Pacific Airshow takes to the skies of Surfers Paradise

The Gold Coast will host the greatest air show ever seen in Australia from August 18 to 20. The three-day festival of flight, Pacific Airshow Gold Coast, will be one of the biggest events ever held on the Gold Coast.

The event will be held in the skies over Surfers Paradise and will feature three days of world-class aerobatics and manoeuvres in the planet’s most hi-tech aircraft flown by the world’s greatest pilots, including the Gold Coast’s own pilot extraordinaire, Hayden Pullen. What’s more, Pacific Airshow Gold Coast will take place over water, rather than an airport (as is usually the case) meaning you can enjoy the most intense air show performances in the world from the beach!

Gold Coaster Hayden Pullen will be taking part in the air show and says nothing compares to flying over his beloved Gold Coast coastline.

“I have to say, flying over the Gold Coast I look around and I get reminded of how lucky I am to fly in such an awesome part of the world,” he says.

“I think the Gold Coast is the best place you could ever put an air show in, because of just how beautiful it is, and the infrastructure we have for hosting an event like this.

“It’s also well known to people overseas – even if they’ve never been, they’ve heard of it.”

He says one of the biggest differences to flying at Pacific Airshow Gold Coast over other air show events he generally flies in is that the pilots are actually individual parts of a team of performers for the whole show. “You still need to get your own part right but the workload is shared with your team mates and the focus feels more spread and to fly with some of the world’s best pilots is as good as it gets,” he says. “You have to be mentally prepared to perform at your very best… with no option to fail. There’s no better feeling when you think: ‘hey, I nailed it’.”

The concept for Pacific Airshow Gold Coast began in Huntington Beach, California, in 2016. It soon became the most attended air show in the United States – attracting over three million guests, and earning multiple awards as America’s best air show. It became one of southern California’s biggest family events.

Event organisers expect a large crowd for what’s set to become an annual event. “Since launching our expansion to Australia in April, we’ve been inundated with calls and emails from people across the globe desperate for us to let them in on the secret,” event organiser Kevin Elliott says.

Along with Hayden Pullen, you’ll get to see the most daring pilots on this earth perform unbelievable aerobatics and manoeuvres at break-neck speeds, including the world’s highest profile aerobatic pilot, Wayne Boss. A veteran of hundreds of air shows across the globe, he also has his own Netflix reality series, and this will be his very first performance in Australia.

During the event there’s also often less than 60 seconds between flying acts, so there will always be something new and exciting happening in the skies above you. The event precinct will stretch for several kilometres along the Surfers Paradise Esplanade, with live bands, outdoor bars, street vendors, art exhibits and more… all just a few metres from Surfers Paradise’s world-famous beach. The three-day event will showcase everything the Gold Coast has to offer for legions of air show fanatics from all across Australia, and the world.