In a nail-biting finale to four days of aerial amazement, Zoltan Veres of Hungry took top honours in the Al Ain Aerobatic Show’s thrilling Aero GP competition – an aerobatics triathlon regarded as aviation’s answer to Formula One.

Spectators packed the main grandstand to capacity to watch six of the world’s top aviators, flying six of the world’s top competition aircraft, demonstrate their gravity-defying skills over the beautiful rolling red sands around Al Ain’s International Airport.

And they weren’t disappointed, as flying-ace Veres showed why he is regarded as one of the world’s top aerobatic pilots with a stunning wire-to-wire victory to claim his second title in Al Ain.

Accepting his prize from Faisal Al Sheikh, Head - Major Event’s Division of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which organises the Al Ain Aerobatic Show in conjunction with the UAE Air Force, Veres said it had been both a tough and exhilarating competition.

“Winning is always great, but in this event I felt that all six of us were winners. However fortune smiled on me today rather than the others,” he said.

Veres added that was this was his fifth visit to Al Ain and each year the hospitality exceeds the previous year. “This was a great show and a great honour for me to be invited to participate.”

 W ith three disciplines - pylon racing, simulated dog-fighting and precision aerobatics – up for grabs, the final day was always going to be major crowd draw.

Enigmatic Veres laid the gauntlet down to his rivals early after notching up a hat-trick of wins during Friday’s qualifying rounds.

The victories clearly gave Veres a psychological edge over his rivals – a fact compounded by the Hungarian’s advantage of being able to choose where to start in the air race and precision aerobatics events. With the tide in Veres’ favour, the Aero GP chasing pack had to employ some interesting tactics if they were to topple the front-runner. 

The most notable risk-taker was England’s Andy Bickmore, who opted to start at the back of the grid for the air race – which is unique to international aerobatic competitions in that all six contestants are pitted against one another at the same time. Hedging for the possibility he may be behind going into the final competition, Bickmore was hoping the added points received for overtaking, could push him to the top of the leaderboard. 

And despite the pilot’s best efforts, Veres soared ahead in the day’s final race, lapping the field to complete his dominance of the weekend’s events.

Speaking at the event’s prize ceremony, Faisal Al Sheikh said the Aero GP had spectators on the edge of their seats watching each roll and loop and was a great conclusion to a stunning weekend of entertainment.

“Aero GP has rightfully taken its place as one of the premier attractions of this four day spectacle. It is unique and as such once again singles out Al Ain as one of the premier international events on the aerobatic calendar. Through the staging of best-in-class events, we bring exposure of Abu Dhabi to millions of fans globally and we hope that many of them will join us here in Al Ain next year to see all the action first-hand.”

The Aero GP provided a fitting climax to what has been four days of aerial master-class, gravity-defying manoeuvres, never-before-seen displays and a wealth of interactive activities for the entire family.

With its largest and most diverse line-up in its eight-year history, including 23 international teams from 15 countries, the Al Ain Aerobatic Show kept fans entertained from the inaugural take-off to the final landing.

For the first time globally, Al Ain showcased the pioneering triple synchronised inverted parachute drop by the South African Goodyear Eagles Aero Team. In this spectacular routine, three parachutists exited their Pitts Special S2B biplanes simultaneously at the top of a loop and parachuted to the ground.

Joining them was a top-class cache of aircraft and teams who made their Middle East debuts, including the UK’s Team Viper, who flew four Strike Master aircraft; two Falland Gnats – the supersonic jets used by the Red Arrows, and flown by former Red Arrows team members; and a privately-owned Hawker Hunter, known as ‘Miss Demeanour’, which had been painted in a unique colour scheme for the Al Ain showpiece.

Held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi  and Deputy Supreme Commander of  the UAE Armed Forces, the Al Ain Aerobatic Show is hosted by Abu Dhabi Airports Company, organised by ADTA and  the UAE Air Force and is supported by an extensive list of sponsors. These include gold sponsors Etihad, Pilatus, Al Ain Water and Abu Dhabi National Hotels, along with silver sponsors Mubadala Aerospace, ADAT, Al Ain Municipality and Panasonic. Costa is  the official retailer which will partner  with The National, a leading UAE English language daily newspaper, to create ‘The National Costa Coffee Lounge’ – a relaxed venue to grab a coffee and paper. Mercedes Benz meanwhile will provide the official vehicles.

This event was shown live on Abu Dhabi TV and across the world on www.airsports.tv , the home of aviation sport, where it reached millions of viewers worldwide.