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Canadian International Air Show 2009: Canadian Pride

By Marc Lostracco

Every September, Torontonians are enthralled by the sounds and sights of jet aircraft overhead during the Canadian International Air Show. Hamish Grant will be documenting some of the airborne events for Torontoist over the next few days.
One hundred years ago, on February 23, the first powered heavier-than-air flight in Canadian history took off across Baddeck Bay in Nova Scotia. To celebrate the centennial, some of Canada’s most legendary aircraft will be flying the skies over Toronto this weekend. CAF Colonel (retired) and astronaut Chris Hadfield will be piloting “Hawk One,” a refurbished RCAF Canadair F-86 Sabre jet. Sabres played significant roles in the Korean War from 1950–1953 and in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Established in 1959 to celebrate fifty years of Canadian flight, the Golden Hawks were a noted Canadian aerobatic team until they disbanded in 1964. “Hawk One” has been restored under the original Golden Hawks livery, and the fifty-five-year-old jet has been appearing across the country this year with its five pilots and ten-person maintenance crew.
Also marking the centennial, the Canadian Forces have painted a CF-18 demonstration aircraft in a mix of classical and modern motifs, including the names of a hundred notable people in Canadian aviation history. The CF-18 Hornet is Canada’s frontline fighter jet, and like the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, the Century Hornet will be seen (and heard) over Toronto this weekend, with Captain Tim “Donor” Woods in the cockpit.
Another special paint job was done on a squadron of CT-114 Tutor jets back in 1967, which was not only the fiftieth anniversary of Canadian military aviation, but also the country’s centennial year. Known as the Golden Centennaires, the eight-plane formation entertained more than four million spectators across Canada and the United States, including the crowds at Expo 67. The Tutor in demonstration this weekend was restored in 2000 in conjunction with aviation artist Geoff Bennett, who designed the original Golden Centennaires paint scheme.
If the Golden Centennaires aircraft look familiar, it’s because they are also used by the famed Snowbirds, Canada’s foremost aerobatic demonstration squadron. In fact, several of the Tutor aircraft used by the Golden Centennaires were rejigged to fly past football games and special events with a team that would eventually come together as the Snowbirds in the early ’70s. In the almost four decades since, the squadron has become a Canadian icon, appearing on Canada Post stamps, flying in formation over Ottawa for Canada Day celebrations, and as an annual highlight of the Canadian International Air Show.
All photos by Hamish Grant/Torontoist.

Comments

  • http://undefined david gareth lewis

    This is the letter I am sending to the mayor and city councillors this year regarding the air show. If you’d like to do the same, be sure to include your address and telephone number at the end for more weight with city council.
    –
    I cannot believe the citizens of Toronto are forced to tolerate this irresponsible event that is the Canadian International Airshow:
    1. It is dangerous. Jets loaded with fuel and travelling at these speeds puts every citizen of the downtown core / west end in danger. Airshow disasters are common, and we’re holding one RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS in a BIG CITY, rather than over a field and far away from THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT CITIZENS.
    2. It is inconsiderate. Not everyone in this city has been lucky enough in their lives to not have jets like these firing rockets into their homes. Refugees from war-torn countries must be terrified of the sounds they are forced to endure all weekend. These are machines of war. They are not entertainment.
    3. It is polluting. Unnecessarily adding to the air pollution in our immediate atmosphere is irresponsible. Allowing citizens to be deafened by the sheer power of needless danger is irresponsible.
    Thanks for your time,
    David Lewis

  • http://undefined rtyler

    …It happens ONCE a year and the NIMBYists won’t give up. Seriously, living in the city and worrying about an air show disaster? I simply can not understand that.

  • http://undefined bestoronto

    Hi, I value your particular viewpoint. However, some points to consider:
    1. Yes they are “machines of war” but also are “machines of peace”. last time I checked, airline travel was sort of popular with most of the global population.
    A statement like yours is short-sighted and facetious.
    It is a display of achievement, yes technological, and yes polluting to a degree, but key in a modern society.
    Military applications are why we have safe air travel today, as key technology generally starts from military or racing vehicles. Just like the Apollo mission is why we have Tang orange drink. :)
    2. Crossing the street is “dangerous”. Riding in an elevator is “dangerous”. Life involves risk and danger, or else life becomes the equivalent of living in a safe cage, as in a zoo.
    3. Refugees from another place, yes they may be affected, but do YOU speak for any in particular? It can also be said that air warfare has brought liberation – there are two sides of your “terror and fear” coin.
    4. Man is a competitive animal. You cannot breed this out of humanity, and to attempt to do so will fail. As in an Olympic sport, achieving a measure of being “the best” in any field is a noble goal. To have the skill to pilot a multi-ton vehicle at high speeds with absolute precision, is a source of awe and wonder to those of us who can but dream of being in such a place.
    5. What also is an aspect of the “warlike machines” on display, is that without those “warlike machines” and the military that they represent, YOU (and I) would not likely have a forum where we can expound our respective opinions.
    6. Enjoy the airshow.