Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 Night Show

During the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 (March 1st to 3rd) there was also a Friday night show. The glorious sunset made a great backdrop for the twilight flying displays and then the night program featured massive flare drops, aircraft pyrotechnics and yes, even unplanned grass fires!

Sunset views – Temora Aviation Museum Lockheed Hudson and CAC Boomerang, along with a Lockheed 12 – Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

The “Russian Roolettes” aerobatic display team fly a mix of Nanchang CJ-6 and Yakovlev Yak-52 training aircraft – Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

The sun sets at Avalon behind Lithuanian aerobatic pilot Jurgis Kairys in his Juka aircraft (developed and manufactured by Jurgis himself!) – Friday evening at the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

Air Bandits – Juka and Yak-50 sunset aerobatic flying display at sunset during the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

A crowd favourite was a single pass by a USAF Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber. You could see this smokey BUFF long before it passed the crowd line on a long training flight from Guam. Straight after the big bombers pass, the crew headed back to their base in Guam!

A USAF Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber made a single twilight pass on the Friday night of the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 – the crew flew it all the way from Guam on a training flight and then headed straight back again!

The B-52 pass was then a little overshadowed by the RAAF with an impressive flying display of a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornet. Hurtling from the Avalon runway with the afterburners blazing away the skilled pilot lit up the sky with a handling display that kept the afterburners on for most of it! The crowd must have all had a huge grin on their face after this performance, I know I did!

RAAF McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornet firing up the afterburners during the night displays of the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

RAAF McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornet firing up the afterburners during the night displays of the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

The impressive RAAF McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornet afterburner night display at the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

As the sun truly went down and we entered darkness, the pyrotechnics on the air and ground truly kicked off. Flight displays with pyrotechnics firing from the wings of a glider flown by Johan Gustafsson and a modified Scandinavian Airshows Grumman Ag Cat set the tone, then the RAAF topped the lot!

Johan Gustafsson piloting his illuminated glider whilst deploying pyrotechnics during the night flying displays at the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

Scandinavian Airshows Grumman Ag Cat special night act pyrotechnics – Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

Australian Army Aviation Eurocopter Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter flare drop during the Friday night show at the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

A pair of RAAF Lockheed C-130J Hercules transports had “gone dark” then suddenly burst to life with a massive flare drop during the Friday night show at the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019!

RAAF Lockheed C-130J Hercules flare drop during the Friday night show at the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019

That Friday of the airshow was a very hot 40C day, so the sunset and dark of night was very welcome! Along with the cooler air, the night show was an impressive close to the day. Yet the “Wall of Fire” towards the end of the show certainly turned up the heat again!

The Avalon Night Air Show “Wall of Fire”