MbS made the remarks at an annual speech to the advisory Shura Council, which he gave on behalf of his father, King Salman
Daredevil stunt team Patrouille de France (which translates as ‘The French Patrol’) kicked off proceedings, enchanting crowds at the Airport Expo with a high-speed show that combined Gallic flair with split-second precision.
Shooting out ‘Tricolore’ plumes of red, white and blue, the French Air Force demonstration fleet performed a series of synchronised manoeuvres during their half-hour slot. The crowd-pleasing highlight came when the team’s Alphajets painted a giant heart across the sky – showcasing the dedication of the French to romance, even while fighting G-force pressures.
While lacking the zip of its nimbler peers, the Airbus A380 gave an assured display of its capabilities. The double-decker airliner, elephantine in comparison to many of the daintier craft on display, progressed steadily yet triumphantly on its seven-minute circuit over the airfield.
Minutes later, this was juxtaposed with the decibel-ripping Eurofighter Typhoon from the UK’s Royal Air Force, which bulldozed its way to the crowd’s attention with a peacock display of poise and power.
Other military craft on the day included the F-22 Raptor, courtesy of the US Air Force, which introduced itself with a darting vertical ascent before chopping between bouts of quiet hovering and thunderous bursts of speed.
The only non-winged participant in the programme was the Eurocopter Tiger HAT – an attack helicopter boasting a cannnon under its nose and two rocket launchers. Not one to be messed with, the camouflaged chopper showed of an unexpected versatility with a late loop.
The programme ended as it began, with another acrobatic aerial display, this time from the Italian Air Force’s Frecce Tricolori (translated as ‘The Three-Coloured Arrows’). The 10-plane fleet raced into the public’s view in a triangle formation, before breaking into a series of stunts not unlike those of their French counterparts – though obviously replacing the plume of French blue with the green of Italy’s flag.
“The display which impressed me most was the A380. It’s such a huge plane, and they’ve done it very nicely,” software engineer Sundaram Manimaran said after the aerial show.
“But I enjoyed every display; this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing. The military helicopter going up and down and rotating was an amazing experience for me – I’ve never seen a helicopter doing anything like it,” he said.
“I hope I have the chance to see many more such displays during the Airshow.”
adam@khaleejtimes.com
MbS made the remarks at an annual speech to the advisory Shura Council, which he gave on behalf of his father, King Salman
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