Wings Over Shellharbour 2026
Article by Caelan McDougall, Lachy McKay
Images by Caelan McDougall, Nate Newman, Lachy McKay
Wings Over Shellharbour 2026 saw almost 20,000 spectators at Shellharbour Airport this weekend for one of the biggest airshows in Australia. Wings Over Shellharbour was held over three days this year, with Friday dedicated to a careers day, while Saturday and Sunday were the main public airshow days. Gates opened at 9 am on both days, with full days of flying beginning at 10:30 each morning.
The show was opened with a parachute display carrying the Australian flag, with Paul Bennet circling the descent in his Wolf Pitts Pro. From there, the day didn't slow down with a constant mix of aerobatics, warbirds, and military displays keeping spectators’ eyes glued to the sky.
One of the standout attractions of the weekend was VH-TR9, the only Two Seat Spitfire in the Southern Hemisphere. The aircraft drew attention while parked on the ground and performing in the flying display, marking its Australian airshow debut. The sound of the Merlin engine echoing across the airport quickly became one of the defining sounds of the weekend.
Warbirds formed a major part of the program, with aircraft including the two Mustangs and a Lockheed Hudson also making appearances throughout the show. Formation displays and low-level passes proved particularly popular with spectators, many of whom travelled from interstate to attend the event.
Defence displays included a handling display conducted by the Royal Australian Navy’s MH-60R Seahawk and the Royal Australian Airforce Roulettes Aerobatic Team which impressed crowds across the weekend, flying their respective aircraft to their performance limits, showcasing snapshots of the Australian Defence forces capability.
Aerobatics brought plenty of energy to the program as well, with high-speed passes, vertical manoeuvres and precision flying drawing reactions from the crowd. Spectators had excellent views of the action from the crowd areas along the flight line.
This year’s event also marked a major milestone for young aerobatic pilot Riley McDonald, who made his first ever airshow performance as part of the Paul Bennet Airshows Sky Aces team. Performing in front of a hometown crowd at Shellharbour made the occasion even more special, with Riley taking to the skies across both days of the event. His performance was met with strong support from spectators and marked the beginning of his airshow career.
Behind the scenes, volunteers, organisers, pilots and ground crews worked continuously across the weekend to keep the event running smoothly. With almost 20,000 spectators attending across the two public days, Wings Over Shellharbour once again proved why it has become one of the premier aviation events in the country.
