90,000 spectators wowed by Swiss Air Force as ‘childhood sweethearts’ get engagedRecord numbers of spectators attended the Bray Air Display today (Sunday 19th July), as the Swiss Air Force aerobatics team wowed the crowds, while an aviation fan proposed to his girlfriend with an aerial banner tow across the East Coast skies (#loveisintheair).
Organisers confirmed that at least 90,000 people attended the 10th annual Bray Air Display 2015, which is part of the Bray Summerfest and supported by the Irish Aviation Authority.
With a resounding yes, Ciara Kavanagh, a beauty therapist from Arklow. Co. Wicklow accepted Noel Canavan’s airborne marriage proposal. Noel works for a pharmaceutical company and is also from Arklow. To toast the moment, Martina McDermott, Head of Marketing at CityJet presented the couple with flight tickets to Paris and a bottle of champagne.
The Director of the Bray Air Display, Sé Pardy of Simtech Aviation, planned the logistics around the aerial proposal. He congratulated the couple saying: “When Noel approached us with his romantic idea for the proposal, we were more than happy to help, especially when we heard Noel and Ciara were long-time visitors to the Bray Air Display. It was a wonderful aerial surprise for Ciara and on the air show’s ten year anniversary, we were able to make the event extra special for them both.”
As record numbers of spectators looked on, the eagerly awaited Swiss Air Force aerobatic team, known as Patrouille Suisse, made their Irish-debut, flying supersonic red and white Tiger aircraft at speeds of between 250 and 1,100 kilometres per hour.
Performing manoeuvres such as the “Flatty-3 Ship”, the “Hornet” and the “Flirt”, the six-man team wowed the crowds with their close formation display.
The air show welcomed back combat aircraft, the ‘Strikemaster’ and the Ex-UK military ‘Hunter G-BFXI’, along with the vintage biplane, the 1942 ‘Boeing Stearman’.
Three newly restored ‘Chipmunk’ aircraft as well with the iconic 1930s Aer Lingus ‘Iolar’, marked the launch of the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF), while a stage rescue operation was performed by Ireland’s Search and Rescue Team.
The event also featured the ever-popular Black Knights Defence Forces performing a parachute jump out of an Air Corps helicopter at 4,000 feet, to open this year’s show.
The Irish Air Corps performed a series of formation and solo displays, while the US Airforce’s USAF C21 Learjet also impressed the crowds. And, for the first time at the air show, father and son duo, Gerry and Harry Humphreys, flew in the ‘Mini-Mig’ and ‘Flying Cow’ aircraft. In addition, Ryanair, Stobart Air, CityJet and Aer Lingus aircraft made appearances on the day.
Bray Summerfest Chairman, Mick Glynn, said: “Now in its 10th year the Bray Air Display is delighted to welcome 90,000 visitors to the town of Bray. It is now one of Ireland’s biggest and best Air Displays and has something for everyone young and old. In Bray, we are passionate about this flagship event and we loved seeing locals and tourists enjoying this year’s display. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Bray in 2016.”
The Display Director, Sé Pardy added: “This year, we put together the most ambitious air display programme to date, involving pilots and planes from Ireland, the UK, Switzerland and the USA, to showcase the world of aviation to the Irish public. Thanks to Bray Summerfest, with the support of the Irish Aviation Authority, more than 90,0000 spectators along the East Coast got to see the top aviation acts from around the world.”
Supported by the Irish Aviation Authority, Bray Air Display (#BrayAirDisplay) is part of the Bray Summerfest (#bsf15). The festival includes music, food and craft markets, as well as firework finale display on the Monday, 3rd August. Further information about Bray Summerfest, can be found on www.braysummerfest.com