Paul Bennet Keeps Wings Over Shellharbour Flying with May 16 and 17 Show
Wings Over Shellharbour held its first airshow under new organiser Paul Bennet on the May 16 and 17 weekend, after the event was taken over in December. The show had been left in limbo when the previous operators pulled out less than eight months before it was due to take place.
Paul Bennet Takes Over
Bennet said he stepped in because he did not want the event to vanish. “I didn't want to see it fall over, I didn't want to see it disappear,” he said, adding: “It's a great show for the region, so I thought it was important for someone to take it over.”
He said the decision also reflected the practical reality of running aviation displays. “We're in the business of putting on our shows around Australia, so I thought, 'There's probably not too many other people that are going to do it, so we better do it',” Bennet said.
The previous operators, AMDA Foundation, pulled out less than eight months before the show was set to take place. Bennet’s takeover in December kept the event on the calendar and gave organisers time to prepare the aircraft and flying program for the May weekend.
Riley McDonald at Shellharbour Airport
For Riley McDonald, the weekend carried a personal edge. He learned to fly at 12 years old at the hangar at Shellharbour Airport and said the airshow appearance at his hometown field had been a long-term goal. “It's sort of a dream come true, really, it's something I've been working at for a long time, and it just happened to line up that I was ready for my hometown show,” he said.
McDonald said his interest started early because his parents live at the end of the airport. “My parents live at the end of the airport, so I've always seen the planes and always been super interested in it,” he said. He added that he had been flying aerobatics since he was 16 years old, “so it's coming on 10 years now.”
Sky Aces Formation Display
McDonald flew as part of the Sky Aces Formation Aerobatic Team. He described the routine as a four-ship formation with “loops and rolls and all that sort of thing in proximity,” before branching off for a solo display. He said that solo segment would take him up to 220 knots, more than 400kmh.
Bennet said the flying demands left little room for drift. “You've got to be current in all the planes to be able to fly them.. to be able to do the manoeuvres how you want them to be done, and to perfection,” he said. “Understanding the systems, making sure all that is within parameters and working is important.”
The result is a show that stayed alive despite a late operator change, with a local pilot flying at the airport where he learned at 12 and a weekend program built around formation aerobatics and solo work. For readers heading to the field, the practical takeaway is that the event now has new leadership and a flying lineup that includes one of Shellharbour’s own.
