Wings over Illawarra was once a local fly-in supported by a few circuits from the aircraft of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) collection. There was no entry fee to Albion Park Airport and the fly-in was the result of dedicated volunteers only.
The people came to watch in droves.
Now, WOI is a fully-fledged air show featuring the cream of the RAAF assets, the HARS collection and a healthy contribution from the Temora Aviation Museum (TAM).
Put simply, the little fly-in succeeded itself into the echelons of Australia's prime air shows, which is evident when you look at the line-up for this year's event, which is just around the corner on Sunday 4 May.
WOI is now in the hands of professional company Bright Events, which was handed control by the organising committee late last year.
Marketing Manager Andrew Herring explained the reasons why WOI evolved into a commercial air show.
"This transformation has been in response to growing public interest and attendance, matched by a consistent commitment by organisers to continual improvement in order to meet and exceed public expectations," he told Australian Flying.
"A key step in Wings Over Illawarra’s transformation occurred in November 2013 when the Wings Over Illawarra organising committee decided that the air show had outgrown the resources of a volunteer community committee and needed commercial investment and management to continue and to reach its potential.
"It unanimously resolved to transfer ownership of Wings Over Illawarra to Bright Events Pty Ltd. Bright Events is investing in turning this successful community event into a fully-fledged commercial air show that will become an iconic tourism attraction for the Illawarra and South Coast region and for NSW."
Herring expects over 20,000 people to come through the gates during the one-day show, and certainly the flying program has the depth to attract a good crowd. Among the aircraft scheduled to be in the air are:
- HARS Caribou
- F/A-18 Hornets
- Hudson
- P-40 Kittyhawk
- Mustang
- Catalina
- Avenger
- C-47
- Huey
- Squirrel
- CAC Sabre
Aerobatics from Matt Hall and Paul Bennett will inject extra energy into the show, as will the iconic and ever-present Roulettes.
"In 2013, Wings Over Illawarra attracted 15,000 attendees and won a Gold Award in the South Coast Regional Tourism Awards," Herring pointed out.
"With airspace restrictions making holding an air show in metropolitan Sydney impossible, Wings Over Illawarra is the most affordable and conveniently accessible air show experience for Sydney residents. Wings Over Illawarra is Sydney’s air show."
Aircraft parking and marshalling services are available. Entry is free to pilots who fly in, although their passengers will need to purchase entry tickets.
Visiting pilots must pre-register. Registrations close at 1700 on Friday 2 May 2014.
Full details, including terms and conditions, registration form and a visiting pilots’ guide are available at www.wingsoverillawarra.com.au