Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS)

The Bahrain International Airshow takes place at the Sakhir Airbase in Bahrain on a biannual basis and is organised by Farnborough International Ltd (FIL) in conjunction with Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA) and in collaboration with the Royal Bahrain Air Force.

Mark Jefferies Airdisplays has again been booked for the January 2014 show from 16th – 18th January. However on this occasion to raise awareness of the show Mark will be flying over Manama and the commercial district on 15th January. Entirely self-taught. Mark started learning to fly in a Balanca Scout in the summer of 1980. Eventually he progressed and started doing aerobatics in a Bucker Jungmann. After that, he built his own aeroplane, a Laser 200 and won multiple medals at aerobatic competitions, National and Internationally. Eventually he found that the kind of flying he was doing required better performance and moved onto an Extra 300S and finally onto an Extra 330 SC; the highest performing aerobatic aircraft ever built. The Extra 330SC is built for unlimited aerobatics and is the current number one title holder at the World Aerobatic Championships. Mark has placed in the top 10 in the World on 4 occasions.

BIAS event itself is highly exclusive with 40+ participating companies, each one operating from its own luxury chalet unit. Participating companies showcase products and services to potential buyers, visiting delegations, media, trade and public visitors and participate in a full programme of daily flying.

At BIAS, January 2012, Mark flew displays twice per day. A short video is here.  My first occasion displaying in Bahrain was at the inaugural Bahrain international Air Show and at Bahrain International Race Circuit in 2010.  Bahrain—a name that translates as “Two Seas”—is actually an archipelago of 33 low-lying islands located in the heart of the Gulf. Situated along major Arabian and international trade routes between Asia and the West, the Kingdom has, for millennia, served as an important port and center of business. Today, the capital city of Manama is a vibrant cosmopolitan center.

Sakhir air base is right next to the prestigious F1 race circuit where the Bahrain International Circuit(BIC) “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” continues to invest in racing facilities with a recently added the VIVA Karting Track and “drag n drift” race track. Drifting has taken the world by storm since its creation in Japan back in the early 1990’s. The art of sliding a car through a series of bends calls for supreme skills as the driver balances throttle and steering inputs in search of ever greater angles of slide and smoke. The speed sound and smell of melting tires blend together to create an event that draws huge crowds of spectators and fun for all the family.