Wings Over Illawarra 2015

[baldrick]

Wings Over Illawarra will be on the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of May. Hopefully the waether will be kinder this year.

Provisional flying program

Saturday 2nd May

RAAF F/A-18 Hornet
C-130 Hercules
RAAF Roulettes
RAN AS350 Squirrel Pairs Display Team
HARS DHC-4 Caribou
Jeff Trappet's CAC CA-18 Mustang
Temora Aviation Museum's Supermarine Spitfire MkVIII
Paul Bennet's Grumman TBF Avenger
Temora Aviation Museum's Lockheed 414 Hudson
Paul Bennet Wolf Pitts Pro Aerobatic Display
Russian Roolettes 3 x Yak52 and 3 x Nanchang
Matt Hall's Extra 300L Aerobatic Display
HARS Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation
Paul Bennet's North American T-28 Trojan
Temora Aviation Museum's CA-13 Boomerang
Paul Bennet Airshows Sky Aces Formation Aerobatics Display
Southern Biplane's Boeing A75N1 Stearman
Paul Bennet's CA-3 MK II Wirraway
Jeff Trappet's CAC CA-27 Sabre Mk.32
Topgun Australia's Jet Provost Mk5a
Combat Dragon's Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
Topgun Australia's L39C Albatross

Sunday 3rd May

C-17 Globemaster III
AP-3C Orion
RAAF Roulettes
RAN AS350 Squirrel Pairs Display Team
HARS Douglas C-47 Dakota
Jeff Trappet's CAC CA-18 Mustang
Temora Aviation Museum's Supermarine Spitfire MkVIII
Paul Bennet's Grumman TBF Avenger
Temora Aviation Museum's Lockheed 414 Hudson
Paul Bennet Wolf Pitts Pro Aerobatic Display
Russian Roolettes 3 x Yak52 and 3 x Nanchang
Matt Hall's Extra 300L Aerobatic Display
HARS Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune
Paul Bennet's North American T-28 Trojan
Temora Aviation Museum's CA-13 Boomerang
Paul Bennet Airshows Sky Aces Formation Aerobatics Display
Southern Biplane's Boeing A75N1 Stearman
Paul Bennet's CA-3 MK II Wirraway
Jeff Trappet's CAC CA-27 Sabre Mk.32
Topgun Australia's Jet Provost Mk5a
Combat Dragon's Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
Topgun Australia's L39C Albatross

Please note while the above aircraft are scheduled to display at Wings Over Illawarra 2015, aircraft are subject to serviceability and last minute operational requirements.

[Mustang51]

Lets hope that todays weather in Sydney is long gone before then......... dogs flying horizontally on chains here right now

[baldrick]

And Gordo and crew stuck at Oakey

[Mustang51]

So they did make it out..... Many grumbles from him when we spoke Friday morning about cloud on the ground at AP. Aunty will not be 'amused'.....

[ErrolC]

It was a test of willpower to NOT try to arrange to drop in on the Sunday on the way to Melbourne for work.

[oesau]

I'll be heading to it to support the Warbirds movement and see a mate who is in one of the displays, but I honestly have to say the restrictions at the show (and most AU ones) is so limiting it's really frustrating watching the displays and it's even more apparent after being at CF 2015 (I get depressed at AU airshows after being back to NZ airshows )

[Mustang51]

You have to remember that this particular show at Albion Park has many, many more restrictions on it than any other in Oz brought about as a result of complaints from one - repeat ONE - very vocal person who wishes the airport closed. That person has badgered the authorities, the RAAF, CASA and every Local Councillor, State Member and Federal Govt Member in the area for years and has tried to get elected to any party that will have her to reach that goal. Fortunately her candidacy has been refused to date but the badgering has had its effect. Each year the restrictions are reduced to allow more actual displays - go figure a flypast straight and level is not a display - and this year there are far more "Handling Displays" there than ever before - and that from the show running sheet in front of me now.

Oz shows do not have the 'close to the crowd' flying that is apparent in NZ although in NZ some of the display pilots take that latitude too far sometimes - Aero manoeuvres directly above the crowd at medium/low level or severely busting the crowd line do nothing but cause the potential of a knee-jeck backlash from the authorities that would achieve nothing but raising the ire of the airshow crowds in NZ. There is certainly a line-of-best-fit between too close and too far and it is down to each airshow to regulate themselves within the rules to provide for a spectacular but safe display. I'm not into the Nanny State at all but neither am I in favour of a warbird on a vertical descent at medium low level coming down straight at the Gold Pass area.

As my dear old dad said to me and it has become a maxim, "Rules were meant for the guidance of the wise and the blind obedience of fools !" but neither is anarchy acceptable.

As far as AP and "Wings" is concerned, each year gets better

[oesau]

Airshow has been cancelled due to the weather...

It is with a very heavy heart that the decision has been made to cancel Wings Over Illawarra 2015.

The record breaking rain during April has made the airport grounds extremely water logged. We did think that if the rain could ease off during this last week we would be able to relocate most of the exhibits and stalls to higher ground. Last night we received another 25mls of rain. This has meant that the airfield is now totally unusable, unsafe and in no state to be able to have general public access safely.
We know that a lot of people have pre-purchased tickets for the event and these tickets will be refunded through Eventopia. The refund process may take a while so I ask you all to please be patient.
Unfortunately it is impossible to postpone an airshow, it must be cancelled. It takes time to obtain the approvals through the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for one particular date. Defence Force assets are applied for 2 years in advance for one particular date. Unfortunately this is the process and as such we can’t just make it another date.
We are so sorry and really wish that this was not the case. We are all devastated.
So much planning, excitement and anticipation has gone into this event, including our hearts and souls. Seems we do not have much luck with weather.
As you can appreciate we have many people to contact and so we would appreciate it if you could try to avoid telephoning us today.
Thank you all in advance for your understanding
Mark and Kerry Bright
Wings Over Illawarra

[Dave Homewood]

Bugger. Sorry to hear that.

[oesau]

I feel for the organisers - this is two years in a row that the weather has impacted the airshow (last year with the wind that heavily restricted a/c type and now with the cancellation of the show altogether). Despite how I feel about the displays at the show (and Mustang51 thanks for your insights) I still would rather have them any day than not.

[Mustang51]

Its such a pity after all the effort involved. It was a very nice and tight display programme with a wide variety of warbirds and military on both days with a wide variety of other static exhibitors. For you on the eatsern side of the ditch, just to put it into perspective ref the weather, my house is about 5km inland from Cronulla beach in The Shire - centre of the known universe - and in 3 days I had 256mm recorded. For the month (and most of that fell between 14th and 30th) I recorded 343.8mm. This is the highest monthly tally recorded by me since I moved to Bangor in 1982... and on the mid north and south coast those falls would have been considerably higher. It goes without saying that this rain is unprecedented and did not only have an effect on the static display areas etc. It would have had a serious effect on the runway sub-base and base materials causing reduction in strength etc. Even had it not rained over the last day or so before the event (and yesterday I recorded another 45.7mm) the prospect of one of the larger HARS or RAAF machines possibly tearing up the runway with catastrophic consequences to the runway and the aircraft could not be allowed. Great but painful decision to call it off and Mark and Kerry should be supported in making that absolutely correct choice.