UAE | Leisure
Elite stunt pilots to compete at air show
First aero GP of the region will showcase ground-skimming pylon racing.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:35 January 5, 2009
- Aero GP is considered the ultimate multi-discipline aerial racing series that will be the main attraction of the air show.
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
Al Ain: Six elite stunt pilots will perform in the Al Ain Aerobatic Show to mark 100 years of air racing and will compete in the Aero GP being held for the first time in the Middle East this month.
Aero GP is considered the ultimate multi-disciplinary aerial racing series that will be the main attraction of the Al Ain air show, said a spokesman of the organisers, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
World-class events
"We have put together lots of effort to deliver world-class events," said Ahmad Hussain, Deputy Director General of Tourism Operations at ADTA. He said the introduction of the Aero GP will add a new dimension to the Al Ain Air Show being held from January 28 to 30.
Known as "aviation's Formula One", Aero GP is a hair-raising, three-stage competition which tests the skills of stunt pilots to the limit. It is the only international air-racing series to showcase "pylon racing" (with six pilots in the air simultaneously) in which planes skim the ground at speeds of up to 500km/h.
Aero GP also pits pilots against each other in one-on-one dogfights and tests their aim in the precision targeting "barnstorming" competition - set to be a major crowd-puller.
Jeff Zaltman, Aero GP's Managing Director, said this is the first time a pylon racing event isbeing held in the Middle East.
Sustained G forces
Britons Mark Jefferies, Andy Bickmore and 2008 Aero GP champion Gerald Cooper will be among pilots who will ensure G forces of up to 10 without a G-suit as they fight it out at Al Ain, he said.
Bickmore started out in the automobile industry before moving on to aviation engineering, test flying and finally to competitive flying.
These days, after almost two decades of air shows, he is more likely to be found performing a loop-in-the-loop in his Russian-built Sukhoi 26 than designing engines.
His long-time competitor, Mark Jefferies, has been flying since 1980 and brings a wealth of experience to thrill the expected 130,000-strong crowd at Al Ain.
A hugely successful aerobatic pilot, Jefferies in his Extra 300SC will be hoping to start 2009 with a win in the first GP of the season, said Zaltman.
Jefferies and Bickmore face competition from Cooper, who learned to fly as a teenager in North Africa where his father was a bush pilot.
He already has a number of titles after twice winning the UK National Aerobatics title and coming eighth in the world championship.
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