Monday, December 12, 2011

Wings and Wheels Show, AFB Ysterplaat, 9 & 10 December.

I attended the Wings and Wheels show at AFB Ysterplaat on both days in the company of a few clients and friends. As a concept I think the idea of combining wings and wheels was a failure.


I've never seen so few people attend an airshow!!! Friday was totally underwhelming. The lag time between having aircraft in the air was at times absolutely dismal.


In fact, I've never spent as much time in the beer garden at an airshow. I don't even drink!!! Good thing I was in the company of Nicholas Draycott, an avid collector and valued client.


I would have liked to see more military aviation flying displays. The civilian contingent was very competent and flew so impressive displays. In the end the jet displays were what did it for me.


The Jet Provost seemed to stagger into the air but once airbourne gave a spirited display. The L-39 trio flew a nice display but could have been a little tighter. Honourable mention must go to the T-28 Trojan which was a joy to see flying and the RV formation.


I enjoyed the Sea Lynx in action and was surprised to see the Silver Falcons do a perfect star burst. For some reason they always seem to have an issue with one plane being a little off. Well done guys, and girl. Yes, there's a girl flying with the Silver Falcons!!!


The highlights of the show on both days were the Hawk and Gripen. Both were a joy to behold. The Hawk surprised with its power and speed while Gripen had the crowd in awe with its stunning agility. Thank goodness for the Hawk and Gripen!!!


If there was one very very big disappointment, it was that the P-51 Mustang did not make it to the show. That would really have been something for Capetonians to see. I would have liked to see the Bosbok and Gazelle. Oh!!! One other thing, have you ever attended an airshow without seeing a Harvard???


I wasn't big into the wheels side and what was on offer at the crowd line was the 4x4 course and some fast runs were done with high performance cars along the taxiway. In the distance was what appeared to be a rally car doing its stuff but it was lost on spectators. The gymkhana sounded interesting with squealing tyres but I was there for an airshow.





No comments:

Post a Comment