Some high-level intervention has ensured the Snowbirds will fly south this summer.
- Photo by Ken Lin
In a news release last week, the RCAF announced the schedules of both the Snowbirds and the CF-18 demo team and both include U.S. stops.
A few weeks ago, the RCAF announced it had scrapped four U.S. shows because budget cuts had reduced their flight hours and Canadian shows had to be the priority. Apparently the devastation of four U.S. air shows counting on the team as their main draw suddenly became a priority with someone who outranked whoever pulled the plug on those shows. Whether or not the flight hours were adjusted accordingly isn’t clear.
The team was originally scheduled for four U.S. shows but one of them, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has since been cancelled. Whether there will be a fourth U.S. show as originally scheduled is not clear but there have been suggestions on U.S. aviation web sites that a show in San Diego is a possibility.
In announcing the abrupt schedule change, Gen. Yves Blondin, who commands the RCAF, said the Air Force is part of the larger community of military forces. “The RCAF is committed to collaborating and cooperating with our international allies and partners.”
In that spirit, the CF-18 demo team is headed to Belgium and Switzerland for shows this summer along with a couple in the U.S.