Biggest Al Ain Aerobatic Show takes off on 28 January

Held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the Al Ain Aerobatic Show, which features the Middle East debut of Aero GP - aviation's Formula 1 - runs each afternoon from January 28-31st.

"The debut of Aero GP brings a new dimension to the show and underlines how serious we are about establishing Al Ain as one of the world's most sought-after aerobatics events," said Khaled Al Hashemi, Director, Administration Division ADTA, which stages the show in conjunction with the UAE Air Force.

"This show also demonstrates, yet again, how capable Abu Dhabi is of staging major events."

Aero GP, an exciting, air-based triathlon, will see five elite stunt pilots, Mark Jefferies, Gerald Cooper, Andy Bickmore, Smokey Young and Zoltan Veres, compete in the little-seen sport of pylon racing (with all aircraft in the air at the same time), aggressive one-on-one dogfights and a precision targeting test in the 'barnstorming' challenge.

Aero GP Managing Director, Jeff Zaltman, said he was looking forward to getting the first championship of the new season off to a great start in Al Ain.

"This year marks the 100th year anniversary of the sport of air racing. And this will be the first time in history that a 'pylon race' will be held in the Middle East. So the Al Ain Aerobatic Show is really making history this week. This is a wonderful reflection on how visionary Abu Dhabi is as we look forward to the next one hundred years," he said.

In addition to Aero GP thrills, the 130,000 expected spectators at Al Ain International Airport can also look forward to world-class performances from 15 display teams.

Among them is England's Swift Glider Display Team, which harnesses the power of gravity to perform breath-taking, engine-free stunts and Italy's popular Team Pioneer, famous for painting the sky with its brightly-coloured flares.

From the Scandinavian Airshow, the playful 'Skycats' will perform on the wing of a speeding bi-plane, while on the ground, Hollywood stuntman, Mark Hager, brings his pyrotechnically-enhanced precision-driving show, Hager's Raiders, to Al Ain.

Spectator activities have been enhanced this year. The Heritage Village has been expanded with fun-filled sponsored stands, paintballing and a mini go-kart track adding interest for all the family.

In the static display park, Khalifa Air College has provided a UAE Air Force Hawk, Pilatus PC-7 and Grob plane, while show-sponsor, Switzerland's Pilatus, will display its pioneering PC-12 single turbo-prop engined aircraft with its integrated aerodynamically advanced airframe.

The precision-perfect Saudi Hawks - the aerobatic display team of the Royal Saudi Air Force - will perform impressive formation flights using BAE Hawker 65 trainer jets while the UAE Air Force will display two of its multi-role jet fighters - the F-16 'Fighting Falcon' and a Dassault Mirage 2000.

And if full-size planes aren't enough to whet spectators' aviation appetites, they can get up-close-and-personal with radio control planes, as the mini aircraft mimic the stunts and rolls of their high-flying cousins overhead.

The Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2009 has a high-profile sponsorship line-up including Pilatus, Abu Dhabi National Hotels, Etihad Airways and Al Ain Mineral Water as Gold sponsors; Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and Tourism Development & Investment Company as Silver sponsors and Emirates Motor Company as the official vehicle sponsor. The show is supported by Abu Dhabi Airports Company.