Fly Past

26 FLYPAST AIRSHOW GUIDE 2018

AIRSHOW GUIDE

European airshows

I

n France, commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One provide many events with a central theme. This is especially true

of the annual Meeting Aérien at La Ferté Alais on the Pentecôte holiday weekend, where the original and exact reproduction Great War aircraft of

the Memorial Flight Association will doubtless feature especially strongly – weather permitting – alongside replicas from other operators, among

them the UK’s Great War Display Team. Another highlight at La Ferté should be the Aero Vintage Academy’s recently acquired Lockheed 12A, the first

Electra Junior flown by photo-recce pioneer Sidney Cotton on clandestine photographic missions during 1939-40. A few weeks later there’s a very

welcome return for the Rassemblement International d’Hydravions at Biscarrosse, very much the cradle of French water-borne aviation, which will be

the year’s biggest gathering of floatplanes and seaplanes.

Elsewhere, the Finnish Air Force – which is actually just a few weeks older than the RAF – marks its 100th anniversary with a large-scale airshow

at Tikkakoski, and Czech military aviation’s centenary is set to be a focus at the NATO Days and Czech Air Force Days at Ostrava. Again, there are

several shows scheduled for Norway, and Friends of the Starfighter’s airworthy CF-104D should fly at one or more of them so long as the usual factors

permit. The major mainland European industry event of 2018 is the ILA Berlin Air Show, this year with a new April date and a new concept for the trade

element; a significant flying display will still be mounted on the public weekend.

One major, and very sad, loss from the calendar is the Malta International Airshow. In January it was announced by the Malta Aviation Society that

it would not be organising a 2018 event due to a lack of response from the country’s tourism minister to a request for “guidance and commitment to

future editions”. However, a future return has not been ruled out.

APRIL

01 CUATRO VIENTOS, SPAIN: Fundación Infante de Orleans Flight

Demonstration Day – fio.es/Exhibiciones.html

13-15 MUSÉE DE L’AIR ET DE L’ESPACE, LE BOURGET AIRPORT, PARIS,

FRANCE: Carrefour de l’Air – http://www.museeairespace.fr

18-21 FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AIRPORT, GERMANY: Aero Friedrichshafen –

http://www.aero-expo.com

21-22 CANNES, FRANCE: Red Bull Air Race – http://www.redbullairrace.com

25-29 ANTALYA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TURKEY: Eurasia Airshow

• http://www.eurasiaairshow.com NOTE: Public days April 28-29

25-29 BERLIN EXPOCENTER AIRPORT, GERMANY: ILA Berlin Air Show

• http://www.ila-berlin.de NOTE: Public days April 28-29

28-29 PLASY, CZECH REPUBLIC: Plasy Air Day – http://www.denvevzduchu.cz

M AY

05-06 ARBON, SWITZERLAND: Arbon Classics – http://www.arbon-classics.ch

06 CUATRO VIENTOS, SPAIN: Fundación Infante de Orleans Flight

Demonstration Day – fio.es/Exhibiciones.html

09 MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Great Patriotic War Victory Day Parade

11-12 HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ, CZECH REPUBLIC: Helicopter Show –

http://www.helicoptershow.cz

19-20 ESLÖV, SWEDEN: Nordic Aero Expo – http://www.nordicaeroexpo.eu

19-20 AÉRODROME DE CERNY, LA FERTÉ ALAIS, FRANCE: Meeting

Aérien – http://www.ajbs.fr

19-20 POZNAN-ŁAWICA AIRPORT, POLAND: Poznan Air Show –

http://www.poznanairshow.pl

19-20 ZERMATT HELIPORT, SWITZERLAND: Air Zermatt 50th

Anniversary – http://www.air-zermatt.ch/wordpress/50-jahre-air-zermatt-ag

23-26 ASTANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, KAZAKHSTAN: KADEX

2018 – Fifth International Exhibition of Weapons Systems and Military

Equipment – http://www.kadex.kz NOTE: Public days on May 25-26

24-26 CROCUS EXPO, MOSCOW, RUSSIA: HeliRussia –

http://www.helirussia.ru/en

25-27 FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AIRPORT, GERMANY: Klassikwelt Bodensee

• http://www.klassikwelt-bodensee.de

26 DUBOVÁ , SLOVAKIA: Letecký den Dubová –

http://www.leteckydendubova.sk

26-27 Großenhain, Germany: Grossflugtage – http://www.grossflugtage.de

26-27 VENUE TBC: Red Bull Air Race – http://www.redbullairrace.com

27 PONTE DE SÔR, PORTUGAL: Portugal Air Summit Air Show –

http://www.portugalairsummit.com

29-31 PALEXPO, GENEVA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SWITZERLAND:

EBACE – European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition –

ebace.aero

JUNE

01-03 ST YAN, FRANCE: Fly-in LFBK and Meeting Aérien –

flyin.lfbk.free.fr

02 MURET-LHERM, FRANCE: Airexpo – http://www.airexpo.org

02-03 PARDUBICE, CZECH REPUBLIC: Aviation Fair –

aviatickapout.cz

03 CUATRO VIENTOS, SPAIN: Fundación Infante de Orleans Flight

Demonstration Day – fio.es/Exhibiciones.htm

03 KJELLER, NORWAY: Kjeller Airshow – flydagen.no

07-09 LE BOURGET AIRPORT, PARIS, FRANCE: France AirExpo Paris

Le Bourget – http://www.franceairexpo.com