RUSSIAN KNIGHTS CONQUER AL AIN SKIES

Russian Knights won the 23rd FAI World Grand Prix, while Breitling Jet Team of France came second and Sasol Tigers from South Africa got third position on the final day of Al Ain Aerobatic Show.

By Haseeb Haider (Staff Reporter)

Published: Tue 17 Jan 2006, 12:53 PM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 4:33 PM

Royal Jordanian Falcons won the formation team/piston title, while Mazda Zoom Zoom from South Africa stood second. Al Ain 2006 Aerobatic Trophy was lifted by Jurgis Kairys from Lithuania, Klaus Schrodt from Germany clinched second position and Zoltan Veres Hungry got third place.

Major General Pilot Khaled bin Abdullah Mubarak Al Bouaynein, Commander of UAE Air Force and Air Defence has stated that the Higher Organising Committee of Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2006 is satisfied with the successful event with the large number of spectators surpassing all expectations.

Thousands of people came every day hours before the show started to watch the mind-blowing displays. "Although we had expected to have 20,000 visitors a day, we exceeded this number by 2 pm every day. This indicates the extreme thrill and good reputation of the Show, and we are very proud of that achievement, which would motivate us to do better and better in future".

Al Bouaynein said the big success of the show would not have been achieved without the unlimited support from General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, and from Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan.

“We in the UAE are proud because this great organisation for the event, which has had a worldwide reputation, has been carried out with 100 per cent UAE efforts of coordination between all concerned bodies and providing safety measures for participants, visitors and aircraft, thanks to the hard work of UAE Air Force and Air Defence, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and all concerned departments.” Al Bouaynein added.

He then made clear that the role of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence includes providing all technical requirements of aircraft, guaranteeing safety for exhibitors and spectators, and the direct supervision on all technical details for the participating teams, in addition to taking part in the daily aerobatic displays.

Al Bouaynein revealed that a national aerobatic team will be created in the UAE in the near future, and the current location will be used for all next rounds. Efforts will continue to keep developing the show and attract more visitors from the region and the entire world.

Jenny Forsythe from USA, astounded the audience by standing untied on top of her father’s aircraft while he was flying and performing some acrobatic moves.

Jenny danced on top of the aircraft and with fireworks, she offered a spectacular evening show. She and her father are the only team in the world that flies a Quick Silver single-seat aircraft and throws fireworks during flight.

Jenny’s father, Bob Essell, is a well-known pilot with a long history of flying. This sport is actually a family tradition for him, as he learned flying from his father who learned it from his father too. Bob has a total of 8000 flying hours.