Airbourne (air show)

For other uses, see Airbourne.
Airbourne
Eastbourne International Air Show
Genre Free air show
Dates August
Frequency Annually
Location(s) Eastbourne
Coordinates 50°45′53″N 0°17′30″E / 50.764857°N 0.291567°E / 50.764857; 0.291567Coordinates: 50°45′53″N 0°17′30″E / 50.764857°N 0.291567°E / 50.764857; 0.291567
Country England
Activity aerobatic displays
static displays
Organised by Eastbourne Borough Council
Website
eastbourneairshow.com
Fly-pass over Eastbourne Pier, Sussex. The 'Battle of Britain' flight, flying over Eastbourne Pier during the 2005 'Airbourne' air show.

Airbourne, also known as Eastbourne International Airshow, is a 4-day international air show run every August in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. The event features Battle of Britain memorial flights and aircraft from the RAF and USAF, among others, and enjoys a long relationship with the Red Arrows display team.

Started in 1993,[1] the show is run by Eastbourne Borough Council, who claim it contributes to the millions of pounds which tourism bring to the town.[2]

A dedicated FM radio station, "Radio Airbourne", broadcasts on 87.7FM during the event.

Funding

In 2008, Eastbourne Borough Council controversially decided to charge a £5 admission fee, in order to meet the show's rising costs, having failed to find a major sponsor. However, with visitor numbers down on previous years, and the additional cost of security during the event, the organisers were left with a £170k operational loss, and an inquiry was ordered.[3] Five senior members of staff at Eastbourne Borough Council were made redundant in late 2009 as part of a cost-cutting exercise.[4]

The organisers remained confident that there would be an event in 2009, but admitted that lessons would have to be learnt, and the funding of the event reviewed. Council leader David Tutt said: "We will be investigating what went right, what went wrong and looking very seriously at ways of ensuring the event for future years."[5] A 2009 event did take place.

Accidents

As with any airshow, some of the stunts performed carry a risk to the pilots, and Airbourne has seen accidents of various severity over the years. On 18 August 2000 former Red Arrows pilot Ted Girdler was killed when his Aero L-29 Delfín jet failed to pull up from a diving roll and crashed into the English Channel.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Calls for airshow to be grounded". BBC News. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
  2. ↑ "Air show's true value disputed". The Argus. Newsquest Media Group. 15 September 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  3. ↑ "Full Costs of Airbourne Explained". VisitEastbourne.com. 4 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  4. ↑ "Eastbourne Airbourne blunder boss loses his job". The Argus. 3 October 2009.
  5. ↑ "Council Leader Orders Inquiry into Airbourne 2008". VisitEastbourne.com. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  6. ↑ "Airshow crash: No wreckage found". BBC News Online: UK. BBC News. 19 August 2000. Retrieved 21 September 2008.

External links

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