Australian International Airshow & Aerospace Expo Set for Success

The airshow will re-emphasise Australia’s pre-eminence as an aerospace leader in the Asia Pacific region and will provide a showcase for the nation’s aerospace firms. The importance of Australia and the region as a whole is emphasised by the number and quality of international trade exhibitors. A total of 250 Australian and international aerospace and related companies are expected to exhibit as part of the Aerospace Expo, utilising 12,500 square meters of exhibition space. (Total area taken up by the Expo alone will be similar in size to a housing estate of 140 average size homes. ) The demand for exhibition space has been quite high despite the poor economic times in the worldwide aviation industry.

Almost all of the world’s major aerospace companies will be represented at the Aerospace Expo. Among them will be Aerospatiale, Aermacchi, Alenia, Airbus Industrie, Bendix/ King, British Aerospace, Cessna, Dassault, Fairchild, General Electric, Gulfstream, Hughes, the Ilyushin Design Bureau, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, Pilatus, Rockwell, Rolls-Royce, Ryder/Aviall, Saab, Sikorsky and United Technologies.

In addition, many more international exhibitors will be represented in national exhibitions. Over 30 US firms will be represented by the US pavilion, while other countries, including Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore will have national presentations. The Expo will also present the opportunity for Australian aerospace firms to display their products and services to the aviation world. Major displays will be held by Aerospace Technologies of Australia, Australian Defence Industries, AWA, BP, BTR Aerospace, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, the Department of Defence, Hawker Pacific, Telecom, BASI, CAA and FAC. in addition, there will also be a major Australian national pavilion.

The Australian Bicentennial Air Show in 1988 attracted 55,000 professional and trade visitors, and organizers confidently predict that the number will be equalled this year.

Further to the exhibitions of major aerospace firms, a Flyers World will contain aviation merchandisers offering every conceivable type of aviation related product. (Australian Aviation will be among those present and will have a complete range of our products available at special airshow prices. Hope to see you there. ) As to be expected, the quantity and quality of aircraft on display will be unrivalled by any airshow yet held in the southern hemisphere. Up to 300 aircraft will be on static display. As has been the case with major airshows throughout the world since the mid eighties, a large Russian, formerly Soviet, presence will be one of the major attractions. Spearheading the Russian charge will be the superlative Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker.

The Flanker is Russia’s premier air superiority fighter, and is the equal of, and in some cases superior to, the F-15 Eagle, which will also be present. A single seat fighter and a two seat conversion trainer will both be present at the show. The Flanker will take part in the flying display and perform its revered Cobra manoeuvre, where the aircraft flicks from horizontal to well past 100° angle of attack while still flying forward, before flicking back to level flight. Almost all who have seen the Flanker perform view it as the most breathtaking aircraft to perform at an airshow.

Supporting the Su-27s will be an Ilyushin Il-78 Midas tanker transport. The Midas is a development of the four engined high wing 11-76 transport and features three point refuelling, using the probe and drogue method.

The An-124 Ruslan, currently the second largest aircraft in the world will be making its second appearance at a major airshow in Australia, following its successful participation in the Bicentennial Air Show. The Ruslan has a maximum take-off weight of an incredible 405,000kg and is powered by four Lotarev turbofans outputting 51,590lb of thrust each. Hope is also held that the Beriev A-40 Albatross twin turbofan engined amphibian will also feature at the show. The Albatross is the only jet engined aircraft currently able to operate from water and has search and rescue and, it is thought, maritime patrol roles.

The Ilyushin Design Bureau has confirmed that it will be bringing its 11-96-300 four engined long range airliner to the event. With maximum payload and reserves, the Ilyushin has a range of 4000nm (7500km) and a range with 15,000kg of revenue payload of 6000nm (11,000km). The II-96 is of potential interest to the regions airlines, particularly in its later westernised form currently under development.

Present also will be a Sukhoi Su-26MX aerobatic aircraft, regarded by many as the finest such aircraft in the world.

The United States military also will be well represented. Aircraft representative of three of the US armed forces which took part in last years Desert Storm operation against Iraq will participate in both the static and flying displays. The US Air Force will be well represented by the F-15 Eagle, long regarded as the world’s best fighter. In service with the Israeli, Saudi, Japanese and US air arms, it has achieved considerable com- bat success as an air superiority fighter, believed to have accounted for more than 70 aircraft without loss. The mighty Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, eight engined strategic bomber will also be present. The veteran bomber has been in service since the fifties and yet is still seen as a potent bomber and maritime strike aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets and a Grumman EA-6B Prowler from the US Marine Corps will also grace the show with their presence. The Hornet is well known of course for its service with the RAAF, while the Prowler was used to great advantage in jamming Iraqi radars during the Gulf War. US Air National Guard tankers and transports will also be present, including a C-5 Galaxy, the third largest aircraft in the world behind the Ruslan.

Almost definitely attending at press time was the Airbus A340 very long range airliner. Airbus obviously view the region, and its long distance from Europe and North America, as having great potential sales for the aircraft. The A340 is very similar in configuration to the I1-96-300 and it will be of great interest to see the two types side by side.

Other aircraft slated to attend include the TBM-700 turboprop, as well as the Jetstream 41 regional airliner and the BAe 1000 long range corporate aircraft from British Aerospace (Airtested elsewhere in this issue). Indonesia’s growing aerospace industry will be well represented by the IPTN/ CASA CN-235 twin engined turboprop regional airliner and transport which is coproduced there. In its military transport form it is a possible replacement for the for the RAAF’s Caribous. The tiny Bede BD-5J Silver Jet, one of the smallest jet aircraft to fly, will be a stark contrast to the enormous Ruslan and Galaxy, while Swiss manufacturer Pilatus will be displaying a full size mockup of the PC-12 fuselage.

A dogfight between an authentic Messerschmitt Bf 109 and a Supermarine Spitfire, which thrilled the crowds at the Wanaka Air Show earlier this year, is set to be a major highlight of the flying display, as will be an aerobatic team flying Harvards. The air component of the ADF will also have a large presence, with a complete range of aircraft participating. Futhermore, the RNZAF will most likely be participating with its ever popular A-4 Skyhawks and Kiwi Blue Skydiving team. The French navy is also hoped to attend.

The full spectrum of Australian registered aircraft will of course be present. Jet warbirds ranging from the RAAF’s Sabre to the now familiar, yet still highly impressive MiGs will participate, as will popular piston engined fighters, trainers, transports and maritime patrol aircraft. Vintage and antique aircraft will also be present en masse. The diversity of Aus- tralian aviation will also be well represented by the variety of sport and recreational flying machines. These will range from nimble aerobatic biplanes to stately hot air balloons, ultra-lights to radio controlled models, homebuilts to gliders.

Airliners from major international, domestic and regional aircraft will be present and on display, as will be the full spectrum of General Aviation types. Aircraft representative of the diverse roles undertaken by police, search and rescue and medical evacuation operations will also be present.

Another major facet of the show will be the large number of conferences held in conjunction with the event (refer box). In all, 11 conferences will be held in connection with the show attracting 2000 delegates. The conferences include Aerospace Asia, the Sir Lawrence Wackett Memorial Lecture, the Regional Air Power Conference, Helicopter Safety Symposium, the Business Aircraft Safety Seminar, the Australian Space Development Conference, the Aviation Security and Aircrash Compensation Conference, the Aviation Law Association Conference and the Automatic Test Equipment Conference. In addition to the Helicopter Safety Symposium, Rotortech ’92 will be held as part of the Airshow, within the Air Expo. The Rotortech ’92 exhibition will be prominently placed to enable discussions between trade and official visitors and exhibitors. Along with the conferences a number of forums will be held at Avalon on each of the trade days. These forums will cover a wide variety of aviation related issues.

The Australian International Airshow and Air Expo will be unique among many major airshows in that it will be held at its own airport. Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ASTA) owned Avalon Airport is an international class equipped airport featuring a full size runway capable of handling the heaviest aircraft in the world. Throughout the course of the event, airshow operations will be uninterrupted by normal traffic allowing greater flexibility not only for the flying display, but for the those flying to the airport as part of the GA flyin. In addition to the existing main and grass runways, two additional grass strips will be prepared especially for the event, meaning that with light winds, all four runways will be able to be used simultaneously. Over 600 hectares will be used for the event with some 400 temporary structures being erected. The static aircraft displays will take up 100 hectares, an area one and half kilometres long and one and half kilometres deep. Placing this into perspective, the area is the equivalent of 1500 residential blocks, the size of a small country town. The display area will be bigger even than that used for Expo ’88.

The International Airshow and Air Expo will also provide the impetus for the establishment of a number of aerospace research and training centres. The airshow will provide the stage to present the new high technology Australian aerospace industry to the world. The first centre established was the Aerospace Industry Training Centre. Currently being established is the Aerospace Structures Co-operative Research Centre, which will capitalise on the country’s leadership in the composites, fatigue and ageing aircraft. The Victorian Government is also planning to establish an Aerospace Education and Research Centre, which will deal with advanced training and research and development.

Organised by AirShows Down Under, The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace Expo will prove to be the largest such event in the southern hemisphere, reinforcing Australia’s prominent position in the rapidly expanding Asia Pacific aerospace region. The quality of exhibitors and the exceptionally high standard, variety and number of aircraft on display will make this event one of the highlights of the international aviation calendar. See you there.