Foynes Air Show marks 80th anniversary of first transatlantic flight

Foynes Air Show, the largest event of its type to be held along the west coast of Ireland, will take place on July 22nd, with a total of 16 acts and 29 aircraft taking to the skies for a 3-hour never before seen show. Spanish Air Force F-18 jets, British Spitfires and Viggen jets flown by the Swedish Air Force are just a small sample of the daredevil acts unveiled this week as part of the show, which is supported by the Irish Aviation Authority.
A must-see for many locals will be the Catalina flying boat, which will be on display to mark the 80th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight, undertaken on July 5th, 1937, when flying boat G-ADHM Caledonia, commanded by Capt. A.S. Wilcockson, took off from Foynes for Botwood in Newfoundland. Coming in the opposite direction on the same day was Capt. Harold Gray in the Pan American Sikorsky S42B N16736 Clipper III, which landed in Foynes before going on to Southampton.
Margaret O’Shaughnessy, Director of the Foynes Air Show, said: “This is the biggest year ever for the Foynes Air Show. We have 16 acts coming from all across Europe, and visitors to the show will be amazed at the daredevil acrobatics of the skilled pilots and the impressive sight of some of the world’s most extraordinary aircraft.
“This year’s show is a massive undertaking for Foynes and indeed Limerick, and has the potential to be the stand-out event of 2017,” she added.
A British Spitfire, probably the best known fighter plane ever produced, will also be part of the line-up on the day, while Irish aviation will be celebrated by the Irish Historic Flight Foundation which will be flying Boeing Stearman and Chipmunk aircraft. There will also be a number of exclusive Foynes Air Show acts, details of which will be announced soon. Visit www.foynesairshow.com and follow on Facebook  and Twitter for more event updates.