![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Windsor International Air Show
Sep. 11th, 2011 09:36 pmMy mother came down on the weekend to visit. Part of the weekend's activities consisted of the Windsor International Air Show, which we visited with my aunt and cousin.
They opened the show with a bang, almost literally. Before the opening activities took place, they held a pre-game show which included a demonstration flight CF-18 decorated with a "Support our Troops" ribbon wrap. It closed the pre-game show by taking off, obstensibly to visit another air show in the US before coming back later in the afternoon. This was followed by the playing of national anthems, both American and Canadian. On the last note of O Canada, the CF-18 surprised everyone by flying over the audience from behind at full throttle and decibel level, prompting my aunt to utter a word that I won't repeat here. They weren't going to the US at all; they were just screwing with us.
The US anthem was played because of the heavy American presence on the ground. They had a number of American planes on static display, mostly transport craft but also a couple of F-18s. Someone complained about the Toronto air show a short while back for the same reason--a Canadian show highlighting US military might. I told them to blame Diefenbaker.
The usual suspects were in the air at the show. The restored Harvard trainer planes were part of the pre-game show, finishing up in their customary Missing Man formation. They featured flyovers by three other trainers based at the airport: a deHavilland Tiger Moth, two deHavilland Chipmunks and a Boeing Stearman, a plane sold to the RCAF as a trainer but decorated in US Navy colours (they were returned after not showing up with enclosed cockpits as requested--a necessity when training in a Canadian winter).
There were also some unusual and different performers this time around. One of the events featured was a race between a Red Bull Air Races plane and the "Flash Fire Jet Truck", a Dodge pickup equipped with a jet engine. Could have done without that, but it was fun to see the afterburner behind it. The CF-18 flew again with an F-86 Sabre decorated for the RCAF's old Golden Hawks flight team, which was fun to see and hear. At one point they had to 'slow the CF-18 down' to about 700 miles per hour. WWII was also heavily represented, including a P-51 Mustang in RCAF colours (advertised as a Spitfire on the show's website), B-25 Mitchell bomber, and one of only two fightworthy Avro Lancaster bombers in the world. The Lancaster had engine problems so sadly it didn't get off the ground. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see it in the air one day.
Another unusual appearnce at this show was the Canadian Army Skyhawks parachute team. What made their appearance unusual was that they were joined by CBC television host Rick Mercer (Canada's answer to John Stewart). He made a jump with them to open the air show, an experience that will be on his show in the next month or so.
Of course, the finale was a performance by the famous RCAF Snowbirds. They were down a pilot because of illness so only eight flew, but it was still fun to watch them. They always put on a good show wherever they appear. Don't know how much longer they'll be flying considering their jets are almost forty-five years old; they'll have to equip before long.
All in all, a pretty good afternoon. Got a bit pink in the face and on the arms, but not as bad as last year. It was my aunt's first time going to an air show, but she is already determined to go every year, considering it better than sex.
They opened the show with a bang, almost literally. Before the opening activities took place, they held a pre-game show which included a demonstration flight CF-18 decorated with a "Support our Troops" ribbon wrap. It closed the pre-game show by taking off, obstensibly to visit another air show in the US before coming back later in the afternoon. This was followed by the playing of national anthems, both American and Canadian. On the last note of O Canada, the CF-18 surprised everyone by flying over the audience from behind at full throttle and decibel level, prompting my aunt to utter a word that I won't repeat here. They weren't going to the US at all; they were just screwing with us.
The US anthem was played because of the heavy American presence on the ground. They had a number of American planes on static display, mostly transport craft but also a couple of F-18s. Someone complained about the Toronto air show a short while back for the same reason--a Canadian show highlighting US military might. I told them to blame Diefenbaker.
The usual suspects were in the air at the show. The restored Harvard trainer planes were part of the pre-game show, finishing up in their customary Missing Man formation. They featured flyovers by three other trainers based at the airport: a deHavilland Tiger Moth, two deHavilland Chipmunks and a Boeing Stearman, a plane sold to the RCAF as a trainer but decorated in US Navy colours (they were returned after not showing up with enclosed cockpits as requested--a necessity when training in a Canadian winter).
There were also some unusual and different performers this time around. One of the events featured was a race between a Red Bull Air Races plane and the "Flash Fire Jet Truck", a Dodge pickup equipped with a jet engine. Could have done without that, but it was fun to see the afterburner behind it. The CF-18 flew again with an F-86 Sabre decorated for the RCAF's old Golden Hawks flight team, which was fun to see and hear. At one point they had to 'slow the CF-18 down' to about 700 miles per hour. WWII was also heavily represented, including a P-51 Mustang in RCAF colours (advertised as a Spitfire on the show's website), B-25 Mitchell bomber, and one of only two fightworthy Avro Lancaster bombers in the world. The Lancaster had engine problems so sadly it didn't get off the ground. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see it in the air one day.
Another unusual appearnce at this show was the Canadian Army Skyhawks parachute team. What made their appearance unusual was that they were joined by CBC television host Rick Mercer (Canada's answer to John Stewart). He made a jump with them to open the air show, an experience that will be on his show in the next month or so.
Of course, the finale was a performance by the famous RCAF Snowbirds. They were down a pilot because of illness so only eight flew, but it was still fun to watch them. They always put on a good show wherever they appear. Don't know how much longer they'll be flying considering their jets are almost forty-five years old; they'll have to equip before long.
All in all, a pretty good afternoon. Got a bit pink in the face and on the arms, but not as bad as last year. It was my aunt's first time going to an air show, but she is already determined to go every year, considering it better than sex.
