The Snowbirds will once again grace the skies above North Bay on Armed Forces Day.
According to the CF Snowbirds Facebook page, the aerobatic aviation team is slated to visit North Bay on June 19, 2024, as preparations continue to fill out the lineup for the popular local Armed Forces Day event. The CF-18 Demonstration Team will also perform, according to its schedule.
The event will hold extra significance as 2024 is the centennial year of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
The CF Snowbirds have been entertaining audiences across North America since 1971 and the team's shows are the result of months of intensive preparation and training of over 50 different formations and maneuvers. The team continues to inspire the public by highlighting the extraordinary skill, professionalism, teamwork, and diversity of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Armed Forces Day 2024 will mark a return to the skies over North Bay for the first Snowbirds performance in some time. The team landed in North Bay to refuel only last year, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled Armed Forces Day in 2020 and 2021, while technical issues forced a cancellation just before a scheduled performance in 2022.
The 431 Air Demonstration Squadron consists of approximately 80 Canadian Forces personnel, and 24 make up the performance team that travels during the show season.
The nine-plane team performs in up to 60 different air shows each season, covering approximately 40 locations across North America.
The Snowbirds' demanding schedule is a team effort, met through the dedicated teamwork of not only the 11 military pilots and technicians but also the entire home team, according to the Snowbirds website.
The Snowbirds fly the Canadair CT-114 Tutor, a Canadian-built jet that was used by the Canadian Forces as a basic pilot-training aircraft from 1963 until 2000. The Tutor weighs approximately 7,170 lbs (3,260 kg) and is powered by a J-85 engine producing 2,700 pounds of thrust. The top speed of the aircraft, with smoke tanks attached, is 412 knots (470 mph or 750 km/h). During a performance, the Snowbirds will fly at speeds ranging from 100 knots (115 mph or 185 km/h) to 320 knots (370 mph or 590 km/h).
