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By Ben Smalley


  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.

   

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