In photos and video: Eurofighter provides spectacular finale to Costa del Sol air show

José Rodríguez Cámara

Torre del Mar

Monday, 9 September 2024, 10:45

Around 300,000 people flocked to Torre del Mar on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol on Sunday 8 September to the town's International Air Show. By 9am, coach loads of people were arriving to guarantee their spot on the beach and local residents were heading down with deck chairs, umbrellas and parasols to make sure they had the best views.

The spectacle started a display by Vélez-Málaga's emergency canine unit (UCE), with two rescues off the coast, and the finale came from the Eurofighter jet. "Don't leave yet, we're going to make a little noise," said Captain Felix from the cockpit of this fourth-generation aircraft, the cutting edge of technology, which is capable of reaching 2.5 times the speed of sound.

International Torre del Mar Air Show 2024 on the Costa del Sol, in picturesVer 64 fotos

It did not reach this limit in Torre del Mar, but, as a demonstration of its power, it took just ten minutes to get from the Morón de la Frontera air base in Seville to the town. Once there it performed various manoeuvres to test the thrust of its engines, with a power equivalent to two "accelerated bulldozers", from "slow flight" to the "Cuban 8", passing through the attack formation.

The appearance of the Super SAETA had to overcome a storm at the Granada base from which it took off, but which finally arrived in Malaga on time to wow the crowds. A pioneering machine of Spanish aviation, a jewel of the Spanish industry which, with its manufacture in the 1970s, opened the door to the modernity of the Spanish air force and was piloted by Carlos Bravo. It is a unique piece that also represents an example of the success of Spanish technology, as it was exported to Egypt, and is currently in good shape thanks to the A3H association.

A demonstration of the avant-garde and international prestige of national aeronautics, which, together with the Eurofighter, the EF-18 Hornet represents today in Spain's Defence. The EF-18 reached an altitude of 1,200 kilometres and climbed 3 kilometres in 12 seconds.

They were not far behind another indispensable aircraft: the Canadair, of the 43rd Air Forces Group, christened the Corsairs, which, as has been made clear, "are there to defend your forest". It moves more slowly but its water loading and unloading manoeuvres are no less interesting.

To the sounds of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, from the famous scene from Apocalypse Now, the AS 365, the Guardia Civil's helicopter arrived, which included the low-flying flights of the King Air, an aircraft of the armed forces.

Ramón Morillas and César Cánudas, with their paramotor; Francis Giménez with his autogiro, Camilo Benito, Juan Velarde and Team Raven, from the UK, were the protagonists of breathtaking twists and turns. The five Colibrí helicopters of the Patrulla Aspa, based at the military helicopter school at Armilla, Granada province, did not fall short in pirouettes either.

These aircraft, which are capable of reaching 250 kilometres per hour, delighted the spectators with formations such as the "Alhambra break", in which the aircraft appear to disappear in the skies, before returning to performing 'looping', which is extremely complex in a helicopter.

Music, the smell of 'espeto' sardines cooking and families and friends who enjoyed the the who either from the town's numerous beach bars, or with picnics on the sand, and a succession of live radio connections with the various participants in the show, through the megaphone, provided a day of enjoyment in a festival that next year will celebrate its 10th anniversary.