Wings over Ta' Qali

Model aircraft exhibition continues today

The Malta Model Aircraft Flying Association is holding its annual exhibition this weekend, Wings Over Ta' Qali, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

The aim of the show is to introduce the public to the sport and hobby of constructing and flying model aircraft, said Claude Markham, MMAFA vice-president and event organiser.

The event includes foreign participation, as well as flypasts by the Gozo helicopter and a Cessna 152. Among the highlights of the event is the flying of microlights and the simulation of an attack with explosives on a purposely built control tower to effective background music.

Wings Over Ta' Qali was yesterday inaugurated by Competitiveness and Communication Minister Censu Galea.

It is displaying jets, semi-scale and scale models and various other aircraft, including helicopters from the Italian Military Mission and the Armed Forces of Malta on a static exhibition at its flying site in Ta' Qali.

The MMAFA is composed of people whose hobby is building and flying model aircrafts. Its aims are to foster friendship and understanding between model aircraft enthusiasts and to promote an interest in aviation, particularly the physics of flight, model aircraft engines, electronics and the operation of radio-controlled equipment.

The association has been organising the annual open weekend for the past 13 years, Mr Markham said.

Today's programme includes another Gozo helicopter fly-past at 11 a.m. and the Cessna 152 at 3.15 p.m., the air raid simulation at 3.45 p.m. and the flying of microlights at 4.30 p.m.