The 21st air X Malta International Airshow organised by the Malta Aviation
Society was held on the 28/29th September 2013. As expected the weather was quite favorable
with clear skies on Saturday and overcast with light wind on Sunday - but surely
very hot! The organisation was flawless and the hospitality shown by the
organisers and all the volunteers was second to none.
As is customary, on the afternoon of
Friday 27th, the MAS volunteers were taken to the Runway 31 treshold for the
arrival of the aircraft. From this location one could also photograph the
commercial airliners landing and departing runway 31. A special arrival was the Yemen Air
Force C235 on its delivery flight from Seville in Spain.
The organisers are to be commended for
their efforts to put up yet another interesting airshow despite the reduction in
military participation at airshows by various Governments worldwide. Though
the static display was significantly
smaller when compared to previous air shows, this did not dampen the
enthusiasm by the public which came in large numbers to the airshow at Park
4.
The gates
were open from 10.00 am to 5.30pm on both days.
Attendance was higher than last year’s so much so that additional
parking place was allocated for Sunday. Free
Parking on Apron 3 was handled very efficiently by the younger volunteers from
the Malta Aviation Society.
On Saturday, the VIP seating area
complete with its own refreshment area was restricted to the official sponsors air X
whilst on Sunday this area was available to the public for an additional €5
charge. Sadly, there was no official
Press area this year but this did not preclude the accredited media from capturing
all the action.
The airshow facebook
page was continuously being updated with news and photographs taken by the society’s
PR team. Spectators were close to where
the taxiing aircraft and flight display took place, thus being in a strategic
place to capture all the action.
A refreshment and food stall with
reasonable prices was provided for crews, volunteers and spectators to take a
break. Other smaller stalls were set up around Park 4. Restroom facilities were predominant and
cleaning staff did a great job throughout both days. Medical and Rescue crews were present but
luckily all went well despite the heat and their intervention was not required.
The volunteers at the Official Airshow
Merchandise shops were kept busy with the public asking and buying specific
memorabilia on both days. Once again, the glossy 76 page Malta International
Air show 2013 Souvenir Programme was available for sale for €3 or packed
together with an official MAS 2014 desk calendar and a pack of 3 postcards for €5. A limited
number of Red Arrows polo shirts signed for the occasion by all the Red Arrows
pilots were also for sale at €50 each.
Stands set up by local flying schools
were kept busy with the public, mainly young students enquiring about the
various pilot, cabin crew and other courses offered. The Armed Forces of Malta Air Wing and the
Italian Military mission were also present with their own stand selling Army
memorabilia - a haven for collectors.
On Saturday morning the public was
given an extra and unexpected treat when a US Navy P-C3 Orion arrived from its
Sigonella base for a few touch and goes and ILS training. The organisers were swift to ask permission for
this training exercise to be held on RWY 23 instead of RWY 31 and thus the
public present at Park 4 in the late morning could enjoy and snap photos of the P3 exercises.
An interesting new aircraft was the Malta School of Flying Tecnam P92-JS with registration 9H-MSF. This aircraft arrived in Malta on Thursday 25th September and was re-registered to 9H on Friday 26th, making it the latest addition to the Maltese aircraft register.
The Sky People Piper PA28-161 Warrior
II with registration 9H-FLY also drew the crowds with its outstanding orange
and white livery. The Piper is a much
sought after aircraft for pleasure flying in Malta and enquiries at the Airshow
were substantial.
Malta Wings provided a 10 to 15 minute
local sightseeing tour with its Cessna 206 six-seat
aircraft 9H-ADW at a cost only Euro 29 including VAT which proved
successful. The passengers boarded the
aircraft from the airshow apron and the flights took off RWY 23. This could hopefully be a start for more such
tours in future airshows.
The return of the Qatar
Emiri Air Force Hercules and the NATO Awac were well received by the public who
queued for hours to board these two aircraft and get a better insight of the
interior and operations by the helpful crews.
The less known Polish An-28, the Bryza which is the Maritime Patrol reconnaissance
variant was also open to the public for a few hours, but unfortunately the
German Navy P-3C Orion did not allow the public onboard.
The highlights of the air
display were the Armed Forces of Malta Scottish Bulldog with registration AS0021 ably piloted by
Flight Instructor Pilot Loreto Spiteri who gave two spectacular displays on
Saturday and Sunday with such an aircraft.
This was followed by the display from the Italian Pioneer Team with
their Alpi Eagle 300 aircraft which included aerobatics, music &
pyrotechnics.
On Sunday, the Airmalta
Airbus A320-214 with registration 9H-AEO, in special colours took to the air
for an awesome display, captained by Mark Micallef Enyaud – a flight to
remember as this happened to be his last commercial flight on retirement. The captain put the aircraft to test and
showed off his and the aircrafts aerobatic capabilities to the applause of the
crowd.
Both days concluded with
the air display by the much awaited Red Arrows team. After last year’s disappointment at the
cancellation of their participation at the last moment due to the team’s
grounding in Sardegna whilst on their way to Malta, they surely made up for it this
year - on the ground by making themselves available for signing of the Red
Arrows booklet and other memorabilia as well as for photo opportunities with
the public which were well received.
The
air displays were the full Red Arrows displays including the new Lancaster
formation and concluded on both days with the special smoke - namely the red
and white colours of the Maltese flag – a clear symbol of the bond which still
exists between the British and Maltese populations.
The Red Arrows display
coincided also with a special moment, when hardworking MAS committee member
Paul Spiteri Lucas proposed marriage to his girlfriend Emanda Farrugia just
before the Reds made the heart formation and this was dedicated to them by Red
10 Mike Ling who was doing the commentary. Good luck Paul and Emanda.
After the airshow, an
elated Joe Ciliberti, Chairman of the Malta Aviation Society told me that the
committee and the volunteers were happy with the outcome of this year’s airshow
despite the reduction of participating aircraft but the quality of aircraft and
displays made up for this. Mr Ciliberti
thanked all involved in the success of this airshow and said that work will
commence in the coming weeks for the
2014 Airshow which he hopes will see more aircraft participation and who knows
– maybe a special display team……. We wait and see.
All in all, It was another exceptional weekend at the air X Malta International Air Show 2013 and am looking forward to the 2014 edition which will be held on the 27th and 28th September.
Performers
included:
Airmalta A320-214 reg no 9H-AEO (Sunday only)
Armed Forces of Malta Bulldog reg no
AS0021
Armed Forces of Malta Alouette 316B
helicopter reg no AS9211
Italian Military Mission helicopter Augusta
Bell 212 helicopter reg no MM81216
Red Arrows Team Bae Hawk T1
Eurojet Learjet 60 reg no 9H-AFJ (Saturday only)
Diamond Aviation Extra 200 reg no
D-ELOP (Saturday only)
RAF Tucano reg no ZF239
Pioneer Aerobatic Team Alpi Eagle 300
reg nos I-A688 (1), I-A596 (2), I-B524 (3), I-A690 (4)
Private Mudry CAP21 Silver Chicken reg
no I-SIVM
Private PS 28 Cruiser reg no OK-LAU
Static
displays included:
Armed Forces of Malta Alouette 316B
helicopter reg no AS9315
Armed Forces of Malta King Air 200 reg
no AS1227
Armed Forces of Malta BN2-Islander - reg
no AS9516
Italian Military Mission helicopter Augusta
Bell 212 reg no MM81163
Qatar Emiri Air Force Hercules C130J
reg no A7 MAH
German Marine P-C3 reg no 60+01 with
special markings 100 years
Air X Embraer Legacy 600 reg no 9H-JPC (Saturday only)
NATO Boeing E3A Awacs reg no LX-N90452
Polish Navy AN-28 Bryzia 1 reg 1118
RAF Tucano reg no ZF339
RAF Eurofighter Typhoons with reg nos
ZK300 and ZK308
RAF Tornados with reg nos ZA410 and ZD895
RAF Hawk reg no XX199
RAF Hawk reg no XX230
RAF King Air 200 reg no ZK455
Aeris Aviation Total
Eclipse EA 500
reg no N843TE
Sky People Tecnam P2002JF reg no
9H-SKY
Sky People Piper PA28-161 Warrior II
reg no 9H-FLY
Malta School of Flying Tecnam
P92-JS reg no 9H-MSF (Newly arrived and
latest Maltese 9H registered)
Private Beechcraft V35B B0nzana reg N456T
and various other aircraft from the
Island Microlight Club, Diamond Aviation, Hub Air, Malta Wings and the Malta
School of flying.
