Aerial Acrobatics

I'll always think back to our first month in Abu Dhabi as a month of air shows.  The UAE national air force acrobatic team (called "Al Fursan" which translates to "The Nights") practiced over the Corniche almost every day, which made for a colorful commute home.

The first event was the Red Bull Air Race.  These are daredevil pilots who race through an obstacle course to try to beat the best time.  We were hoping we could see the Air Races from our apartment since we have a great view of the Breakwater, but alas, the ADNOC building blocked our view of the course.

The ADNOC building on the right blocked the entire obstacle course.  Total bummer.   

We did pack up a picnic blanket and go over to the Marina Mall area to watch an afternoon of racing, and when it got warm, we went back to the apartment to watch the races on TV.  The races went through the whole weekend, so there were plenty of opportunities to watch. Each day of racing ended with the Al Fursan acrobatic show, full of colored smoke and flawlessly executed stunts.  We don't have great photos of the first day of the Al Fursan since we watched it from our apartment...with the ADNOC building blocking about half the show. #lazy

G wanted a shot with his Motor Trends Magazine

The race course set over the beautiful Corniche

One of the competitors on the first loop of the course in front of Nations Towers.

We learned when we watched the broadcast that the pilots have to be careful when they take the loops  because there are maximum "G" restrictions on the course - if they go over, it's an automatic DQ!

We continued to see the Al Fursan practicing their skills throughout the month of February, ultimately culminating in the Union Fortress event in early March.  This was huge event of national pride for the Emirati's - a demonstration of all their armed forces for the general public.  The entire event was broadcast in Arabic (without English subtitles) so we had to guess what was going on, but it appears there was a mock hostage held captive on a terrorist yacht.  The various branches of the military worked together to rescue the mock hostage.  There were also mini staged skirmishes with the army storming various beaches along the Corniche, fighter jet flyovers with pyrotechnics in the water, and of course, all the excitement ended with a final air show from the Al Fursan.

There were 3 broadcast areas along the Corniche beach for spectators - unfortunately for us, it was all in Arabic

The army brought in tanks for the mock beach skirmishes

Various fighter jets flew over the crowds

We clearly did not pick the best beach to watch, but we still had a good time. Plus it was less crowded at our beach.

The Al Fursan in formation!

Lots of colorful smoke

Fun tricks

Pretty formations

It was fun to see little kids dressed up in army fatigues and waiving UAE flags all along the Corniche as their parents watched the show.  For such a young country, national pride runs deep in the UAE!