By Michael Gilmour 

What is it about pilots that they just can't seem to get enough of aviation? Why is it that pilots have the insatiable appetite of a tape worm combined with a great white shark to devour anything and everything about flying? Just ask yourself this question, "Why am I reading this article?"

We would like to say that it's all about safety and becoming better pilots but, deep down, we know that really isn't the answer. In many cases we spend as much time reading the aviation advertisements as reading the actual text of an article in a flying magazine.

Likewise, the internet has become a great play ground for Googling about planes we can never afford and we waste countless hours trying to work up fancy spreadsheets to convince our wives/husbands that mortgaging the house further to buy a plane is a great investment.

In the midst of all this contemplation a very helpful fellow pilot happened to mention that he was going to attend the Tyabb Air Show. I didn't even know that Tyabb had an air show and it just so happens that it's about forty-five minutes from my house. Without a second thought I stuck my hand up - "I'll be there!"

After the euphoria of the thoughts of another airshow died down reality came crashing back upon my jubilant mood when I realised that I'd conveniently forgotten to check with my wife if we were doing anything that weekend. Being used to the mood swings of her piloting husband which tend to dip into the doldrums during the winter months she replied with an all clear -  Hooray!

My piloting readers, when I reflect upon the Tyabb experience it has dawned on me that our partners are the unsung heroes that put up with our hours of ranting and raving about topics such as Icelandic volcanic dust clogging up pitot tubes and engines. In the case of my wife, since becoming a pilot let's just explore a little bit what I've put her through.

She was initially terrified of flying and suffered mercilessly at the hands of Mr Motion Sickness. Being a kind considerate soul I cured her by flying us both up to the Gold Coast in a little Warrior. We crossed the mountains east of Taree on a windy day and I had the opportunity to watch a single tear roll down her cheek as she kept her stomach together. Needless to say, motion sickness has largely been consigned to the past because all motion is nothing compared to the Taree flight.

For me, travelling to a destination is all about the journey. The fact that we may be staying in a magnificent guest house is beside the point. Flying is what it's all about. Once again, from my better half's perspective, I've just cooped her up in a narrow tube, that bumps along at 110 knots or so and then I have the gall to stick some tin cans on her head so that we can have some quality time together. Yes, our deep and meaningful conversation was interrupted by Melbourne Centre and the various CTAF calls but we were together weren't we? The fact that if she opened her mouth a little too far it could possibly result in an unpleasant aroma in the cockpit (you don't want to be my wife's microphone) meant that the conversation was a little one-sided.

So when I heard about the airshow I did the right thing by my wife and gave her some space to do whatever she would like to do for the day. This pilot was going to be out of her hair and she could have the joy of a chick flick or two. How could I be more considerate than that?

Of course every great day has to begin with a mate so after picking him up, I returned to my house because I forgot my favourite hat and we were then off. My view of the Tyabb air show was that my friend and I would probably double the size of the crowd as we wandered around a couple of beat up Cessna's. After all, Tyabb is a little country airstrip, isn't it?

As we travelled to Tyabb we were stopped by a traffic jam that I presumed was due to an accident. You just don't get traffic jams in the country do you? I was wrong. The huge line of cars was being directed by the police but it wasn't due to an accident, it was down to the mighty Tyabb air show!

The car park was packed and overflow ovals had been arranged with marshalls directing drivers; this was followed by buses to the airshow proper. In all, over 10,000 people came to enjoy a spectacle that rivalled the immensely popular bi-annual Avalon event.

Let's just think about this for a minute. No disrespect to Tyabb but it's a tiny little country airstrip. What business did they have attracting over 10,000 avid spectators to an event in the middle of nowhere?

It comes from a vision that started in the 60s when the Peninsula Aero Club purchased the land for the airstrip which secured their future by not being dependent upon either the government or a private operator. The first training flight was taken on the 7th June 1964 and the club has never looked back.

The vision expanded in the 80s and 90s and Tyabb is now home to one of the most diverse collections of historically significant aircraft in the country. The restoration expertise at Tyabb is even recognised internationally.

Since the first air show in the 80s it has continued to grow and has become a highlight on the calendar for residents and aviation enthusiasts alike. From walking around it was obvious to me that the Peninsula Aero Club is prosperous, governed by a great board and has a clear direction for the future.

I believe that the attitudes and vision of the aero club flowed down through the organisation on the day. For example, what really inspired me were the hundreds of yellow T-shirted volunteers who cleaned, cooked, guided the crowds and willingly did many of the hundreds of other tasks that make an event successful. I personally would like to thank them all for their inspirational efforts.

I find that one of the challenges of being at an airshow is that you need to look both up and down. It almost got to the point where I felt like my head was on a swivel!  On the ground there were some incredible aircraft; from a terrific Tiger moth to a magnificent Mustang.

My friend spotted a number of CT-4s and recognised one of them that he'd flown back in his RAAF days. It was like walking (ie. flying) down memory lane for him as he told a number of stories of his experiences in the plane that was sitting right next to us. How good is that!

The aerobatic display put on by Tony Blair and Chris Sperou were truly inspirational. Chris's Pitts Special screamed across the sky trailing a line of white display smoke and then tumbled end over end after reaching the apex of a vertical climb.

It was at this time that I couldn't help thinking about my wife. A high speed vertical climb then a tumble? Are we talking about the Pitts Special or the contents of her stomach? It then dawned on me that the way Chris moved his plane across the sky would more than likely mean that I would be joining my wife's camp. It's times like this you're glad that you're looking at a display rather than making a display of yourself.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a Huey helicopter as its rotor blades beat the air into submission. All we needed was the sun to be setting and a tune from the days of Vietnam to complete the picture.

Towards the end of the day the airfield came under the attack from a squadron of Harvards, Nanchangs, Yaks and T28s. Explosions leapt into the air and the ether was filled with the noise of high powered war birds racing across the sky.

When the Spitfire's V12 Merlin engine announced its presence the whole airfield knew it and every head turned in the direction of the one of the world's most famous aircraft. I'd thought that I'd become immune to the sound of all engines. After all, an engine is just a big noisy piece of machinery. How wrong I was!

The Spitfire's run-up checks could be felt hammering away at my chest, vibrating the ground all the while bringing joy to my ears. It was a very distinctive sound that made you simultaneously want to hug the plane and run away at the same time. In WWII these incredible aircraft roared a challenge to the Axis fighters across the English Chanel and prevailed and here I was at the Tyabb air show watching, hearing, feeling a piece of history forcing itself to be remembered.

Once the Spitfire was airborne it was quickly followed by a Mustang and it wasn't long before the enemy aircraft attacking the airfield overhead suffered the same fate as their historical cousins. This cacophony of sounds from all of the planes above was suddenly pierced by a screaming supercharger from an Australian designed and built Boomerang that also dived to the defence of the field. 

With all of the noise, fireballs and visual spectacular I could only say WOW! Aviation history was flying all around and this incredible display of airmanship made any Hollywood movie look silly in comparison. I imagine that the general public became instant aviation enthusiasts as they gazed skywards while pilots like myself imagined flying in one of the terrific yet terrifying machines.

The show finally ended and, after a short bus trip back to the car park, my friend and I couldn't stop talking about the highlights of the day as we headed home. What struck me was the incredible draw that aviation has for the general public. Getting ten thousand people to a small country airfield is an amazing achievement and one that the Peninsula Aero Club should be rightfully proud of. I just wonder if the best way to save an airfield from closing is to run an event like the Tyabb air show and have the public fall in love with aviation.

Upon arriving home I pulled the car into the driveway and relished the thought of a fresh audience to share my day’s adventure with. After some time to herself, I'm sure that my wife wouldn't really mind...would she?