Bengalla Warbirds Over Scone took to the skies of the Upper Hunter for the first time in fifteen years.

With the assistance of Upper Hunter Shire Council, Scone Aero Club, Vintage Fighter Restorations, Pay’s Air Service and Paul Bennett Airshows, iconic WWII aircraft lit up the faces of onlookers who came from all over the country.

With visitor numbers expected to be well over 6000, it’s hoped the event will run every two years, with the next scheduled for 2020.

An ecstatic Ross Pay, director of Pay’s Air Service, said he was overjoyed the day had come together so well but he had never doubted it would draw crowds.

“When I checked this morning there had already been 4,000 people through the gates – and they’re consistently coming in,” he told The Advocate.

Former pilot of Spitfires, 94-year-old Lyslie Roberts travelled down from Sydney after first attending the Flight of the Hurricane at Scone Airport in 2016.

“I’m a veteran of Temora but this is just a great event,” he said. 

It’s hoped the region’s aviation history will be just another drawcard for tourists to come to the Upper Hunter. 

Upper Hunter Shire Council general manager Steve McDonald said he’d like to see the day become a marquee event.

“It’s something we want to see go very well, obviously there’s a lot of people here from outside the shire and staying overnight which is great for the economy,” he said.

“We are speaking with Destination NSW to make sure we can make this bigger and better in the future.

“That will bring people up from Sydney as well so we just want to make sure we run a quality event which attracts everyone from the Hunter and further afield.

“We know we have people from Queensland here today, so it’s a great event for the whole community.

Mr McDonald said events like Warbirds Over Scone and the Scone Cup in May, which is the richest one day of country racing in Australia, are what are really going to push the region’s growth.

“If we want to be a community that’s going to grow in the future we’ve got to make sure that we put Scone and the Upper Hunter on the map so people can not only come up to these events but also explore what else we have to offer.”