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An Afternoon at the Airshow
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Neither words nor pictures do justice to the sights and sounds that dominated the eastern skies of Singapore this week. The first ever Singapore Airshow event (19-24 Feb 2008) is a massive success, with throngs of traders and visitors alike flocking to the specially constructed Changi Exhibition Centre.The highlight has got to be the Aerobatic Display – one and a half hours of the most sophisticated and precise aircraft manoeuvers showcasing the latest technologies from America, Italy, France, the UK and Korea, among others.
You get an adrenaline rush just by watching. To hear the thunder in the skies, unsure as yet if it is coming from the left or right, and just as you position your camera, the Lockheed Martin F-16D+ flying at twice the speed of sound whizzes in from the right and disappears. Much too quickly. But the disappointment doesn’t last long because it soon reappears from the left and simply takes your breath away.
One of the many attractions of the Aerobatic Display has got to be the local Black Nights team comprising of six red and white F-16C Fighting Falcons. Dominating the skies with their daring and sophisticated manoeuvers, you can’t help but smile when the ‘Flaming Heart’ appeared. Ahh..All in the name of a February Love Affair.
This coverage comes at an expense though. When one would normally take in the atmosphere and absorb the magnificence of technology amidst God’s clear blue skies, this writer had to brave the sun and concentrate on snapping great photos, as required by the department. These speeding objects look great in the vast expanse of the sky but as mentioned earlier, pictures only capture a tip of the iceberg. It misses out on the big blue backdrop, with summery clouds and strong solid sounds roaring from the engines of these mighty aircrafts as they make an their artful manoeuvers. Imagine that.
And just as the F-16D+ can travel at twice the speed of sound, the F Super Hornet is capable of the ‘Slow Pass’, which literally means flying slowly for spectators like me to admire (and capture on video). An interesting observation is that when aircrafts make their Slow Passes, they tend to tilt at a slight angle – there must be some kind of aeronautical explanation for it. Research, anyone?
I would also call to attention the acrobatic displays of flying upside down, or two aircrafts flying past each other with just six meters between them! The show concluded with an amazing fleet of synchronized aircrafts doing their flights of fancy.
And that is just the acrobatic display part. Move along and you will come across the exhibition hall that showcases exhibitors with their products and services. After a quick respite in the air-conditioned hall, come face to face with the real thing at the Static Aircraft Display Area. A380 available, however touring the A380 is by invitation only. An afternoon of awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, wow-ness! You have to be there to know what I mean. Well it left me wanting to be a fighter pilot. That or as a friend said, just marry one.
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