Songkran takes to the sky over Phuket
PHUKET: PHUKET is in for a spectacular treat this afternoon and tomorrow (April 13) when the island’s first “Sky High” show occurs over Patong Beach – weather permitting.
The highlight of the show will see world renowned stunt pilot Les Vorosmarthy performing breathtaking aerobatcs in his 350 horsepower, Extra 300L stunt plane.
Les will be performing spins, stalls, slips, slides, barrel rolls, snap rolls, wing-overs, loops, waterfalls, ‘Immelmanns’ and who-knows-what-else for 15 minutes each day. Today’s show will occur today between 2pm and 4pm, and there will be two shows tomorrow: 11am and 3:30pm
There will also be a fly-by along the beach before Les appears on the horizon to amaze the crowd, estimated by the Patong mayor’s office to exceed 100,000 Songkran revelers.
Tomorrow evening and into the night, there will be a hot air balloon “Night Glow”, with the balloon tethered to Patong Beach and hovering about 30 meters (about the height of a 10-storey building) above the sand.
The balloon’s exact location on the beach depends on winds and cannot be determined until late tomorrow afternoon. However, the organizers say that the humongous and eerily silent sphere “will be visible for miles around and cannot be missed by anyone approaching the town from any direction.”
Making Phuket’s first “Sky high Songkran” possible are the Phuket Governor’s Office, Patong Municipality and Phuket Airpark. The event is sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Aero Pro.
