LONDON | Organisers of Airshow London are promising Canada’s first socially responsible and physically distant airshow when the annual event returns this September.

The drive-in airshow, rebranded as Sky Drive, will feature a three-hour flying display, but no static display and ground activities, to help promote social distancing. The military-only flying display is due to include three rare Canadian appearances from US Air Force demonstration teams, including the Thunderbirds, F-22A Raptor and C-17A Globemaster III. The US Army Golden Knights will also be crossing the border to participate.

Airshow London say additional aircraft are “still to be determined”, but also promise aircraft representing the Royal Canadian Air Force. The CF-18 Demo Team’s 2020 display season has been suspended, and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds are not currently flying following a fatal accident in May, but previous editions of Airshow London have often featured flybys from regular RCAF units.

Organisers say they will be able to accomodate up to 2,500 cars, with each vehicle occupying a 500ft² (45m²) space. Visitors will be able to watch the show from within this space, either inside or outside their vehicle. Toilet facilities will be provided, and commentary will be broadcast over the radio.

The first post-coronavirus drive-in airshow is due to be held on the 18th July by the Shuttleworth Collection in the UK. It promises a similar format to Airshow London’s Sky Drive event, although parking spaces at the Canadian show are considerably larger.

Jim Graham, Chair of Airshow London, said: “We know how much the air show is enjoyed by the community, so while the impact of COVID-19 prevents us from producing our traditional-style event, we wanted to create a solution that minimizes risk and interaction while still offering an exciting and family-friendly event.

“Now that we are allowed to gather in a socially responsible manner, we are excited to offer this amazing opportunity for outdoor entertainment.”

Entry to the event will be reserved for advance ticket holders arriving by car or motorcycle only, with three tiers of access promised. Access to the red car park, next to the main runway, will cost $150 per car. The blue zone, located in the regular festival grounds, is priced at $115, and the green zone, located furthest from the action, is priced at an affordable $75. Vehicles with a capacity for more than six people or exceeding certain dimensions are considered oversized, and additional restrictions apply.

Sky Drive is scheduled for the 12th-13th September 2020. For more information or to book tickets, visit their website.

We’ve teamed up once again with our friends at AirshowStuff.com to bring you 50 minutes of the very best action from EAA AirVenture 2019 in Oshkosh. With 10,000 visiting aircraft and 600,000 visitors, AirVenture is considered the world’s greatest aviation celebration. This year’s highlights included a mass gathering of P-51 Mustangs, a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day and demonstrations by a variety of modern and vintage fighter aircraft for the ‘Year of the Fighter’ theme.

This year’s film combines the very best of AirshowStuff’s video material, recorded throughout the week at AirVenture 2019, and the unique format of This is Flight’s Airshow Dispatches video series. You can find plenty more videos from AirVenture 2019 on the AirshowStuff YouTube channel, or watch the complete first two seasons of Airshow Dispatches on our website. The first episode of season three was released earlier this month.

ABOUT THIS IS FLIGHT

This is Flight is an international airshow news, review and video website founded in 2013. With reporters based in North America, Europe and beyond, we specialize in informative event reviews and feature-length documentary films from dozens of airshows around the world each year, including our flagship Airshow Dispatches video series. This is Flight also provides photographic and video coverage for several airshows and aerobatic teams.

ABOUT AIRSHOWSTUFF

AirshowStuff is a leading provider of media coverage for airshows and aviation as a whole. What started as a weekend hobby in 2005 has grown tremendously over the years and we now reach over one million people each month through our forums, blog, and social media channels. We are #AvGeeks first and foremost, and we work hard to promote aviation interests to our global audience. We have four primary team members, all based in the United States, as well as a larger network of media partners and friends that help us in our mission.

This is Flight, based in Europe, and AirShow360, based in America, are excited to announce the two organizations will be collaborating to bring more coverage of air shows worldwide.

With a large number of professional contributing reporters, photographers, and videographers working together throughout the world and sharing their unique perspectives from in the air and on the ramp, audiences of both AirShow360 and This Is Flight will experience unparalleled coverage of airshows throughout the world.

Look out for the first work in our exciting collaboration over the coming weeks!

Find out more about AirShow360 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Throughout 2018, we recorded feature-length airshow documentaries at no fewer than six airshows in Europe and Asia. With our first 2019 films just a few weeks away, now is the perfect time to relive the highlights of last year.

THE ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO [90 MINUTES]

Where better to start than with a full recap of the Royal International Air Tattoo, the official international celebration of the RAF’s centenary? This film was recorded across  six days and features almost every aircraft that flew at the show – as well as several that didn’t. Several displays include cockpit footage.

JERSEY INTERNATIONAL AIR DISPLAY [30 MINUTES] [4K]

Taking a rather different tone is the Jersey International Air Display in the Channel Islands. This show brings together the best of the British and French airshow scenes, with rare displays such as the Nord Noratlas and Dassault Flamant duo taking centre stage. Also look out for the classic jets of the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight.

ZHENGZHOU AIRSHOW [40 MINUTES]

Time next for a trip to China, where some of the world’s best-known civilian aerobatic teams assembled for the Zhengzhou Airshow. As well as dynamic daytime shows by the likes of the Yakovlevs, the show also featured a night display, starring Aerosparx and the Global Stars. This film was recorded across nine days and brings you the best of the action.

WINGS OVER BALTICS [30 MINUTES]

The Baltic Bees Jet Team are of course the stars at their home show, which is set to become a regular event on the European airshow circuit. Also look out for Team Orlik of the Polish Air Force, Scandinavian Airshows’ Catwalk act and a thrilling performance by a Lithuanian Antonov An-2 biplane.

PORTUGAL AIR SUMMIT [20 MINUTES]

One of Portugal’s few airshows, this event saw some extremely dynamic flypasts from the Portuguese Air Force as well as displays by a pair of aerobatic teams flying the Yak-52: Jacob52 and the locally-based Yakstars. GliderFX close the show with Portugal’s first ever pyrotechnic air display.

MIDLANDS AIR FESTIVAL [20 MINUTES]

The inaugural Midlands Air Festival featured an impressive lineup of British civilian airshow acts, from the BAC Strikemaster to the Stampe Formation Flying Team and the UK debut of P-47D Thunderbolt “Nellie”. We also take a quick look at the Nightfire event.

We’ve teamed up with our friends at AirshowStuff.com to produce a compilation of the highlights from EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, USA. With 10,000 visiting aircraft, Oshkosh is considered the world’s greatest aviation celebration, and this year’s show themes included Year of the Tanker, RAF100 and the 80th anniversary of the T-6 Texan. Highlights include:

• Mass flypasts from the Warbirds of America
• Yak-110 aerobatic display
• Classic RAF aircraft: the Spitfire, Meteor and Jet Provost
• F-16C Viper Heritage Flights and mini-demos
• F-22A Raptor low passes
• USAF tanker parade: C-130, KC-135 and KC-10
• B-1B Lancer night departure
• F7F Tigercat pair

Our 30-minute retrospective includes excerpts from the best and most memorable displays of the week; it will premiere at 23:30-00:00 UTC on Wednesday 19th December. If you enjoy it, visit the AirshowStuffVideos YouTube channel for dozens more films of individual performers at the event, and our own channel for more airshow documentaries.

We’re very proud to release our latest feature-length programme featuring the highlights of more than 25 hours of flying at the Royal International Air Tattoo 2018.

Adam Landau hosts 90 uninterrupted minutes of aviation action, featuring stunning ground and cockpit footage, as we take an action-packed look back at the event – from the power of the Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27P Flanker to the awe-inspiring panache of the Frecce Tricolori and the modern marvel that is the F-35A Lightning II, there’s something for everyone.

We also delve into the Royal Air Force’s past, with timeless displays from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron to celebrate RAF100, seen performing back-to-back with modern RAF assets such as the Red Arrows, Typhoon FGR.4, Chinook Mk.6 and A400M Atlas.

Other notable highlights include a rare flypast by a B-2A Spirit, the Canadian Forces’ CF-188A Hornet, no fewer than four examples of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, solo and pairs displays by the Dassault Rafale, the two Mirage 2000Ds of Couteau Delta and a unique formation of the Swiss PC-7 Team with an F/A-18 Hornet.

We also feature footage from the arrival days, including the one-off display by a French Navy Breguet ALT-2 Atlantique II.

It all adds up to one of the largest and most varied airshows in recent memory, and with our free documentary programme you can re-live its highlights once again.

Want to find out more? For more from the Royal International Air Tattoo, you can find our illustrated review of the show here or head to SoundCloud for our Smoke On podcast. You may also enjoy the official DVD, avaibable here.

This is Flight is proud to announce a partnership with two of the most innovative aerobatic teams in the world, which will allow us to bring exciting new content to our readers and viewers.

Aerosparx, flying two Grob 109s, are the only display team to fly aerobatics in formation, with pyrotechnics, at night. GliderFX, meanwhile, display with an MDM-1 Fox, and hold the world record for the most number of rolls while on aerotow. They also perform dusk pyrotechnic displays and daytime aerobatic shows. Both teams are led by eight-time national glider aerobatic champion at the unlimited level, Guy Westgate.

This is Flight’s editor, Adam Landau will be filming and editing videos for the teams when they perform at airshows around the world over the next few seasons, which has already included airshows in China and Portugal.  Deputy editor Alex Prins will be taking photographs for the team. This will allow us to bring exclusive new content to This is Flight from a huge variety of airshows we would otherwise be unable to cover. We are also aiming to publish a feature-length documentary, entitled ‘Sparks Will Fly’, at the end of this year.

We look forward to working with Aerosparx and GliderFX over the coming months; follow their Facebook page to see our work with the team, and look out for content from far-flung airshows on our own website, social media and YouTube channel as well!

We’ve once again teamed up with our friends at AirshowStuff.com to produce a highlights compilation video of the best of the 2017 airshow season! From the incredible “bomber day” at Oshkosh to the awe-inspiring Ukrainian Su-27 at RIAT and the thrilling Black Eagles at LIMA. If you want to watch the original videos without music, many of them can be found on the AirshowStuff and This is Flight YouTube channels. Watch the compilation below – and let us know what you think in the comments section!

We’ve teamed up with our friends at AirshowStuff.com to produce a compilation of the highlights from EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, USA. With 10,000 visiting aircraft, Oshkosh is considered the world’s greatest aviation celebration, and 2017 saw a landmark installment of the event, headlined by the first full Blue Angels demonstration in the show’s history. It also brought together the world’s only two flying B-29s for the first time in addition to an eclectic mix of other bombers, from the nightly B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress to a mass display of B-25 Mitchells.

Our 20-minute retrospective includes excerpts from the best and most memorable displays of the week; if you enjoy it visit the AirshowStuffVideos YouTube channel for dozens more films of individual performers at the event, and our own channel for more airshow documentaries.