At the South Coast Tourism Awards presentation night on Wednesday 28th August, Wings Over Illawarra won the award for the best Event or Festival The annual Wings Over Illawarra not for profit Airshow had taken place on 5th May in perfect weather and with large crowds at Illawarra Regional Airport and was a super success. The show theme was “Celebrating Naval Aviation” with air displays by a Royal Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter (with the Red Berets) and the fascinatiog Navy Squirrel helicopter precision flying act. A Grumman S2G Tracker and Navy Auster were on static display. This year is also the 100th year of the Royal Australian Navy and there was a comprehensive display of models of significant Australian Navy warships of past days. In the air the crowd favourites included Matt Hall’s two precision aerobatic displays, the Australian Army’s Red Berets precision parachuting team, the Southern Biplanes Stearman routine and of course two displays by perrenial favourites the RAAF Roulettes aerobatic formation team who also closed the airshow. The air display also included an aerobatic display by one of three Hawk fast jets of the Royal Australian Air Force which attended. Also flying were the HARS Catalina, Caribou and C47 plus a P51 Mustang , Jet Provost, Harvard and the Temora Aviation museum with the world’s last airworthy Gloster Meteor fighter and Hudson Bomber, and a CAC Boomerang. Favourites on the ground included the F111 and the HARS Connie, which both attracted large crowds of visitors all day. The co-located Illawarra Light Rail museum train brought many visitors to the airport and many vintage and veteran vehicle clubs and a stationary engine display also attended adding to the interest for the crowd. A selected beneficiary of the show this year is Greenacres Disability Services, and the event was also a great Tourist attraction for the Illawarra. With thanks to all our volunteers and sponsors, including Shell aviation. HARS would like to recognise the pivotal role played for the last seven years of WOI by members Professor Michael Hough for making it happen and John Martin for rounding up the volunteers throughout seven Wings Over Illawarra events.
Be sure to visit wingsoverillawarra.com.au for more details.
