42 FlightCom Magazine
Airshows
Words & Images: anton dyason“Botswana, Botswana, BOTSWANA!” chanted an enthusiastic crowd when
the super-sized Botswana flag unfolded in the light breeze, trailing from
one of the parachutists who had jumped from a Bell 412 above Sir Seretse-
Khama International Airport in Gaborone, Botswana.
GABORONE
International Airshow
T
HIS was the start to the second
Gaborone International Airshow.
Held on 6 August, it built on the
foundations of the international
airshow staged in celebration of
the 50th Anniversary of Botswana
Independence in 2016.
A major drawcard for the large
crowd were the displays of the
Botswana Defence Force (BDF), as their equipment is rarely
seen by the public. The BDF display did not disappoint,
however, the C-130, which was apparently the aircraft
people most wanted to see, according to a recent Facebook
poll, wasn’t present. But the CF-5 fighters made up for its
absence with a simulated bomb run along a 500 m long wall
of fire. The intense heat from the explosion was felt half a
kilometre away in the large viewing stands.
The popular Bell 412s showcased the flags of Botswana
and the BDF to the crowd, and the recently acquired
EC225LP Super Puma in VIP livery led two AS350 Squirrel
helicopters in formation. Parachutists were dropped from
the CASA 235. Some of the parachutists caused quite a stir
amongst the crowd when they chose an alternative landing
spot close to the crowd.
With the BDF show complete, it was time for the South
African airshow acts. They thrilled the crowd with world
class routines. Some spectators simply stood in disbelief
as they watched aircraft perform “washing machine with
extended spin-cycle” routines.
The three-ship act by Nigel Hopkins, Jason Beamish
and Mark Hensman was extremely popular, with the
simultaneous takeoff from opposite ends of the runway by
Nigel and Mark perhaps the most exciting. Neville FerreiraThe crowd cheered as the second
Gaborone International Airshow
was opened by a parachutist flying
an enormous Botswana flag.