Deniliquin Airport is expected to be flooded with aviation enthusiasts at the Fly In, with an air show kicking off proceedings tomorrow.
Airport Heritage Project co-coordinator Marg Jefferies said panels will showcase the lives of people from the local community of Deniliquin in World War II with a focus on the No. 7 Service Flying Training School that was based here between 1941 and 1948.
‘‘There are stories about the 2000 Royal Australia Air Force personnel who were stationed here and the families connected to them.
‘‘We want people to learn about Deniliquin’s history. The airport has been here for over 75 years and most people have forgotten about it,’’ Mrs Jefferies said.
A feature of this year’s show is the appearance of a Wirraway aircraft from the Temora Aviation Museum as a part of a static and aerial display.
The plane was used to train pilots in Deniliquin before they were sent to fight in the war, making it an exciting addition to the show.
Peter Wyatt is expected to be a highlight of the popular Saturday night hangar dinner, speaking on the Empire Service Training Scheme which the school fell under and how that was used in the Riverina to train the pilots.
Two Pitts Special biplanes are set to fly in, from Moama, to entertain crowds with their aerobatic displays.
They are flown by The Screaming Diamonds Formation Aerobatic Team, which consists of Michael Jones and Adrian Vandersluys.
Yakovlev aircraft will also fly in for the weekend to display thrilling formation flying along with several model aircraft.
Field Air will present a spray based plane demonstration on rice spraying as well as a fire bombing demonstration at the airport.
The air show and proceedings kick off at 12.30pm on Saturday with dinner at 6.30pm.
Tickets for the dinner are $55 each and can be purchased from www.trybooking.com.
General tickets are $10 for a family, $5 for an adult and free for children under 12 years-old. For more information visit https://www.deniliquinaeroclub.com.
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