The clock at Ireland’s most historic air traffic control tower, at Foynes, will be turned back to the glorious early days of aviation on July 5th and 6th as the 75th anniversary of the first ever commercial trans-atlantic flight is celebrated.
Organisers of the Foynes/Shannon 75th Anniversary Air Show, which will mark the landing in July 1939 of the Pan American Airways ‘Yankee Clipper’ flying boat that brought the first commercial flight across the Atlantic, have confirmed that the restored ATC tower at the facility will be the control base for the spectacular air show.
Officers from the Air Traffic Control base at Shannon Airport will transfer over to the historic Foynes base for the two air show extravaganzas that are set to be attended by over 10,000 people on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, July 5th and 6th.
The two spectacular displays will amount to the biggest air-show of the year in Ireland as more aircraft than any other such event in the country will take to the skies and deliver a must-see show for both aviation buffs and the general public.
While the air shows will be the highlight of the weekend in the skies, there will be much activity on the ground, with street entertainment and music to add to the sense of celebration in Foynes.
Over 30 different aircraft will participate in the air show, from the Breitling Wing Walkers and the amazing Twisters, to the only non-military form-ation aerobatic display team in Ireland, featuring ‘The Flying Dentist’ Eddie Goggins.
Also confirmed are two de Haviland Chipmunks in Irish Air Corps colours and the Aer Lingus de Havilland Dragon, which are coming together for the 2014 season to celebrate 50 years of Irish cadet pilot training.
With aircraft ranging from fast jets to vintage biplanes flown by world-class display pilots, the Foynes/Shannon 75th Anniversary Airshow celebration promises to be a weekend to remember, according to its organiser Margaret O’Shaughnessy, Director of the Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum. “Huge effort has gone into pulling this celebration together, and rightly so as the first transatlantic flight was an historic moment for world travel. Even through the war years, Foynes was an important transit point for thousands of pas-sengers. When the Pan American Airways ‘Yankee Clipper’ touched down at Foynes on Sunday July 9th 1939 with 19 VIP passengers, it started an aviation history for the Shannon Region that continues thankfully to this day.”