Australia’s premier aerobatic pilot Paul Bennet is set to once again thrill crowds at this year’s Tooradin Tractor Pull and Truck Show.
The all-day show, running from morning into the evening, will draw thousands of tractor, truck and motorsport fans to Tooradin.
Paul, who has performed at the Tooradin show for many years, said the event’s atmosphere keeps him coming back.
“It’s just a great spectacle for the crowd,” he said.
“They’re all hot-rod type people who love the hot-rod tractors and trucks, so hot-rod aeroplanes go with that.”
This year’s performance will feature a different aircraft from usual, with Paul flying a high-performance Edge 540-style monoplane powered by a 400-horsepower engine.
“There are some really cool tricks to very agile machine,” Paul said.
The 10-minute airshow will include torque rolls, knife-edge spins and forward flips.
While weather conditions are expected to be breezy, Paul said the display should still go ahead safely, noting it may not be “perfect, but it’ll be okay”.
From the cockpit, Bennet enjoys a unique view of the event and the surrounding coastline, but said his focus remains on precision flying during the display.
“You’ve got to stay focused on what you’ve got to do,” he said, while also keeping an eye on his position above the crowd.
Paul is the founder of Paul Bennet Airshows, one of Australia’s most in-demand aerobatic display teams.
He has performed at more than 150 events worldwide, including appearances at major international airshows such as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh last year, the largest airshow in the world.
He is renowned for combining precision flying with crowd-focused entertainment.
The Tooradin Tractor Pull and Truck Show is one of Victoria’s largest rural motorsport events, celebrating heavy machinery, pulling competitions and truck culture, and attracts thousands of spectators each year from across the state and beyond. It has been an annual event since 1998.
This year’s show will be on Saturday 13 January at Tooradin Tractor Pull & Truck Show Complex.
