30,000 take joy flight to Wings Over Illawarra

Pilot Ursula Burt of Cronulla took the best way to the show - by air. She wants to fly for Qantas one day. Pictures: GREG TOTMAN

While her friends are out partying on weekends, Ursula Burt has her head in the clouds.The 24-year-old pilot was one of more than 30,000 who visited the annual Wings Over Illawarra air show yesterday.While most people took public transport or drove to Illawarra Regional Airport for the show, Ms Burt flew her flight school's Piper Warrior single-engine plane from Bankstown as part of her training to become a commercial airline pilot.

PHOTOS: All the action from Wings Over Illawarra 2011The Cronulla resident said she one day hoped to fly for the likes of Qantas, and spent most weekends hitting the books."I sacrifice my Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, I just stay home and study," she said.From the F/A-18 Hornet jets still used by the Royal Australian Air Force to a De Havilland Tiger Moth used to train pilots during World War II, there was something on offer for flight aficionados of all ages.The public also had the chance to get up close and personal with The Incredible Hulk, a firefighting air crane used by the NSW Rural Fire Service.The crane, which arrived in Sydney in December last year, can carry up to 9000 litres of water.While many people heeded the advice of organisers and took public transport to the event, thousands still took their cars, with the RTA reporting heavy northbound traffic on the Princes Hwy after the event finished at 3pm.

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30,000 take joy flight to Wings Over Illawarra

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