Al Ain Airshow: Where sky is not the limit.

The sky is not the limit when it comes to air sports - at least that is what Jeff Zaltman believes.

As the Managing Director of Flying Aces, Zaltman aims to make air sports as popular as any other motor sport.

"We have the biggest pitch in the world," he says pointing at the sky.

"We have sports on land and water sports so why have we not tapped into the potential of air sports. We hope to increase world's sports events by 50 percent."

It's been 100 years since the first air race took place in 1909.

The company's flagship is Aero GP.

Known as 'aviation's Formula 1,' Aero GP is the only international air racing series with multiple airplanes competing against one another at the same time.

Air racing sees pilots flying close to the ground, only metres apart at speeds of up to 500 km/h, while experiencing up to 10Gs.

The series has been growing in popularity for five years and is already televised in hundreds of millions of homes worldwide.

"All our (pilots) have day jobs. What we are trying to do is turn the sport professional," says Zaltman.

"Aviation has always had this feel of mystery and awe linked to it, we want to build on that. We looked at how to get people to understand and relate to it. We decided to combine motor sports and extreme sports.

"We started with dog fighting and air combat. People can understand that pilot-versus-pilot aspect of it, and we made it competitive by adding scoring systems and new disciplines. Which makes finding pilots with the right skills very difficult.

"We recently did a race in Romania that was televised live, that was really fun. We've had a lot of TV coverage but mostly recorded races. Now, finally the TV channels have begun to trust us and give us live air time.

He declined to reveal his plans for the sport in the Middle East.

"I don't want to say too much right now, but I have plans for air sports in the Middle East. Besides the great weather and the guge support for it here; I've found that the Middle East has a lot of raw talent that we are looking for. I really, really want to get a pilot from the UAE, so people please feel free to approach us."

The Aero GP series of races will be the main event of the prestigious Al Ain Aerobatic Show, which will be held over the weekend.

You can watch all Aero GP races, including this one at Al Ain, live online (www.airsports.tv).

Pilot Profiles

Zoltan Veres, Hungary

Zoltan Veres flies for Malev Hungarian Airlines as a Boeing-737 and is a captain with more than 14.000 flying hrs logged.

Zoltan is the Advanced European Champion, winner of 2005 and 2007 Aero GP series. He participates in 50 airshows a year and has a fleet of vintage motorcycles, so no wonder his family see very little of him! Additionally, he is an Aviation Engineer and a legal expert in Aviation. Zoltan has always professed to maximum perfection and reckons his fast manoeuvrable MXS plane could help him do just that in Al Ain!

Andy Bickmore, United Kingdom

Andy gained his understanding of engine power from the automotive industry where he began work as a mechanic and later entered management in a German auto manufacturer. But with his skyward ambition and the support of his fiancE[umlaut], he applied his skills to aviation engineering and then to test flying. Andy has been employed at BMW test driving pre-production cars, including the awesome M3, M5 and M6 models. Andy also worked with importing special Russian aircraft and has now recently upgraded his plane for the extra speed. Andy sees the dog fighting discipline as the ultimate event for concentration and skill.

Now an experienced display pilot with a variety of aviation licenses under his belt, Andy is taking aim at the top of the competitive world, the Aero GP

Richard "Smokey" Young, America

With a name like "Smokey" you know he's gotta be hot! One of air racing's elite competitors since he won the title of "Rookie of the Year" at the USA National Air Racing Championships in 2003, Smokey lives and breathes air racing.

Smokey, who represents America, began his aviation career in the US Air Force, flying tactical strike fighters, before settling into the more comfortable seat in the cockpit of 727s and 757s. Missing the personal challenges that fast flying low to the ground brings, Smokey turned his attention to air racing. With numerous races and a successful track record behind him, he was elected to be President of the International Formula 1 Air Racing Association, where he currently presides over all aspects of this exciting class of racing.

But Smokey is not only an air racing pro, he is also an air combat instructor and expert in tactical dog fighting. Don't be fooled by his friendly demeanor -- he is a feared opponent in the air! In addition to flight and combat instruction, he teaches aeronautics at a university in California. Smokey's 25 years of flying and 7,700 flight hours (in over 50 models of aircraft from home-built to the B-52 bomber) will serve him well at Aero GP.

Mark Jefferies, United Kingdom

Mark is the current British National Champion in aerobatics and was recently ranked 8th in the world at the World Aerobatic Championships in 2007. His uncanny ability and calculated precision in the air often earns him a misleading reputation for being nuts! He has air raced and performed his unique style of stunts in every hemisphere.

One of the most versatile and experienced pilots in Europe, his thousands of hours of flight time and countless certifications has allowed him to qualify across the spectrum of aircraft -- 130 different types! The multi-faceted aviator also runs Yak UK, one of Europe's biggest distributors of Russian and Eastern European aircraft, out of his own airfield in Cambridge shire (EGMJ). He is representing the United Kingdom at the stick of his Extra-300.

Gerald Cooper, United Kingdom

Gerald Cooper, a top aerobatics competitor on the world circuit, has logged over 5,000 flight hours in everything from twin engine transports to vintage aircraft to high-performance sport airplanes.

Having learned to fly as a teenager, following in the footsteps of his father, an Indiana Jones style bush pilot in North Africa, Gerald eventually turned his ability to aerobatics ten years later, initially on the Pitts biplane, later with an Extra 230 and now on to the more elite mount of a CAP232. He first won the UK National Aerobatic Championships at both Standard and Intermediate levels then rapidly worked his way up to the world level where he eventually placed 8th in the world last year. This rising star seems to have no limitations as was evident by his rookie victory in his first Aero GP grand prix in Romania this year.

In those rare moments when Gerald is on the ground, he works as Chief Pilot and engineer for his family's aerial survey company and also owns Wickenby airfield in England. He also trains aspiring aerobatic pilots up to Standard, Intermediate and Advanced levels and he himself trains with the British National Team under the tutelage of Eric Vazeille of France (the 2000 World Champion).

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