The first international ballooning exhibition took place in 1911 in St. Petersburg thanks to the initiative of the Imperial Russian Technical Society and was held in the Mikhailovsky Manege.

At the opening ceremony on April 10, 1911, the chairman of the society, Vladimir Kovalevsky, noted: "In the last 10 years, the creative genius of humanity has concentrated on the desire to conquer the airspace. What was long a dream has become a reality, and this reality is presented here, in the Mikhailovsky Manege. The conquest of the air element required many sacrifices and significant resources. Rising into the heavenly heights, man feels the divine beginning within himself and the joy of the spirit's victory over matter. In this victory, there are many merits of Russian thought, talent, and energy. We do not fall short before the world community in the field of ballooning."

The exhibition featured the most exhibits from the Russian Ballooning Society "V.A. Lomach and Co," which represented many European companies and organized workshops in St. Petersburg, where Russian workers, under the guidance of experienced masters, manufactured various types of airplanes from domestic materials. Notably, nine-tenths of the society's exhibits were awarded gold medals. Special attention was drawn to the designs of monoplanes by A. Kudashov and Ya. Gakkel.

The opening of the exhibition was accompanied by impressive light effects. After the official announcement of the event's start, the entire Mikhailovsky Manege was illuminated by thousands of electric bulbs hidden in small balloons and suspended gondolas. Contemporaries wrote with delight: "From Nevsky Prospekt, it seemed as if an airplane of the future was descending from the heavens to admire the amazing exhibition with previously unseen electric effects."

The exhibition made a strong impression due to the variety of exhibits, both foreign and domestic. It was astonishing how, in a short time, Russia was able to make such a significant leap forward in the production of flying machines.