In every July, the Sivrihisar International Aviation Center (Turkish: Sivrihisar Uluslarasi Havacilik Merkezi), also known as SUSHM plays host to Sivrihisar Air Race, and year 2018 was no different. My first and third annual event was again, home to four different categories, which were 1-Fixed Wing Aircraft with Rotax Engine upgrade package, 2-Gyrocopter and other non-fixed wing aircraft with Rotax Engine upgrades, 3-All other fixed wing crafts with below 200 BHP of Power, 4-All other fixed wing crafts with above 200 BHP of Power; with more than 30 participants that were scattered among 20 aircraft to show their skills in the pre-designated oval flying ground.
While mostly private pilots showed significant entertainment to aviation enthusiasts, watching from below, the best attraction was the pilots that have licensed acrobatic flyers, whom were allowed to go below designated altitude of 500 feet clearance from ground, which yielded best pictures for photographers, and a touch more of adrenaline to the crowd.
Yet, the real show started when the half-time between practice sessions in Saturday, and half-time between categories 2 (after 1 and 2) and 3 (before 3 and 4) were played time for actual acrobatic flyers Ali Ismet Ozturk, with his Aviat Husky 1B on Saturday, and Semin Ozturk, daughter of Ali Ismet Ozturk with her red Pitts 2B, whom is regarded as one of the leading figures of women in aviation, took to the skies and provided the audience with a full-fledged airshow.
While after their shows, standard planes completing ovals were seemed to be a little dull, yet, there was still action until the winner was crowned with smallest of margins, and the event continued with the after party, until it, too have finished and said goodbye until next year’s Air Race, which is also scheduled to be in July, this time in 2019.