For all the hype about multi-million-dollar sales and new technology, an international air show is still most often remembered by its flying display.
Judging by popular reaction to yesterday's display, Farnborough '98 is shaping up nicely to take its place in the "do you remember?" books.
Healthy
Not only does the display list contain a healthy number of first-time entrants - such as the Airbus A330-200, Bombardier Global Express, Lockheed Martin C-130J, Embraer ERJ-135 and -145, and the Saab 340AEW - but it is also packed with excellent performances. People are already talking about the Global Express' very steep climb on takeoff - a mere appetiser for a display that leaves no-one in any doubt about this business jet's capabilities.
The Dassault Rafale fighter lives up to its reputation for holding nothing back. "It's a wicked display," remarked one impressed observer. The C-130J gets credit for its dramatically short landing, while the A330 display is described as "pure aerobatics".
It is also good to see the Eurofighter Typhoon come out of its shell and gives its most dynamic display to date. Fortified by its new name, perhaps?
Source: Flight Daily News
