The second edition of air show by a UK-based team, Global Stars, was kicked off on Friday evening by chief minister Anandiben Patel on Sabarmati Riverfront with thousands of Amdavadis in attendance. The four pilots of the team enthralled people who had gathered there to enjoy the aerobatic displays.
The pilots, led by Mark Jefferies, performed loops, barrel rolls, cubans and turns on the riverfront between Gandhi Bridge and Nehru Bridge as people watched in awe. They also formed shapes such as heart in the air.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said, “Sometimes, we have to organize such stunt-based shows to make people aware about the works of the government.“ During the inaugural event, the CM handed over a commitment letter to Ventura Airconnect for starting the intra-state flight services from Surat and Ahmedabad to various cities of the state. She also launched a coffee table book on aviation sector's growth in the state.
Six girls, who are studying to be pilots at an institute in Vadodara, were awarded letters of appreciation by the CM on the occasion. The show was held at 10 am and 5.30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. This is the second time that Global Stars is holding an air show in the city. The state civil aviation department along with industry body FICCI is organizing the show to celebrate Gujarat state formation day on May 1.
Jefferies said, “Flying over a river in the centre of the city is very exciting. This is our second show in the city and we are very excited. The riverfront provides us an accurate land feature in the middle of city which makes it easy to fly .”
Jefferies added, “It feels good when people appreciate the show, from both sides of the river.“ He further said, “We are doing the show to promote aviation. The idea is to create awareness about the aviation sector. There is a massive scope for careers in aviation.
To make sure birds do not affect the show, officials of the civil aviation department fired crackers from either side of the riverfront, minutes before the show.
Typically , the Global Stars team lead by Mark Jefferies perform three international shows per year. Mark is flying the new EXTRA 330SC aircraft; Tom Cassells flies the Extra 300L or CAP 232, Chris Burkett the Extra 300S and Steve Carver the Extra 260. Jefferies, with over 3,000 flying hours of experience has some spectacular manoeuvres, tumbles and spins in the Extra 330SC in store.
