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Etihad Airways A-380 fly-past to enthral thousands

Abu Dhabi - The fly-past will begin at 4.35pm minutes before the start of the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The start of the 2015 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will once again begin with the traditional Etihad Airways fly-past as the teams, drivers and race fans at Yas Marina Circuit prepare for the final race of the 2015 Formula 1 season.
The fly-past will begin at 4.35pm taking place before and after the UAE National Anthem, minutes before the start of the grand sporting event on Sunday.
The fly-past has become synonymous with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and this year's event will see the airline's stunning 'Facets of Abu Dhabi' livery flying over the impressive Yas Marina Circuit.
Etihad Airways' A380 Chief Pilot, Captain Ali Al Jabri, who is coordinating this year's spectacle and flying the superjumbo over the starting grid at Yas Marina Circuit, insists that it will be an amazing sight for the 60,000-strong crowd and the hundreds of millions of fans watching across the globe on television.
"This year we have an amazing fly-past planned," said Al Jabri. "First we have an Etihad Airways Boeing 787 performing the fly-past before the UAE National Anthem, and then the UAE's air display team, Al Fursan, will fly over the start line following the Etihad Airways A380, which I will be piloting.
Months of planning takes place before the formation is performed before the Formula 1 showpiece on race day. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, piloted by Capt. Stephan Sukumar, will fly at an altitude of 600ft and an airspeed speed of 190 knots above the circuit. The A380 will fly at 800ft at an air speed of 210 knots.
"First we get the request from Yas Marina Circuit to perform the fly-past," explained Al Jabri. "Then we determine what the scope of the fly-past is and once we have all the details we work out a flight profile and get in the Etihad Airways simulators to practice the flight.
"We work together with Abu Dhabi Air Traffic Control and the Civil Aviation Authority and once everything is in place we start rehearsals in the air."
The total flying time is 50 minutes from take-off to landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport and once we are in the air we enter a holding pattern for about 10 minutes, during which they complete several passes over the circuit.
Captain Al Jabri spoke of the incredible experience it is to play such a huge part in the stunning Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, saying: "The view of Yas Marina Circuit from the air is phenomenal, you don't realise how big the circuit is and as we fly over the West Grandstand we can see the cars lined up on the grid, the thousands of fans, it's a huge honour to be involved in the day."
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com