The sky over Cowra has been host to some intense aerobatics in recent weeks that may have had some onlookers concerned.
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Paul Goard, managing director of Brumby Aircraft says there is nothing to worry about.
“A lot of people see the planes and come in asking what’s going on, it’s nothing to worry about it’s fine,” he said.
The planes are part of the “Freedom to Fly” airshow display team, a special team that will be using their performance to promote the excitement and passion of general aviation, which has been on the decline in recent years according to Mr Goad.
The team consists of Phil Unicomb, Nigel Arnott, Ivan Krippner, Adrian Van Der Sluys, Michael Jones and Paul Goard who will act as a pilot, the team manager and the team engineer.
The team is also the first Australian airshow team to be sponsored by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia (AOPA Australia).
“General aviation has been on the decline and it’s the first time in Australian history that an aircraft display team has been able to merge with AOPA to promote general aviation,” he said.
The team will be based in Cowra so residents will have the opportunity to view the team’s stunts on a regular basis with Mr Goard inviting residents to come down to the airport whenever they see the planes and their pilots going through their moves in the sky.
“We encourage people to come along and have a look at we are doing, at the end of the day it’s about promoting general aviation,” he said.
“Aerobatics has a wow factor, it’s a high energy motorsport with calculated danger.
“It’s all about having a go an showing there are some very good professionals in our trade, a lot of the good pilot skills need to be passed on,” he said.
The team will operate a mixture of high-performance aerobatic aircraft, including Australia’s only Sukhoi 26MX, a Russian display aircraft, Pitts S2C, S1, Yak 55 and Fox Glider.
The team will also excite on the ground with Cowra’s Jack Dawes racing his 600cc Super-bike against some of the aircraft.
“We’re negotiating getting Jack into our performances in Australia and we’d love to see him be part of our shows in China,” Mr Goard said.
“We’re excited to promote him and his career with us,” he said.
The team’s first official display will be May 6 and 7 at the Wings over Illawarra air show before heading over to China.
