heroes.  A parade given by the CFA, which displayed its ground and air assets including its helicopters, received a standing ovation from a grateful crowd.  The famous CH-54 ‘Elvis’ Fire-fighter performed a water drop along with a Sikorsky S-61 from Canada and a Bell AB412.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force sent one of its heavily modified and recently upgraded Boeing 757 aircraft this year.  Its steep full power take-off and ‘wing-over’ are special to witness.  This display proved to be one of the highlights for many – after all, it’s uncommon to see what is essentially an off the shelf airliner thrown about the sky at such low altitude.  Not manoeuvres you are likely to see a commercial airliner perform.

The ‘Friday Night Alight’ is one of the most unique features of the Avalon Airshow, where the displays continue until 9.30 PM, well into darkness.  This allows for an entirely different kind of display.  The F-111 and F/A-18A’s are impressive to watch take-off at night, as is the full-power taxi runs by ‘Connie’ and simulated night attacks by the F-111 and F/A-18A’s. The night concluded with a moving tribute to the victims of the bushfire disasters and minute of silence prior to Tony Finlay’s finale fireworks display.

Unfortunately, some extreme wind and rain interrupted the morning of the Saturday of the show, but once weather conditions permitted, the new Qantas Airbus A380 launched into its much anticipated display.  Apart from its shear size, what is remarkable about this aircraft is its surprisingly low noise and high manoeuvrability. This particular aircraft was named after pioneering Australian aviator Nancy Bird Walton, which was fitting given her recent and tragic passing. There was an interesting size comparison to be made against the Virgin Blue Boeing 777 which was parked in the static display with the A380.

The USAF has always been an important supporter of the Avalon Airshow, and they delivered this year too.  While the B-1B has attended in previous years, this was the first time it provided a flying display at Avalon, and its take off and high speed passes were indeed impressive.  The F-16C and C-17 also gave flying displays, while a C-5B Galaxy, KC-135 Tanker and F-15C were on show in the static display.  The USN sent two Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets, flown in an exhilarating fashion by test pilot Ricardo Traven, who also performed at the previous Avalon Air show in 2007.  An interesting addition to the static display was a civilian air-to-air refuelling tanker, the Omega DC-10.

            Avalon was lucky enough to have some of most talented and entertaining flyers from all over the globe on the bill this year, performing jaw-dropping manoeuvres that seemed to defy the laws of physics (and sanity).  Highlights included world aerobatic champion pilot Nikolay Timofeev and his Sukhoi Su26, Bob Carlton and his Salto Jet Powered Glider and Chris Sperou and his Pitts Super Stinker.  Kent Pietsch in his Interstate Cadet was probably the most entertaining of the performers.  His display is modelled on the old-school ‘Barnstormers’ of the 1930’s, and included pieces of his aircraft falling off in-flight (including an Aileron!), his wing scrapping along the runway, and landing his plane on the back of a moving truck.

            While there was some consternation about the almost identical line up of aircraft as the 2007 airshow, and some horrendous weather conditions on the main public days, the event was an obvious success.  Over 165,000 people attended the Avalon Airshow during the week, with millions of dollars worth of business conducted at the trade expo.  The expo was attended by 61 international delegations from 25 countries, 42 overseas military missions, and thousands of industry patrons, while the Careers and Skills forums were attended by over 500 aerospace students and 600 high-school students.  Considering the current global economic crisis, the expo was considered a success beyond all expectations.

According to the airshow organisers, Airshows Downunder, the next event in 2011 is shaping up to be even bigger and better.  Although it will sadly lack the presence of the F-111 and Caribou, we may have the Super Hornet flying in RAAF colours and a greater variety of Aircraft from around the world to look forward to.