Aerosport 2010
I got a chance to attend a fly-in at a small airport near Barcelona. The publicity made it sound like it was going to be a huge event. I expected to see lots of static displays, different companies and schools promoting themselves and a high-ticket price. This was much different. (It turned out to be a free event – imagine that!)
There were companies selling their products and that included pilot supplies (maps, books, headsets) to airplanes. There were not as many schools or clubs as I expected which was a little disappointing. I would like to a greater effort made at introducing more people to flying.
But this was still a great event! A lot of people flew their airplanes in and put them on static display so you could get a closer look. Interestingly, Tecnam outnumbered all other makes – there were only a couple of Pipers and Cessnas. In fact, what we in the USA would classify as Lite Sport was the dominant type of airplane flown. I am sure the lower price and closer proximity to many of these manufacturers had a lot to do with this. Of course, having a lower operating cost also helped.
In addition to the static displays, there were a few demonstrations that included acrobatics and Tecnam with their twin. One of the acrobatic performances was especially nice: Spain’s acrobatic champion Castor Fantoba not only put on a great show, he put on a great school. With his mic on, Castor gave details about what he was doing and what to expect from the airplane – this was definitely a treat.
