Hot weather no obstacle to thousands who want to see daredevil stunts

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Hot weather no obstacle to thousands who want to see daredevil stunts

The Malaysia Air Festival commemorates 100 years of the country’s aviation industry.

THE Malaysia Air Festival left thousands of visitors spell-bound on its first day yesterday. The air show provided guests with an opportunity to get up close to more than 50 new-generation aircraft at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.

Fuad Kassim, 10, said: "Previously, I knew nothing about aircraft, but, now, I am inspired to learn more about them, especially helicopters."

He had just boarded a Sikorsky S-92, a multirole helicopter shipped in from the United States via Singapore.

The inaugural festival commemorates 100 years of the country's aviation industry.

Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Datuk Az-haruddin Abd Rahman launched it yesterday.

"The civil aviation sector has come a long way since the first aircraft blazed the skies and made its first-ever landing on Malaysian soil in 1911.

"By organising the MAF, we hope to promote and showcase the pride of Malaysian aviation."

People thronged the venue from as early as 10am and, despite the hot weather, scanned the skies for Les Vorosmarthy, a stunt pilot who flew a red Extra 300L aerobatic aeroplane.

Aviation enthusiast Jeffrey Lim said: "After half an hour, a whirring noise could be heard some distance away, and everybody looked up to find Vorosmarthy performing amazing stunts."

Spectators cheered as the Hungarian performed death-defying manoeuvres, including the loop, roll, hammerhead and knife-edge pass.

A skydiving performance followed, where parachutists jumped from a plane 900m above ground level, drawing more cheers from the crowd.

For a fee, visitors could take to the skies in helicopters and monoplanes.

In the terminal, the New Straits Times Press held the "100 Years of Aviation Pictorial Journey" expo that invited visitors to go through the country's aviation history.

The festival ends today. It includes talks by DCA on how to become a pilot, aircraft engineer, air traffic controller and a flight instructor.

The entrance fee is RM10 for adults and RM5 for children aged between 6 and 12.

Entrance is free for senior citizens aged 55 and above, children below 5 and disabled visitors.

For details, visit www.mavfest. com, or www.facebook.com/ pages/Malaysia-Air-Festival.