Thunderbirds are go for Townsville
JESSICA JOHNSTON
May 7th, 2009
THE largest air show in Australia will be held in Towns ville this year after the promised spectacular event was given final approval.
An array of of military aircraft will perform along the full length of The Strand during the extravaganza on September 26.
The program was yesterday given the green-light after Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon threw his support behind the show.
Townsville City Council events and protocol manager Tom Aubrey predicted huge crowds would flock to the Strand for the show.
"We are expecting to see the biggest air show in Australia this year,'' he said.
"It should be a fantastic day, the last time we did something similar was the Centenary of Federation in 2001, and we had 60,000-70,000 people on the Strand for that.
"They are usually held at Amberley, now Northern Australian will host the only one this year."
It is understood that the world's leading formation flying team, the USAF Thunderbirds, will headline the festival. F-111s are expected to perform a `dump and burn' in their last air show ever, while Caribous will also take to the sky for their last public performance.
Other confirmed aircraft include F/A-18 Hornets, C-17 Globemaster, C130-J Hercules, AP-3C Orion, Sikorsky S-76 Series Helicopters, vintage WWII aircraft and other army helicopters.
A static aircraft display will be held at RAAF Base Townsville the following day, giving fans a chance to inspect the aircraft close up.
Townsville Mayor Les Tyrell said the city was cementing a reputation for attracting world-class events.
The Troy Dunn International bull-riding competition will be held this month, before the city gears up for a jam-packed July, with the National Superboat Series, inaugural V8 Supercars race and Festival of Chamber Music all scheduled.
International cricket and NQ Fury home games will add to the excitement, before the sky lights up during the September air show.
Mr Fitzgibbon said he had approved the Townsville event despite slashing the use of military aircraft for entertainment.
"I want to always be sure that when we are spending big money sending expensive capability into all sorts of community events, including football games for example, that tax-payers are getting value for money."
Mr Fitzgibbon said the valuable exposure during the Townsville air show would provide a recruitment opportunity for the Defence Force.