The RCAF has released the schedules for its air demonstration teams and named the CF-18 demo pilot. The Army had earlier cancelled the season for the Skyhawks parachute team citing pandemic concerns. The Air Force decided to press ahead with seasons for the CF-18 and Snowbirds with tentative start dates in early June, wrapping it up in mid October in San Francisco. Like everything else, it’s all subject to change as circumstances dictate.
The new pilot for the CF-18 is Capt. Dan Deluce, who was supposed to fly the fighter last year before the season was cancelled. Deluce was born to a flying family and was at the controls of his father’s planes from a young age. He got his private licence at 16 and after graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in chemical engineering he got his multi and commercial tickets, spending four years flying PC-12s for a charter and medevac operator. He was accepted into pilot training in the RCAF in 2010 and selected to fly the Hornet. He’s currently an instructor on the CT-155 Hawk at the NATO Flying Training in Canada program at CFB Moose Jaw.