Programme revealed: Danish Air Show expects 125,000 visitors
You don’t get the chance every day to explore Aalborg Air Base.
But that is exactly what you can do on Sunday, September 13, when the gates open for Danish Air Show.
Here, the public can experience fighter jets, helicopters and spectacular formations in the sky – and get up close to the aircraft on the ground.
Around 125,000 visitors are expected to attend, according to Mette Dam from Air Transport Wing.
“It is an experience you cannot get anywhere else.
It is about people mastering extreme machines with a level of coordination that many people simply cannot comprehend. It is fascinating,” she says.
Wild aircraft on the programme
Aircraft and helicopters will be arriving from both Denmark and abroad.
Among those Mette Dam is particularly looking forward to seeing is the Finnish Air Force aerobatic team Midnight Hawks.
Several Hawk aircraft will take to the skies, flying in tight formations.
The public will also have the opportunity to get close to a piece of Danish aviation history.
This includes older Danish fighter jets that are maintained by a group of passionate retirees.
The aircraft are no longer allowed to take to the skies, but at the show, visitors will be able to experience a simulated takeoff.
The programme includes the British Eurofighter Typhoon, which can fly at more than twice the speed of sound, while historic aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang and Spitfire are also among the announced participants.
The air base is normally closed to the public, but on this day, the Danish Armed Forces want to give people an insight into what goes on behind the gates.
“We want to open up and show people who we are and what we can do,” says Mette Dam.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet some of the people who work in the Danish Armed Forces on a daily basis, and the hope is that the event can make more young people curious about a career in the Armed Forces.
Leave the car at home
Opening the gates to so many people also requires a great deal of preparation.
According to Mette Dam, around two years are normally set aside to plan the Danish Air Show.
This time, the organisers have had less than a year.
And when the day arrives, she has one clear piece of advice for people in Aalborg:
Leave the car at home if you can.
“The easiest way is by public transport or by bicycle. It is definitely the fastest,” says Mette Dam.
Last time, around 45,000 cars were parked in connection with the event.
Parking is free, but with so many visitors, the roads around the air base may become congested.
Free shuttle buses will also run from Aalborg Airport to the air base.
Danish Air Show can be experienced on Sunday, September 13, at Aalborg Air Base.
The gates open at 8:00 a.m., and admission is free.