For anyone interested in aviation, and especially military aircraft, the Avalon Airshow is a “must”.

It happens every two years, features a myriad of aircraft from drones to transport planes, and is on next from February 23-28, 2027 at the Avalon Airport, Victoria. The first four days are for the industry and trade, but the event is open to the public on February 27 and 28.

Apart for the sheer exhilaration of hearing a modern jet roar overhead, there are acrobatic and breathtaking formation flying displays. It is a continuous high-energy performance.

For the technically minded, the static displays in the various marquees are well worth a visit, as are the array of aircraft distributed around the airstrip.

The highlight is seeing the latest military aircraft in action but there is much more to see around the airfields and in the huge undercover display venues. Tickets go on sale in November 2026.

GETTING TO THE SHOW

I have been to the Avalon Airshow three times, and it seems to get better every year. Unfortunately, many tens of thousands also think it is great, so getting into the event can be a problem.

Although you can park at the airport, getting in and out is a nightmare.

I suggest getting the special train service which leaves the Southern Cross Station in Melbourne and travels to Lara on the Geelong line. From there, shuttle buses take you right into the airport, bypassing the waiting cars. You just reverse the procedure to get back to Melbourne.

BUYING TICKETS

There are two levels of tickets, which go on sale in November: a gold pass, and a general pass.

The gold pass gets you into a reserved area which has a grandstand, your own food and refreshment facilities, an “airshow” cap, and a few other goodies.

The general pass gives admittance to all the other areas of the show.

Because I was interested in photographing the aerial displays, which go on all day, I bought a gold pass for one day and a general one for the second day. This gave me the best of both worlds.

Ear protection is a must for those sensitive to loud noises, and in particular for young children.

To get all the information on the Avalon Airshow and get your tickets, visit airshow.com.au.

Tips for photographers

One of the great attractions at an airshow is the opportunity to take exciting photos of aircraft in flight. You will see enthusiasts with every conceivable camera and lens combination.

The obvious problem when taking pictures of aircraft is they are fast, and generally far away.

The motion demands a high shutter speed setting, and the distance requires a telephoto lens.

Expert and professional aircraft photographers will have their own preferred methods of taking the shot, but here are a few basic tips to get your own once-in-a-lifetime pic.

Shutter speed Generally, 1/1000 a second is the minimum, and preferably higher. Note, taking photos of propeller planes require a slightly different technique using slower shutter speed (say, 1/500 a second) to get the blur of the blades and track the subject at the time of taking the shot.

Lens size Since the aircraft are at a distance from the crowd, an effective focal length of at least 200mm is required. (Remember for sub full frame cameras, this will give you an advantage in effective focal length compared with a full frame sensor.) Lenses with focal lengths of 400mm-600mm are a much better choice. For the static displays, often wide-angle lenses are the best choice because of the confined locations.

Focusing Unless you are particularly adept in focusing manually, choosing the automatic continuously focusing mode will give you a higher success rate.

ISO setting Modern digital cameras can now take excellent quality photos using what used to be considered outrageous ISO settings. ISO settings of 1600 and above allow you to have a much higher range of shutter speeds, which is important when using long lenses. If there is any residual noise, post-processing will usually resolve any problems.

Composition As a general rule, you want to include all of the subject including the extremities of the wings. However ,there are lots of opportunities to take some more “artistic” pictures, taking advantage of the elegant sections of the aircraft.