Anniversary AERO on course to break records
The AERO 2017 is on course to break booking records, just in time for its anniversary. The Global Show for General Aviation is taking place for the 25th time and with more than 660 exhibitors is poised to achieve the best result in its history. From April 5 to 8, 2017, the largest general aviation trade show in Europe will exhibit ultralights, single and twin-engine airplanes, business jets, helicopters, gyrocopters and gliders. In addition, several special shows will again be featured this year, including the e-flight-expo, Avionics Avenue, the Engine Area, “Be a pilot” and the UAS Expo/AERODrones, which focuses on civilian drones and unmanned aircraft, as well as the used aircraft market. As an anniversary present to visitors, on Saturday an air show with electric aircraft and stunt planes, as well as a replica of a Junkers F13, will take place.
Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellman and project leader Roland Bosch are pleased that more exhibition space for the 25th AERO has been booked than ever before. The record bookings are a sign of how essential it is for aviation companies to present themselves to potential customers in Friedrichshafen. “2017 is the year that electrically powered aircraft will really come into their own,” says Roland Bosch, addressing one of the focal points of the show that will provide visitors with a look into the future of general aviation. Correspondingly, several premieres of electric aircraft are planned at the show on Lake Constance.
The AERO 2017 offers a comprehensive overview: The range of aircraft at the AERO stretches from gliders, ultralights, single- and multi-engine piston-driven aircraft, helicopters, gyrocopters and turboprops all the way up to multi-engine jets. Visitors will also be able to see civilian drones and unmanned aircraft. New motors, the most modern avionics and aviation services and accessories will be additional focal points. A special highlight is planned on Saturday to celebrate the AERO’s 25th anniversary: at 11 a.m., an air show will take place in the skies above the fairgrounds. Planes participating in the show will include mainly new electrically powered aircraft, there will be special aerobatic flights and a replica of a historic 1920’s Junkers F13, which first flew in 2016, is expected to appear.
The AERO makes history
The history of the global show for general aviation began 40 years ago with just 14 exhibitors of gliders and pilot accessories as part of the exhibition Rennsport, Motor, Freizeit (“Racing, Motor, Leisure") that was held at the time. In the following years, the AERO became a show in its own right starting in 1993 and was held every two years at that time. The show continued to expand, benefiting from both its aviation-friendly location in Friedrichshafen as well as from the boom in ultralight aircraft. In 1995, the business aviation segment was added to the show for the first time and it expanded its portfolio to include avionics, maintenance and services. The move to the new exhibition center directly adjacent to the airport in 2002 provided yet another strong impulse for the growth of the show. All of these factors have combined to make the AERO what it is today, the world’s leading exhibition for innovation in general aviation.
All of the established manufacturers of conventional aircraft will be showing the broad spectrum of machines that they have on offer, starting with aircraft with piston-driven engines on up to turboprops. A number of premieres will be at the center of the show: For the first time, it will also be possible to see a machine that may look like an antique on the outside, but is in fact brand new. The Rimowa-Junkers F13 is a perfect, historically accurate replica of the first all metal German passenger aircraft made by Junkers. The prototype is currently undergoing flight testing in Switzerland; a limited number of F13s may be manufactured in a small production run. In addition, it will be possible to see the newest model year versions of established aircraft such as those produced by Cirrus Aircraft, Diamond Aircraft, Piper, Tecnam, Beechcraft, Pipistrel and other manufacturers. In the case of Cessna, innovations to its planned single-engine turbine powered Denali will be announced.
The AERO 2017 will begin on April 5 and last until April 8, 2017.