The thundering noise of a Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18C fighter jet astonished the visitors of the 2019 airshow at Omaka. That is no wonder, as fighter jets are a rare view in New Zealand since 2001, when the RNZAF disbanded its last A-4 Skyhawks. The secret star of the show, which focuses on propeller-driven aircraft, was however once again the FlugWerk FW190. It celebrated a new maiden flight after its landing accident four years ago. This warbird dominated a highly diverse flying program.
The COVID-19 outbreak affects us all. It affects and restricts our daily life, and along with that also our leisure time activities. It currently seems like like pulling the throttle from full power back to idle. Things we once took for granted like travelling or going for a nice day of planespotting have been cast into doubt or, quite simply, stopped altogether. Plenty of airshows have already been cancelled, and for sure there will be more cancellations in the following weeks and months to come. Chances are high that 2020 might even become a year without any airshow if the spread of the Corona virus cannot be damped as quickly as possible. But of course there are currently more important things in life than admiring planes in the air and having a great day out. There is more to life than aviation photography, those planes will fly again, but right now, please take care of your health and protect the others!
"Air Legend" at the Melun-Villaroche airfield in the South of Paris is a new airshow establishing itself firmly on the European circuit. The second edition in 2019 focused on Cold War jets and succeeded with a well balanced mix of those Cold War warriors, warbirds and modern aviation.
2019 saw the 19th edition of the Oldtimer Fliegertreffen Hahnweide. You may also call it a fly-in, a pilot meeting or a warbird airshow, and with around 400 participating aircraft it is arguably Germany’s biggest aviation event. It is an avgeek festival, and an aviation photographer’s challenge!
