A bit of rain won't stop the Canberra Airport Open Day from going ahead on Saturday. But with more than 30,000 tickets distributed, organisers will constantly monitor the sky throughout the event.
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The biennial event is back on Saturday. The airport will team up with the ACT Emergency Services Agency, putting fire trucks and helicopters into the mix, along with aerobatic aircraft performances throughout the day, as well as static displays of everything from a zippy Sydney seaplane to hulking Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.
Aerobatic displays will be performed by skill pilots Paul Bennet in a Wolf Pitts Pro and Glenn Graham in an Edge 540.
Mr Graham, 43, is the current national aerobatic champion.
"Expect to see these two aircraft doing maneuvers that people think aren't possible with aeroplanes," he said.
"Plus we'll be doing a formation act, so very tight formation, probably only two metres apart."
A laidback Mr Bennet said the g-force of the amazing aerobatics was "10 times your body weight".
"So if you weigh 80 kilos or 90 kilos, that's 900 kilos, that's how much weight is going through the seat you're sitting on in the aircraft. It does put a fair bit of of force on your body, but it's about controlling the Gs," he said.
Canberra Airport head of aviation Michael Thomson was excited to welcome the community to the airport, which will continue to operate as usual among the displays and festivities.
"So there'll be regular passenger planes taking off and landing throughout the day at the same time," he said.
The open day is from 9am to 3pm on Saturday. It is a free event, but people need to register with a ticket. The link is here.
"We initially issued 20,000 free tickets. They went very quickly. We released another 10,000 and they've gone very quickly. So we've got another 10,000 available and currently we're at about 35,000 tickets," Mr Thomson said.
"So a great event that is really well-supported."
The heavy rain in NSW has prevented the WarBirds getting to Canberra, but all other advertised aircraft will be there.
Parking is available at Majura Park Shopping Centre. You can enter the event via the Catalina Drive entry. Accessible parking is available beside George Tyson Drive.
Ticket-holders have free travel on bus and light rail services. The Transport Canberra Rapid Route 3 stops at the terminal, a short walk from the event site.
Megan Doherty
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
