Fearless stunt pilots have been putting their planes through their paces above Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, ahead of this weekend's Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS).

The Huawei Twister Duo teams have special wing-mounted cameras that allow them to take pictures of each other mid-flight, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

BIAS opens to the public on Thursday and performances by UAE's Al Fursan Aerobatic Team, the Saudi Hawks, UK-based Breitling Wingwalkers and Red Devils parachute display team have all been confirmed.

Aircraft that will be making an appearance include a UAE Mirage 2000, a UAE F16, a DHL 757 carrier and a Gulf Air A330, alongside an historic Spitfire.

There will also be a wide variety of on-the-ground attractions and activities for the whole family in the newly expanded public area, which is 40 per cent larger than before with improved facilities including restrooms and prayer rooms.

Around 20 different kiosks, housing restaurants and companies or associations, will be present, including new Bahraini cuisine restaurant AlBadgeer, the Parachuting Club and the Coral Diving Centre.

The Heritage Village, developed in co-ordination with the Social Development Ministry, will feature handicraft made by local productive families.

A host of other attractions include a retail area, face-painting and henna tattoo artists, stilt-walkers, giant inflatable slides and bouncy castles, as well as the world's leading 3D street artists.

The highly popular vertical wind-tunnel experience will also be returning, allowing visitors to experience open-air flying, above a safety net in tandem with instructors.

Live musical entertainment will be featured, starting with a children's band alongside games and prizes in the mornings.

In the evenings, local act Salsa Cubana will entertain the crowd, accompanied by professional salsa dancers. DJ Outlaw will also be on stage.

The UK's National Space Centre is bringing over an interactive Space Zone exhibit, which will include a planetarium featuring a 360-degree full dome cinema experience showcasing inter-stellar movies.

Mad Science Bahrain will also set up an activity centre, which will transport visitors to a world of fun.

It will operate fun stations, live shows, giant interactive games and other activities for children and adults. There will be grandstand seating, providing the best location and most comfort for ticket-holders to view the displays from. - TradeArabia News Service