One of the great benefits of living in Geelong is that it’s just a few minutes’ drive from the Avalon Airshow. From about a week before the show, we start to hear the rumble of military jets, and the excitement builds. My favourite day is always Friday, because I can attend the trade area then get the full public show in the afternoon and evening, without having to fight too much traffic. The last airshow had extensive traffic problems and there had obviously been a lot of work put in for the 2025 event as I had minimal delays getting in.
The most important thing at the Airshow is to wear comfortable shoes, because it’s a hike. I must confess that I was in receipt of a Media Pass and privileged parking, so I was only half exhausted by the time I made it in the gate. First stop was the RAAus stand which happened to be at the far eastern end of the line. About as far from the gate as you can get. OK, here we go. I took myself through the trade displays as it was enroute and, who doesn’t love trade displays? Most of the trade displays are focused toward military and airline level aviation. Not a lot there for the RAAus type, but I did stop and chat to OzRunways and Foreflight, who both had substantial displays. There were also impressive displays by the education organisations like Swinburne, RMIT and UNSW. Clearly this was a target rich environment for them. A quick swing by the Bose and FlightStore marquee brought me to the RAAus display and I had a chat to the team members who were all heavily engaged with members of the public.
I set off early. Me being me, I had to allow a lot of time to move from one place to another because I am easily distracted by things with wings and propellors. I had a lunch invitation courtesy of the City of Greater Geelong in the VIP area which was… at the other end of the airshow. Sigh. Wandering along I spotted an aircraft I didn’t recognise that looked a lot like a Fly Synthesis Texan, but I discovered it was actually a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, which is a Chinese built LSA with a Rotax engine. It’s mostly carbon fibre and looks the business.
I was pretty happy to eventually find the City of Greater Geelong marquee and – more importantly – a seat, from which I could watch the afternoon’s airshow while being plied with food and drink. Actually, thinking about it, sitting watching an airshow while being plied with food and drink is about is good as it’s ever going to get. The highlight for me is always the warbirds and I wasn’t disappointed. Watching a P51 and a Spitfire perform gentle aerobatics is my kind of show.
I had spotted the Jabiru stand near the StarAir stand and was keen to have a chat. What they were most excited about was a new drone delivery system in development, based on the running gear and flying surfaces of the J230, paired with a rectangular fuselage designed to carry up to 450kg. This aircraft could deliver essential supplies as far as 500 km away — without the need for a pilot — offering clear potential for both military and humanitarian use. It’s an impressive concept, especially given the growing global focus on unmanned aerial systems. It’s great to see an Australian manufacturer at the forefront of innovation in this space. Also on display at the Jabiru stand was their twin-engine J432, a real head-turner. Based on the familiar J230/430 airframe, it’s been fitted with two of Jabiru’s own 2200 engines in sleek pod mounts, giving it solid cruising performance and the added peace of mind that comes with redundancy.
I then trawled the static aircraft displays because, you know, planes. And managed to fill in most of the afternoon drooling over aircraft like the Diamon DA50RG – and if anyone has a couple of million they don’t need, let me know – but otherwise it’s a pipe dream. I was surprised to find myself getting hungry again, but then I hadn’t eaten as much as I should have at lunch when it was free, so I braced my wallet and joined the queue for a chicken bite snack thing and a drink that was going to cost as much as the down payment on a car. I had found a thoughtfully provided bench and seat, as Paul Bennet and team took to the skies and started their air display. I was idly watching the display and munching on chicken bites when there was a loud thump, which I really, really hoped was a pyrotechnic going off. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. My view of the site was obscured by structures, but I could hear the announcements stating that there had been an incident and would people please stop filming and move children away. This was horrible. Glenn Collins had hit the ground and was in a bad way. I’ve worked on several airshows with Paul and his team, and it was the thing everyone fears. Fortunately, Glenn survived and is recovering. That brought the airshow to a halt for Friday.
Overall, it was another great airshow marred by that unfortunate incident. Well done to the team who undertake the mammoth task of putting it on and we wish Glenn Collins all the best in his recovery.
If you’d like to support Glenn’s recovery, scan the QR code to donate to the fundraiser.
