Foynes Air Show 2015

15,000 people to experience thrilling aerial displays at Foynes Air Show 2015

The Yak Team taking part in the Foynes Air Show as 15,000 turned up for the centrepiece of the Foynes 75th anniversary, Photographed by Sean Curtin

Authentic World War Two airplanes, Aer Lingus’ first airplane and one the largest search and rescue (SAR) training exercises ever undertaken in Ireland are among the highlights of the second annual Foynes Air Show which takes place this Sunday, 26 July.

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Hosted by Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, the Air Show will also feature aircraft displays from across Europe, along with some of the world’s top aerobatic pilots.

The Show will open at 1pm with the Irish Air Corps, Naval Service (LÉ Samuel Beckett), Irish Coastguard, and Search and Rescue teams from all over the country carrying out a massive sea, land and air exercise in front of the estimated 15,000 people expected to attend.

Among the aircraft taking to the skies over West Limerick and the Shannon Estuary will be a Russian Mini MiG, authentic World War II aeroplanes, a Hawker Hunter fighter, a P51 Mustang and James Bond’s BD-5 Micro-Jet. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus’ first plane, the Iolar, will be flying in formation for one of the first times ever at a public display with three de Havilland Chipmunks in Air Corps colours.

The Air Show will also feature the world’s only formation wingwalking display team, The Breitling Wingwalkers who will perform a sequence of formation loops and rolls while wingwalkers perform acrobatics on the wings.

The Breitling Wingwalkers from left: lead pilot (3) David Barrell with wing walker Danielle Hughes and Martyn Carrington (2), with wing walker Lydia Beadle in the 2014 Foynes Air Show 15,000 turned up for the centrepiece of the celebrations involving up 30 different aircrafts. Photographed by Sean Curtin.

The Air Show, which continues until 6pm, will also feature live music, food stalls and children’s entertainment. Organisers say that Park and Ride services will be provided throughout the event to enhance access to and from the Air Show site

The Foynes Air Show was first held in 2014 when the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum marked the 75th anniversary of the first transatlantic commercial passenger flight that took place to the Flyingboat base, located 23 miles from Limerick City.

“Foynes has a strong association with international aviation and has the world’s only Flying Boat  Museum featuring the world’s only  replica of B314 flying boat. The Air Show not only provides a wonderful day out for aviation enthusiasts and people of all ages but it also celebrates Foynes’ historic place in world aviation history,” commented Margaret O Shaughnessy the Director of Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum.

Gerry Humphreys, Foynes Air Show Director said: “We are very excited to bring this free air show to Foynes again this year. The Foynes Air Show is going to be one of the largest ever seen in Ireland and it’s going to be a great show.”

Aircraft taking part in the 2015 Foynes Air Show include:

P51 Mustang (Ferocious Frankie) – This aircraft has fought in WWII, starred in Hollywood blockbusters and come 2nd in the Reno Air Races (without modification) having narrowly been beaten by a heavily modified, hugely more powerful machine.

BD5 – Made famous in the opening sequence of the James Bond film, Octopussy, the BD5 is a single-seat homebuilt aircraft created in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede

Sukhoi Su-26 – A single-seater aerobatics plane from the former Soviet Union, flown by one of Ireland’s top aerobatic pilots and engineers Dave Bruton

Hawker Hunter – A UK jet fighter flown by highly experienced former RAF Harrier pilot and Airbus Captain Andy Hill

Christen Eagle – Described as a true sports car of the sky, the 2-seat Eagle flown by Andrew Fenton will perform aerobatics

CAP 231 – Top Aerobstic Pilot Eddie Goggins “The Flying Dentist” returns to Foynes to fly an aircraft designed for competition aerobatics

Aviatika-MAI-890 (Mini-MiG) – 21 year old Pilot Harry Humphreys will fly his Aviatika-MAI-890, a pod-and-boom, pusher configuration biplane designed and built by the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) in Russia in the 1980s

RV4/8 – UK-based Team Raven will perform a 5-ship RV4/8 Aerobatic formation display

Vans RV7 – Gerry Humphreys and Eddie Goggins, known collectively as AerDynamics, are the first ever Irish civilian aerobatic formation team and will be flying the  versatile Vans RV7 and the Cap 231 in a unique display of low level formation aerobatics and exciting head-on passes.

Killorglin based Approved Productions are the event managers for the upcoming Air Show, which is being supported and sponsored by Limerick City and County Council, The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Avolon, Wild Atlantic Way, Shannon Foynes Port Company, Irelandia Aviation, AerCap, Air Contractors, Rusal Aughinish and CPL Fuels.

Visit Foynes Air Show website here for more details, including the event programme and details of participating aircraft and entertainment.
Check out Foynes Air Show Facebook page here and Twitter page here.
Read more about Foynes Air Show here.