Berlin 2014-10-10
ILA 2014 fair at Berlin Schonefeld Airport.
ILA is Germany's largest international aerospace exhibition. The exhibition has been organized near Berlin every two years since 1992. Of course, the exhibition does not match the Farnborough International Airshow near London or the International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace in Paris. The exhibition is organized by the German Federation of Aviation and Space Industry (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie). The name of the ILA is the Internationale Luftfahrzeug-Ausstellung (International Aviation Exhibition), with its roots dating back to 1909, when the International Airship Transport Exhibition (Internationale Luftschiffahrt-Ausstellung - ILA) was organized in Frankfurt am Main. It was a large exhibition that lasted for 100 days. About 500 exhibitors took part in it. The exhibition was visited by about 1.5 million visitors. Among the invited guests was Orville Wright, who took part in the air show that took place during the exhibition.
The exhibition changed its formula and place of presentation several times. In 1933, with the coming of Hitler's power, the exhibitions were suspended. The return took place only in 1957. In 1978, the historical name ILA (Internationale Luftfahrtausstellung) was reverted. It was only in 1992 that the permanent place of the exhibition was the Schönefeld airport (Berlin-Brandenburg), near Berlin, at the Expo Center Airport. Exhibition dates vary. All this contributes to the fact that this event is difficult to recognize and is moderately popular.
The formula of the exhibition combines fairs and air shows in one. So does Farnborough International Air Show. The first days are always reserved for specialists, businessmen and managers in the aviation, space and secondary (high technology) industries. The last days are meant for ordinary bread eaters. Usually it's the weekend.
The thematic scope of the event is extremely wide: cosmonautics, civil and military aviation, air transport, airlines, airport operators, air traffic organization, administration, corporate aviation, services for commercial traffic, combat aircraft, transport aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, ultra-light aircraft, civil helicopters and military, equipment, power units, engines, materials, parts, new technologies, devices and their components, training, simulators.
This year's ILA 2014 lasted from May 20, 2014 to May 25, 2014 (6 days). 1,203 exhibitors from 40 countries around the world took part in them. This year (2014) the main guest (partner of the fair) was Turkey. Two years ago (2012) there was Poland. About 227,000 people visited the fair, which is a good result. Every fifth visitor was from Poland.
Poland has been participating in the event since 1992. Representatives of the Polish aviation industry have been the largest group of foreign guests in recent years. This year (2014) among the Polish exhibitors was the Aviation Valley (an association of 22 companies of this industry from the Podkarpacie region), the Wielkopolska Cluster represented, among others via the Samoloty.pl website and representatives of technical universities.
This year (2014), six exhibition halls are intended for exhibitors. It was approximately 40,000 square meters of exhibition space. One pavilion was occupied by Turkey. The other pavilions were themed. One of the attractions was the Space Pavilion, which presented the benefits of space exploration. The BAL (Unmanned Flying Apparatus) type flying ships, which are experiencing a boom, were presented in a great number. Over 50 conferences, lectures and papers were also presented during the fair. Surely everyone has found something for themselves.
The stands with aircraft engines enjoyed considerable interest. There were also no major producers in the world, including Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. Pratt & Whitney presented the PW-1500 G Engine, which powers Bombardier's CS-100/300 commercial aircraft. It is the CS-100 aircraft that is undergoing the last air tests before entering service.
Among the forward-looking projects, we could see the E-Thrust concept study presented jointly by Rolls Royce and EADS. The E-Thrust is a 90-passenger electric commercial airliner that works in a similar way to today's hybrid cars. Its wing is to have a variable profile, which will allow it to be adapted to the current aerodynamic conditions. The project is to be completed by 2050.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman