August 31st, 2023The need for speed: Pacific Airshow packs sensory overload

Words Kyle Barnes | Images: Kyle Barnes & Donna Kelly

The inaugural Pacific Airshow Gold Coast was a sensory overload. The show sported aerobatic aircraft from the mid-sized two airplanes in one, a super loud Yak 110 and the huge C-130 Hercules through to my favourite, the air ripping F/A-18 Super Hornet’s handling display.
As with a lot of Central Highlanders we started our annual heat-seeking mission north to break the winter mundanity and landed on the Gold Coast. We had never heard about the airshow and only found out about it when we were told to check out of our accommodation on August 18 as all accommodation was full.

But as it turned out there was a cancellation close to our departure date, so we continued our stay and booked into one of the last available sea-facing balconies on the Gold Coast. Donna did her thing and quickly ordered some press passes which, when you have a newspaper for an email signature, is actually quite easy.
I shot photos from the balcony and down at Surfers Paradise used my phone as my real gear was back at the office. Although you didn’t really need a zoom lens as the action was happening at eye level 200 metres from our balcony.
The action lasted over four and a half hours every day for three days.
I must admit some of the loop-the-loop planes became a bit tedious, but that was made up for by the thundering Globemaster and the F/A-18 which went past the front window doing what I can only explain as a wheelie, with its pointy end skyward walking along on its jets and dropping anti-missile flares. The noise felt like the flesh was shuddering from your bones in a sort of an air tearing sound that made you cover your ears and look around for the broken windowpanes.
Some days prior we had attended the airshow opening at Coolangatta Airport where the charming and very proud Tom Tate, the Gold Coast Mayor, took to the podium to open the show. He seemed pretty chuffed that they had locked in yet another large event for the GC and then donned an air suit complete with sickbag to hop into a jet.
It was later said that the only bomb that was dropped over the weekend was the F-bomb from Cr Tate, as the pilot twisted, stretched and G-forced him in a spectacular jet flight experience.

Click on the QR Code for video from the airshow…