Singapore Air Show

Now I’m not really one for enjoying machines: cars don't interest me, I make too many long-haul flights every year to find planes anything other than a means from getting from one place to another, and frankly boats are hubby’s passion, not mine. However I was keen to go to the widely advertised Singapore Air Show on Sunday 24th February, if only to see the Black Knights - the Singapore Air Force’s aerobatic flight team who do amazing aerial displays in their specially painted fighter jets.





On a perfect blue sky day we stood on the tarmac at the huge, spanking brand new custom-built site near Changi and watched the jets thunder over head executing incredible stunts. This was a real Top Gun experience and girls, I can tell you the sun wasn’t the only thing heating up the crowd on the tarmac! The adrenalin rush of flying one of those things must be amazing. The absolute topper was when two jets passed low in front of us, one flying upside down and positioned only 3 metres above the head of his fellow pilot!!! God knows how they didn’t hit each other, I’ve never seen anything like it. I have to admit I was pretty happy that all the flying was not done directly above the crowds – I kept thinking about those t.v. programmes showing planes crashing into the crowds at air shows.

To get an idea of what it was like, click on the following link to see some film posted on You Tube for Aviation Week magainze: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7SiBEh51ic







The Black Knights were followed by about 90 minutes of incredible flight displays by a range of combat and commercial planes. Fortunately hubby had thought to bring ear plugs.
It's a good tip to anyone planning to visit such a show as the jet engines can be incredibly loud at close range.







It seems everybody from the Americans to the Germans wanted to show off their hardware. A huge Airbus A380 lumbered overhead, and we were able to take a close look at another which was parked among the static aircraft displays. What an enormous passenger plane, it certainly looks like the biggest in the world and like a fat bumble bee you can’t help but wonder how the thing ever gets off the ground. The one parked on the tarmac proved to be very useful for providing shade and hundreds of people were able to take shelter from the burning sun under its massive outstretched wings - it looked for all the world like a goose guarding its over-sized brood!





Apart from the spectacular fly-overs there was a lot to see on the ground. The Air Show is first and foremost a trade show, with the public only being allowed to visit in the final two days. The world’s collective war mongers and defence despots had already done their deals and left by the time we were allowed to take a look. The kids were fascinated by the tanks, artillery etc on display, and particularly by a really cool tank-like vehicle which carries a fold-out bridge on its roof for constructing instant bridges (photo left). Very handy I would think following floods or earthquakes. Niels and his Dad walked through a huge twin rotor helicopter which they thought was pretty cool, and both boys were jumping up and down in excitement at being able to sit in a real plane cockpit which was on display in one of the exhibition halls.



As always we had arrived fairly early in the day, and it turned out to be so hot outside that we left by 1 o’clock. Another good reason to leave was the thickening crowds – I have never seen so many people pouring into a venue as I did when we left. I don’t know how many people attended but hubby reckoned it must have been close to 100,000. Crowds that dense just make us feel uncomfortable so we headed off home to jump in the pool and cool down.

It was a fantastic day and if you ever get the chance to attend one of these air shows, do go because you won’t regret it.