Pilot promises stunts 'that planes shouldn't do' at Shellharbour spectacular

The event, formerly known as Wings Over Illawarra, will be spread across three days with students and teachers getting in first. Already 86 schools have signalled interest in the careers day which will open proceedings on Friday, March 1.

After that, Justin Giddings, the chief executive at AMDA Foundation, it's all about family-friendly action for everyone.

"It's a good day, and what's good about it is families can come along and they can leave and feel like they haven't missed out they don't have to be here for a certain period," Mr Giddings said.

"The Yak 110, which is our big star attraction, is very rare to Australia to be able to see this - it's two planes joined together so it's very weird, and that's going to fly twice a day.

"So you can come in the morning then leave early or come later or whatever, so it really does suit."

Matt Hall is the reigning Red Bull Air Race world champion.

He will be flying a single-seat aircraft that can roll at 400 degrees a second, travel at nearly 500km/h and convey forces of 14G through the aircraft. If that's not enough, he will be doing it all just three metres from the ground.

"The plane's got an amazing power-to-weight ratio, and it just does stuff that planes shouldn't do," Mr Hall said.

For Mr Hall flying is freedom: "There's no roads to follow, there's always limitations to anything you do in life but that's about as free as you can ever get where I can go straight up, straight down, left and right and it's completely up to me."

Paul Bennet, an Australian aerobatic pilot and reigning Australian freestyle aerobatic champion has over 5000 display-related flying hours. His job, he said, is about giving people a good time.

"We practice every day, so it's like a racing car driver getting into a race car they just get used to it, and it's the same for us in aerobatics," Mr Bennet said.

In the air, he said, everything happens quickly.

"Up is down, down is up ... and then when you get to the point where it really goes fast and it's going to flip over on its own we pull the power back, flip over and keep going."

Shellharbour MP Anna Watson said it would be an "exhilarating weekend" and the area was "blessed to have so much natural beauty" to serve as the backdrop for "amazing spectacular flying displays".

Shellharbour mayor Chris Homer says the revamped airshow will "put Shellharbour on the map nationally and internationally".

Ticket holders for the weekend will also be granted free access to Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) static aircraft displays.