Spotters Magazine - Yearbook 2016

Malta Aviation Society Chairman Joe Ciliberti said that
“Considering the various changes, the main one being to move the flying
display away from the airfield, the outcome was satisfactory.
The cancellation of the Polish Air Force Su-22s to the airshow was a setback
but the Polish Armed Forces were still well represented by the ISKRA
display team and the Navy An-28.
The Su-27s from Ukraine provided some raw power to the show and
they were well appreciated both on the ground and in the air during the
flying display. Most pilots prefer airfield displays to seaside shows. The
attendance for the flying display at SmartCity Malta was quite good, and
the offshore move also presented us with an opportunity to push the timings
to sunset which meant that the Pioneer Team from Italy could give a
wonderful sunset display.
The weather conditions on Sunday were so unpredictable that it was
wiser to cancel than face weather which nobody could forecast even
for the coming 30mins. Some pilots told us they would not be able to fly
in those conditions and some others offered to fly, thus we preferred
not to go into the programme without knowing how it will be during the
programme itself. It is my and some of the pilots’ opinion that had the
flying display been on the airfield it would have marginally increased the
chances of executing the programme, even if not to its fullest.
MAS is prepared to organise the 25th edition in 2017, but with enforced
changes from the authorities, it now does not depend on MAS alone to go
for a decision”.
198 Spotters Magazine