Lee Kyung-min
Monday, March 29th, 2010 (Korea IT Times)

The 2010 G-Global Aviation in Ansan will be held in the Gyeonggi Province for six days from April 30 to May 5 under the subject of “dream and hope in the sky.” Through the international event, the Gyeonggi Province plans to foster green growth, convergence industry which combines aviation and tourism, a spokesperson of Gyeonggi Tourism Organization said. “By maximizing synergy effects of aviation and tourism, we will build a new type of tourism in the Gyeonggi Province.  We will develop this aviation program into the Asia’s biggest aviation event by integrating eight sorts of aviation leisure sectors,” said the spokesperson.

The eight aviation leisure sectors are paragliding, power paragliding, and light aircraft, sky diving, hang gliding, miniature aircraft, hot-air balloon and sky surfing. “Under the ambitious vision of making the G-Global Aviation the greatest air show in East Asia, our organization will exert all-out efforts to expand the international event in terms of both quality and quantity,” he said.

About 50 companies, including 10 foreign firms are expected to participate in the 2010 G-Global Aviation; this is up 63 percent from 33 companies that attended a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of Korean and foreign visitors are expected to reach about 330,000 this year, an increase of 10 percent from 301,500 that was recorded in 2009. A total of 40 kinds of 102 airplanes will be displayed and seven teams from five countries will present air show, the spokesperson said.

The organization has set the concept of the 2010 G-Global Aviation as “Gyeonggi Air World,” a theme-type park that integrates aviation-related information, exhibition, education and experience into a single theme zone. “During the event period, we will create theme-type air tourism by combining EXPO, festival and education of the aviation industry,” he said. The Gyeonggi Air World will be largely classified into five categories: air show, air world industrial exhibition, air experience/ education, air cultural events & food festival, and transportation & security measures.

Seven teams from five countries, including Patty Wagstaff team of the United States, AOPA team from Japan, Paul Bennet team from Australia, Flying Car team from Britain, and the Woopy team from Switzerland, are scheduled to present 19 air show programs. The 19 air show programs include seven acrobatic flights, six demonstration flights, two parades and one sky diving, he said. Meanwhile, 110 airplanes in 50 categories, including light aircraft, gliders, unmanned airplanes, and helicopters will be displayed at the international air show.

Fifty companies, including 10 overseas firms, will introduce their advanced aviation-related products in the Aviation Industrial Hall and the Air World Theme Exhibition Hall. Among the 50 participating companies are Cessana, Diamond, Aerospace of the United States, Microair of Australia, Czech Sports Air of Czech Republic, and AOPA Japan. They will present such products as parts for aviation & aero space industry, miniature aircrafts, and goods for pilots in the Aviation Industrial Hall and hold an aviation mart for participants.

In the World Theme Exhibition Hall, they will display space equipment, food, space suits and aircraft engines. There are four zones in the World Theme Exhibition Hall which are the exhibition zone, simulation zone, experience zone and education zone. In the exhibition zone, they will introduce the history of aircraft development and aviation science, while explaining about the control center. The cyber flight simulation contest and combat flight simulation contest will be held in the simulation zone, the spokesperson said. In the experience zone, visitors can have chances of experiencing flight simulation, flight principle, sky diving and 3D stereoscopic images. Meanwhile, visitors can receive education on aircrafts; make miniature aircrafts, ways on how to become a pilot and other aviation-related lectures are in the education zone.

About 70,000 visitors are able to use 30 aviation and educational experience programs in the 2010 G-Global Aviation; this is up 12 percent from 62,520 who attended last year. Among the aviation experience programs are the hang glider simulation experience, paragliding suit experience, basic training for paragliding, hot-air balloon experience, flight simulation experience, sky diving experience, and the 3D stereoscopic image experience. It will also hold an exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of the  Korean War (June 25) by displaying the  past and present status of the Korean Army’s weapon systems.

A variety of air world events that include, street performances, fast food zone, and character parades, will be held to provide visitors with pleasure of seeing exhibitions and enjoying traditional food from many countries, he said. The organization is preparing for various cultural event programs that includes stage and performance programs, character parades, caricature events, face painting, guard dog training performances, and a miniature airplane photo zone. Along with this, a traditional clothing parade, global food festival, trick art experience event, street food festival, and special event for  Children’s Day (May 5) will be organized, he said. Police commandos will also give demonstration of suppressing terrorists once a day as a special event for Children’s Day.

To make the 2010 G-Global Aviation successful, the city of Ansan held an event in February for some 200 guests including lawmakers, members of the organizing committee, journalists, representatives of the aviation industry, and volunteers. The Gyeonggi Province also held the 2009 Global Aviation event successfully by attracting a total of 301,500 visitors and helping residents promote their recognition of leisure aviation industry. In particular, domestic and foreign participants concluded a memorandum of understanding to purchase a total of US$14 million worth of aviation-related products at the explanatory meetings held during the global aviation event, the spokesperson said.

http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/8177/g-global-aviation-maximize-synergy-aviation-and-tourism