Aerospace Foundation Airshows To Aid Industry

Both industry and enthusiasts alike are assured that Richmond ’91 will meet all expectations. From the entertainment standpoint, flying and static displays will highlight both the RAAF’s history and the current military aviation scene with a full range of Australian and foreign military aircraft. Also on show will be the ever popular warbirds and homebuilt, general aviation, airline, vintage and antique aircraft, as well as gliders, models, ultralights and balloons-aircraft from all areas of aviation, to suit all interests.

Industry will be very well catered for, with particular emphasis being placed on the display of products and services. Exhibition villas, gazebos and open sites are all available, and companies are lining up to display their products to both industry representatives and the general public, thereby making their products known to the people that count and also achieving considerable public relations success. Corporate chalets are available for companies which desire such facilities to privately entertain guests, whilst at the other end of the scale will be the AirMarket, described as “the biggest aircraft sales lot in Australia”, and Flyers’ World, which promises to have on sale “everything aeronautical imaginable”. Thus exhibitors will be able to display any number of products, from aircraft to equipment and spares, to books and models.

To attract the maximum number of patrons, admittance charges are being kept to a minimum, having been pegged at $12 for adults and $6 for children and pensioners per day, plus a $6 vehicle parking charge – certainly reasonable charges for a full day’s entertainment at one of the best airshows that one is likely to see this side of the equator, being about the same price as a two hour cinema movie. For those seeking creature comforts, a range of up market entry passes are also available. Good value is the Gold Pass, which for $85 per day (or $225 for three days) provides special parking, gate entry, a reserved grandstand seat and access to the Gold Pass Enclosure with private dining and toilet facilities. The Silver Pass ($55 per day, or $145 for three days) provides parking, entry and reserved grandstand seating. Top of the line must surely be the Private VIP Boxes, which for $2,200 per day for 12 people ($185 per person) will provide the ultimate in airshow comfort.

With very reasonable entry fees and much to see, Richmond should attract a flock of exhibitors and visitors, perhaps even as many as 200,000 over the three days(ABAS attendance was about 250,000).

But Richmond is only the prelude to what is to come. The Air Shows Down Under are a continuing series of airshows, centring around the very promising four-year Australian International Air Show and Aerospace Expo, the first of which will be held at Avalon, West of Melbourne, between 21-25 October 1992. Even more so than Richmond ’91, this airshow aims to optimise the benefits for industry, whilst still providing a spectator spectacular. The event will primarily be a trade oriented airshow, though it has been strategically placed in the week after the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and immediately prior to both the Melbourne Cup and the Adelaide Grand Prix to optimise attendance numbers.

Avalon may well surpass the ABAS. It will feature major industry and military static and flying displays, a GA fly-in and, most importantly, attendance by most of Australia’s industry organisations in the form of conventions and major display exhibitions, as well as a host of international participants. The airshow will be easily accessible, and with expected high attendance figures and participation by companies and organisations already expressing keen interest, should prove the ultimate trade and industry event of its type in Australia. Such is its recognised importance that the embattled Victorian Government has pledged $1. 5m towards the five day show, which the Aerospace Foundation believes “will take its place among the great air shows of the world. ”

And so it should. The Aerospace Foundation is working hard to promote the aerospace industry, and its airshows promise entertainment for enthusiasts and tremendous marketing and public relations potential for the Australian aerospace industry. Both 11-13 October 1991 (Richmond) and 21-25 October 1992 (Avalon) should be marked into your diary now.