Al Ain Air Championship is back in style
Military, civilian teams compete as visitors get to vote for their champion
Abu Dhabi: The Al Ain Air Championship’s full programme, which will take place from December 17 to 19, was announced by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) this week.
The format of the event has been changed from an airshow to a championship for 2015 to add more excitement. The championship will witness four military and seven civilian teams compete against each other as they perform thrilling daredevil stunts in order to win the title Grand Champion.
In order to keep things fresh, as well as encourage audience participation and inspire teams to push the limits in their flying routines, a new voting system has been introduced whereby fans can vote for their favourite performer.
The teams will be scored by a panel of four expert judges and that accounts for 65 per cent of the total score. Fans will also be able to vote using a mobile phone app, accounting for the remaining 35 per cent of each team’s score.
The military teams include; Fursan Al Emarat, UAE Air Force F16 & Mirage, Bahrain Air Force and the Saudi Hawkes from Saudi Arabia while the civilian teams include Breitling Wingwalkers (UK), Gilder FX Aerobatics (UK), Misty Blues Skydiving (USA), Belgian Broncos (Belgium), Bravo 3 Repsol team (Spain), Artur Keilak (Poland) and Richard Goodwin (UK).
Gulf News was invited to an exclusive event at the Al Ain International Airport, home of the Championship, to meet the teams prior to the weekend and get a preview of what is in store for spectators.
The teams were busy practising their routines and training around the gigantic airport grounds while Richard Goodwin practised his aerobatic routines, effortlessly twisting and turning his plane, doing hoops and creating patterns with smoke.
The Breitling Wingwalkers, the world’s only aerobatic formation wing-walking team, showed off their planes and gave a tour and a demo on land. Their thrilling routine involves the girls who do the wing-walking undoing the belt that holds them on top of the plane reaching out and getting down into the cockpit.
The Fursan Al Emarat team’s seven planes will be used in their performance and are expected to put on a special show for the home crowd.
Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Al Obaidli, the team leader said: “The Fursan Al Emarat team represents the entire nation of the UAE. As part of the Air Force, our mission is to do the nation proud while engaging and exciting people with our stunts. We are thrilled to be part of the Al Ain Air Championship and are excited to see the other acts from around the world. It is an event not to be missed for aviation enthusiasts and families alike.”
Also attending the event was Sultan Al Daheri, acting executive director of the Tourism Sector at TCA Abu Dhabi, who provided an overview of the weekend. He also highlighted some of the other additions to the 2015 event which include, extended opening hours, music entertainment and a gastronomic feast.
Al Daheri went on to say that organisers had worked closely with hotels and attractions in Al Ain to ensure visitors who wanted to spend the weekend in the city could benefit from discounts and packages. Around 45,000 people are expected to attend the three day event.
Other scheduled activities happening in between the aerobatic displays include musical performances, drifting showcases, daredevil motorcycle displays and Paramotor demos.
Tickets for the event can be bought online, from selected shops across the UAE or at the venue, starting at Dh30. For more information on the event visit www.alainairchampionship.ae
