A simple look around the show makes it evident that as a public event, MAKS is really huge, in relative terms maybe more than Farnborough and Le Bourget. Not only there are plenty of memorabilia and food stalls all over the place, but the viewing areas next to the runway were absolutely packed with spectators already on Friday, despite the unstable weather. Just a foretaste of what awaits visitors during the weekend!

And an added bonus can be had by taking one of the many free shuttle buses taking visitors from Otdikh train station, on the suburban line from Moscow, to the entrance of the show. A route that let see some interesting sights of the Zhukovsky's Soviet past...