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The skies over Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., will be filled with some of the country most talented and daring pilots for one weekend this summer, as the Waterloo Air Show returns with performances from the Snowbirds, SkyHawks, CF-18s and Red Bull pilot Pete McLeod.
The show, held at the Region of Waterloo International Airport on June 2 and 3, will also feature a Joint Forces demonstration and vintage World War II planes flown the Canadian Aircraft Association. In addition to the action in the air, the show also includes an aviation expo, a static aircraft display and family activities.
Organizers expect this year show, the fourth held at the airport, to attract about 40,000 spectators.
The highlight for many will be the performance by the Snowbirds, Canada iconic aerial demonstration team. (You can read about Canadian Skies’ test pilot Rob Erdos’ experience of flying with the snowbirds here.) The nine-plane formation team will be available to meet spectators and sign autographs after their show.
The Canadian Forces parachute team, the Skyhawks, will display their astonishing parachuting formations but on the Saturday only.
The performance by the CF-18 National Demonstration Team will be its first in Canada this year, providing the first glimpse to Canadian crowds of the aircraft new dorsal art 13 snowflakes representing Canada provinces and territories, as well as the 13 Wings across the country. A former Snowbirds pilot, Captain Patrick Paco Gobeil, will demonstrate the agility of the CF-18 Hornet and the professionalism of Canada military aviators.
Additional thrills will be provided by Pete McLeod of London, Ont., who became the youngest pilot and first Canadian to compete in the elite Red Bull Air Race World Championship. McLeod is set to perform and aggressive, action-packed, low-level show in his Zivko Edge 540.
The Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army will combine to showcase their interoperability in a Joint Forces demonstration, with camouflaged soldiers in G Wagons working with a CH-146 Griffon and CF-18 Hornet.
Providing a lighter side will be Otto the Helicopter a unique comedy act that has Otto blowing bubbles, playing with his yo-yo and racing around barrels and picking them up.
The static display will include, among many others, a CP-140 Aurora, a CT-142 Bombardier Dash 8 Gonzo, a CT-156 Harvard II turboprop trainer, a CT-155 Hawk, a CH-146 Griffon and CH-149 Cormorant. Pilots and crews will be available to chat about the aircraft and answer questions.
The gates will open at 10 a.m. (though you can get access at 9 a.m. if you sign up on the web), and close at 5 p.m. Advance tickets are $22, but will be $25 at the gate. Reduced fees are available for children 10 and under, and seniors 65 and over. Parking is free.
