Brisbane’s biggest river extravaganza will entertain tens of thousands this Saturday and the RAAF will play a big part.

So the aircraft involved have been flexing their muscles.

Tom Fowles reports.

TRANSCRIPT

It’s enough to take your breath away.

Travelling at twice the speed of sound and it’s still a thrill for even the most seasoned veterans.

Flight Lieutenant Cousy: “The thrill never goes away, everyday I get airborne and put the wheels up, it’s an awesome and exhilarating experience, no matter what solo mission you’re doing, it’s always truly enjoyable, the gift of being able to fly one of these.”

500 million dollars worth of high tech machinery is ready to light up the Brisbane skyline for Riverfire.

Tickets to the best seat in the house were hotly contested.

Micka Gray, Group Captain: “There’s always a queue of people wanting to be involved in this because there is such flying and great experience, it really comes down to in some ways a bit of name out of the hat.”

They’re more accustomed to a backdrop of AA gunfire and flak, than fireworks and beaming Queensland faces, but the pilots say expectations, are still sky high.

Captain Iain Whitson, Flight Instructor: “Absolutely we’re really looking forward to it and we’ll try to put on the best display we can for the public.”

Pilots and punters alike, excited for Saturday, when they blaze through the Brisbane sky.

Tom Fowles, QUT News.