Welcome to Thursday…It’s your friendly neighbourhood Gord here and I’ve just read The General’s blog from yesterday about air shows. If you haven’t read it, scroll down and give it a read first before continuing. I’ll wait. Welcome back, The General says why we need air shows? Too many disasters for what are few ooooos and ahhhhs.
The Snowbirds are a perfect example for why we DO need air shows. Over their history the Snowbirds have thrilled millions of spectators with dazzling displays of formation flying.
The pilots that earn the uniform of the 431 (Air Demonstration) Squadron are passionate, highly skilled pilots with tons of flight experience and love to be in the air. They also know, all too well, the dangers of flying with 8 other jets just metres off your wingtips but wouldn’t want to be any other place in the World.
The CBC aired a documentary of the Snowbirds and is a very interesting look into the typical season of the squadron. The question still remains why? Why do they need to be flying at all? I believe that it showcases Canadian skill as pilots in the air force, it’s used as a recruitment tool for the air force, I know cause as a kid I seriously thought about joining the air cadets after seeing the Snowbirds at the CNE every Labour Day weekend.
It’s also a sense of pride throughout the World, as the pilots and crew are our Canadian Ambassadors to all the Countries they visit. Mishaps do happen even to the skilled pilot, but ask any one of them and they’ll tell you to look out over Lake Ontario this weekend when you’re at the CNE to see 9 twinkling lights in the distance and prepare to be amazed at the Canadian pride of the skies…The Snowbirds.
