To be honest, the location for me isn't an issue. I will travel to the ends of the earth for a good airshow....and that is what it is about. What is coming to Avalon this year? we are now 6 weeks out and no major announcements.
In contrast I went to the Temora airshow 18 months ago. They announced the lineup months in advance. It wasn't a big airshow by any means but many will agree it was the best Warbird airshow this country has seen since the early Scone, Mangalore and Albatross airshows, and without a doubt I am going again this year.
You want to make Avalon good, then get some good stuff to attend and perform. Problem solved. No point having F-22's parked on the tarmac. People want to see them perform....thats what an airshow is about.
My ideas;
B-52 - Multiple low passes down the runway, and not 3 miles west. don;t tell me they can't do it...they did it at the Pearce open day last year and was quite impressive.
B-2 - Get them in the air
B-1 - Get it out here and flying
F-15 - previous displays were awesome. It should be booked every year as standard
F-16 - Ditto
F-22 - Get one out here with a display pilot
Tornado - Get one out here on a RAF detachment
Typhoon - Ditto
RAF Herc - Get one out to support Tornado and bring other aircraft (ie Lynx)
Su-30 - Get the indo's involved with a display
Mig-29 - get the indo's involved with a display
F-5 - Ask Singapore to send some
A380 - get QANTAS to bring one and do a display (anyone remember the Q744 display at richmond in the early 90's?)
An124 - repeat display from 91 richmond airshow
Invite a big warbirds contingent and get big formations of warbirds going, you should be able to get at least;
3-4 mustangs
5-10 Trojans
2 Spitfires
Souther Knights would be good.
HARS fleet
Temora fleet.
Mix it up a bit. Start flying at 9 and go thru till 5. have some mustangs in formation with an f-15 or similar. Make it exciting!!!!!
Put the display line on the centreline of the runway and not 1/2 mile away, yes maybe its time CASA got thier head out of their bum and eased restrictions on airshows.
I don;t want to travel all the way to avalon to see aircraft parked on the ground and multiple back to back performances by small unlimted class aircraft. yes Matt Hall is awesome, but not similar performances all day. People are making comparisons to overseas shows and thats good, but the key difference isn;t the crowd....its the airshow performers.
Rant over. I just keep remembering the airshows of the late eighties and early nineties and they were awesome. Even Avalon right up until about 97 was really good.
Last edited by alphacentauri; 10th Jan 2013 at 01:30.