CF Snowbirds, CF-18 demo jet in Camrose for 'loud and fast' show
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will perform the first show of their 50th year in Camrose, Alta., on July 24 and 25.
"We are so excited about it," Maj. Brett Parker, who will fly the No. 7 aircraft during the Camrose Drive-In Airshow.
The show will feature not only the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, belovedly known by Canadians as the Snowbirds, but also demonstrations by the Canadian Forces CF18 Demo Team and CH-146 Griffon Tactical Helicopter.
"It's going to be a great show, actually. A lot of people have seen the Snowbirds," said Doug Lindseth, of Iron Cree Flying Club, which partnered with the Camrose Flying Club to organize the show.
"But this year we actually have a different helicopter coming along as well: the F18 Super Hornet, which we're all excited about. It's going to be fantastic. Lot's to cheer about."
The twin-engine fighter aircraft will be flown by Cpt. Dan Deluce, who served the tactical fighter squadron in Cold Lake, Alta., for three years and later instructed in the NATO flying program.
He was selected to pilot the 2020 show before it was cancelled.
His solo performance will last about 15 minutes, according to Cpt. Rachel Brosseau of the CF-18 Demo Team communications.
"He really just shows off the capabilities of the Hornet. So there's lots of different maneuvers he comes in and does over the airshow display area, things like the high speed pass, high alpha pass where he goes with the jets and goes really slow, different looping capabilities and 360 turns," Brosseau said.
"It's loud and it's fast."
The shows are the result of months of work – roughly half a year.
"Practice makes perfect," Parker explained.
"Over the course of that six months, we move around the formation, we move the players around to put together our show. And hopefully at the end of April when we put together our acceptance show that we'll take out onto the road to show all the Canadians, we're at our show spacing – which is roughly four feet – away from each other."
Months of prep work by organizers and volunteers, too.
The flying clubs are selling three kinds of tickets online by carload. They expect about 1,000 vehicles to attend.
"Fill the car up as much as you can. Bring Grandma, bring the kids, bring the cousins, bring your neighbour," Lindseth said.
Camrose Flying Club's Ron Grue added, "We're so fortunate to be able to host them in their 50th year and it's a great opportunity for kids.
"That's where all the pilots come from. They went to their show, they got inspired about flying, and that's why they're pilots in the Snowbirds."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.