1992 Avalon Air Show

1992
October 21-26 1992 &nbsp In 1992, the Australian International Airshow was moved to Avalon Airport near Geelong. The two public days of the 1992 show were attended by about 175,000 people; there were 226 exhibitors from 12 countries. The move to Avalon in 1992 was hoped to be the first of many locations, however the weather caused financial difficulties that resulted in the air show remaining at Avalon for many years. Besides the weather, further problems presented themselves, including the absence of the MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 promised by the Russians.
However, other aircraft were present, notably the enormous Antonov An-124 Ruslan and Ilyushin Il-86. Also on display were warbirds, and the Airbus A340, which had been in commercial service for only seven months. The show featured significant RAAF participation 1993 0042 a 1993 0043 a
I travel with Dean and we stay a couple of nights in a motel on the northern outskirts of Avalon. We travel in my trusty 1988 Honda Wagon. This is an Ilyushin IL-76TD belonging to the Pacific Express airline, registration number RA-76786. 1993 0047 a 1993 0048 a
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967, as a replacement for the Antonov An-12. It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Kazan Helicopters, Joint Stock Company, is a Russian helicopter manufacturing company based at Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan. It is one of the largest helicopter manufacturers in the world. Its products include the Mil Mi-8 and Mil Mi-17 helicopters. Southern Cross is a flying close replica of the famous record breaking Southern Cross Fokker FV11B of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith from the 1920s and 1930s. This replica was built in South Australia between 1980 to 1987 as a tribute to Smithy. The aircraft toured Australia during the 1988 Bicentenary raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The Ilyushin Il-86 is a short- to medium-range wide-body jet airliner that served as the USSR's first wide-bodied aircraft. It was designed and tested by the Ilyushin design bureau in the 1970s; it was certified by the Soviet aircraft industry, manufactured and marketed by the USSR.
This aircraft, VH-OJM, was the first of two new Boeing 747-438s ordered by Qantas Airways - January 31, 1990. 1993 0054 a 1993 0055 a The mighty AN12 is the star of the show. The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union.
The An-124 is the world's 2nd heaviest gross weight production cargo airplane and heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the destroyed one-off Antonov An-225 Mriya (a greatly enlarged design based on the An-124) and the Boeing 747-8. The original designer of the An-124 is responsible for managing the certification process for its own products, but the Russia-Ukraine conflicts are making this process difficult to manage. In 2019, there were 26 An-124s in commercial service. 1993 0061 a 1993 0062 a
1993 0063 a 1993 0064 a 1993 0065 a There are floods everywhere. This is the Murray River as we cross back into NSW.
Jarrah Kidd, Jenni's nephew, comes with us. We travel to Braidwood to pick him up and return him to Braidwood after the show. He is a great kid and enjoys the experience. The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in service. The lead designer of the An-124 (and the An-225) was Viktor Tolmachev. In August 2014, it was reported that plans to resume joint production of the Antonov An-124 had been shelved due to the ongoing political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The sole remaining production facility is Russia's Aviastar-SP in Ulyanovsk. The various operators of the An-124 are in discussions with respect to the continuing airworthiness certification of the individual An-124 planes. This a the iIlyushin i86,a Russian passenger aircraft.
Held during October, the show coincided with the wettest spring in Victoria's history. The show organisers nearly cancelled it due to the wet, but the rain stopped just before the opening day.