Mark and Kerry Bright plunged
into the air show game in 2013,
taking over the Wings over
Illawarra (WOI) event when it
seemed no-one else was prepared
to take it on any more. The event
was originally nothing more
than a f ly-in conducted by the
Historical Aircraft Restoration
Society (HARS), but the
Brights brought a professional
attitude to the show, and for
them it is now a full-time job.
However, their first contact
with CASA certainly was an
eye-opener!
“We went to CASA and
they said ‘what do you want to
do?’ and we said ‘aerobatics’,
and their first answer was ‘no!’
When we asked why, they
said ‘because it’s just not going
to happen.’ They came back
with a long list of reasons, but
primarily it was to do with the
proximity of residential areas.
“So we looked at it and
spoke to some people in
the industry; came up with
a few ideas and changed
some things. We went backto CASA, and eventually they
realised that we were in this for
the long haul and were determined
to get this thing over the line. We
stuck within the regulations and
got our approval.”
The Brights now have a good
relationship with the CASA
people, and it’s based around
professionalism and a belief that
Wings over Illawarra is a serious
air show determined to do the
right thing by everyone.
“They know we’re not going to
do anything untoward,” Bright
says. “I think they now realise
that we’re not cowboys and we are
doing everything we can to make
sure we stay within the rules.”
But it hasn’t been an easy road;
most air show organisers have
spent many bewildering hours
trying to sort out what CASA
wants and why, and despite the
rapport they have built with
CASA’s Sydney office, there are
still head-shaking moments every
now and then.
“Initially, with some things you
do bang your head against the wall
and think ‘Oh, for God’s sake, is it
really that hard?’”, Bright recalls.
“We understand there’s rules and
regulations, and unfortunately
there doesn’t seem to be much
leniency; everything is by the
book. Sometimes it comes down
to interpretation, and we’ll have to
argue a point.”
And even when you think
all the ducks are marching in a
straight line, CASA can ask for
last-minute changes, and certainly
want to know if you make any
alterations to the show, the layout
or the crowd provisions yourself.
Then you could be in the
position where you have all the
acts sorted out, the marshalling
team put together, the fencing in
place, the advertising done and
even perhaps some pre-show ticket
sales coming in, but you don’t have
an air show because CASA hasn’t
issued your approval. You have
a heart-stopping wait for a piece
of paper that may not be in your
hand until the day before the show
starts!
CASA really has your sanity in
the palm of its hand.“ ...eventually they realised that
we were in this for the long
haul and were determined to
get this thing over the line.”AUSTRALIAN FLYING November – December 2017Military displays are outside the reach of CASA, but have
their own set of rules to ensure the public stays safe. Tyabb’s ever-popular air
show will be on again in
2018, with Paul Bennet
handling the paperwork.44 Airshows