NANCHANG: At the 2023 Nanchang Air Show, the Pioneer Team from Italy provided the audience with a wonderful aerobatic performance. Accompanied by joyful music, four planes flew about the sky with green, white and red trails of smoke streaming behind.
The 2023 China Aviation Industry Conference and Nanchang Air Show was held in east China’s Jiangxi Province from Oct. 27 to 29.
Six teams representing the highest level of aerobatic performance from home and abroad took turns to show off their skills. In addition to two Chinese aerobatic teams, there were the Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers, the Airborne Pyrotechnics, and the Global Stars Aerobatic Team, all from Britain, and the Pioneer Team from Italy — performing mid-air ballet for the crowds.
Corrado Rusalen, the leader of the Pioneer Team, arrived in Nanchang nearly a week in advance to do some intensive training, becoming familiar with the venue and coordinating with various departments. The aircraft had been disassembled for transport to Nanchang by container ship, so he arrived last Sunday to start the process of re-assembly.
This is Rusalen’s sixth time performing in China, and he has grown to love the experience. “Coming to China again is like meeting old friends. When we fly a plane up into the sky, it’s just like embracing our friends,” he said.
Since the Pioneer Team was established in 2005, it has performed in more than 20 countries, including Japan, Spain and France, with a total of over 300 performances so far.
This year, Rusalen participated in the show with his wife Silvia Rappo, who is also the youngest female pilot on the team. –Agencies
