By Lisa Goudy
 |
Snowbird 7 sits
on the tarmac after the first flight demonstration of the 2012 season.
The plane is flown by Captain Iain Cummings, from St. Catherines, Ont,
who flies in the Outer Left Wing position.
Times-Herald photo by Aaron Stuckel.
|
Daring maneuvers in front of a crowd of family and friends in 30
Celsius weather kicked off the 2012 show season of the Canadian Forces
Snowbirds on Wednesday afternoon at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
“It was challenging conditions for us. It was the hottest day that
we’ve flown this year so that makes the jet quite a bit underpowered
compared to how it normally is,” said Capt. Brent Handy, the No. 9
opposing solo. “It was good training opportunity plus that’s actually
our first time to fly over the air fields here in Moose Jaw.”
Audience goes wild for Snowbirds
For Rebecca Handy, she could see the exact same Snowbird show again and again.
“It always seems like it’s the first time I’ve seen it every time I
see it because it’s just so awesome,” said Handy. “Everything
they do is amazing so they could’ve done the same thing they’ve
always done and it would be amazing.”
Handy was one of many family, friends and members of the Canadian Air Force who sat and watched the show opener at 15 Wing
Moose Jaw.
Handy said she particularly loved the solos. It was her husband’s first show, but she said seeing is different than hearing
about the different maneuvers.
“I’ve heard a lot about what they’ve been doing with their practices and stuff, but I hadn’t actually seen it,” said Handy.
“It was pretty awesome.”
Kristen Wiebe thought the timing for the show couldn’t have been better.
“I thought it was excellent. They had a perfect day for it as well,” said Wiebe, who was there supporting her father, Cpt.
Gregg Wiebe, No. 4 first line astern. “All the different maneuvers, they’re so breathtaking. It really has you on the edge
of your seat.”
Her favourite moves were the Kaleidoscope, the Corkscrew, the Maple Leaf Split and a new move, the Inukshuk.
“It seems very appropriate,” said Wiebe. “(It was) very Canadian.”
- Goudy
The same story also appeared in variations in other publications:
Daring manoeuvres in front of a crowd of family and friends in 30C
weather kicked off the 2012 show season of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds
on Wednesday afternoon at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
"It was challenging
conditions for us. It was the hottest day that we've flown this year, so
that makes the jet quite a bit underpowered compared to how it normally
is," said Capt. Brent Handy, the No. 9 opposing solo. "It was good
training opportunity plus that's actually our first time to fly over the
airfields here in Moose Jaw."
Handy, a first-time pilot with the
Snowbirds in 2012, said the training is normally done in Mossbank and
flying in front of family and friends was an "added perceived pressure."
The Snowbirds are in their 42nd season.
Approximately three
quarters into the show, Snowbird No. 7 experienced a minor technical
problem and measures were taken to get the plane on the ground before
resuming the show.
"Seven hit a bird on the leading edge so we
stopped the show and that's what we would normally do," said Maj. Wayne
Mott, the 2012 team lead who flies the No. 1 jet. "It's a dent on the
leading edge. The guys will take it off and put a new part on - you
wouldn't even know that it was dented in that airplane if you didn't
hear the noise of the bird hitting it."
Mott said having a jet
missing can affect the dynamics of the show, but changes are discussed
over the air to adjust for having a jet missing. He said he believed
they put on a good opening show, even though it was a bit bumpy in the
air.
Capt. Padruig MacIntosh, No. 3 inner left wing, added that
several new moves have been added this year, such as the Concord Combo,
which he said is a "roll followed by a loop."
"We're pretty excited to get that in the opener this year," said MacIntosh.
The
Snowbirds will hold approximately 58 performances in 39 locations
across Canada and the United States. Their next show is in Winnipeg on
May 19 and they'll return to Moose Jaw for a show on July 7. Travel
destinations include places as far away as Illinois, Minnesota and
Florida.
"I've never been way up north to Whitehorse, Nunavut and
all that so I'm pretty pumped for that," said MacIntosh. "My experience
so far has been like a dream."
For Handy, it'll be a new experience travelling across North America during the summer.
"It'll
be a summer of highs and lows, travelling to some really neat places
and meeting all kinds of really neat people, but the lows are obviously
being away from your family for such a long time," said Handy.
Daring manoeuvres in front of a crowd of family and friends in 30C
weather kicked off the 2012 show season of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds
at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
"It was challenging conditions for us. It
was the hottest day that we've flown this year, so that makes the jet
quite a bit underpowered compared to how it normally is," Capt. Brent
Handy, the No. 9 opposing solo, said Wednesday. "It was good training
opportunity plus that's actually our first time to fly over the
airfields here in Moose Jaw."
Handy, a first-time pilot with the
Snowbirds in 2012, said the training is normally done in Mossbank and
flying in front of family and friends was an "added perceived pressure."
The Snowbirds are in their 42nd season.
About three-quarters into
the show, Snowbird No. 7 experienced a minor technical problem and
measures were taken to get the plane on the ground before resuming the
show.
"Seven hit a bird on the leading edge so we stopped the show
and that's what we would normally do," said Maj. Wayne Mott, the 2012
team lead who flies the No. 1 jet. "It's a dent on the leading edge. The
guys will take it off and put a new part on ... you wouldn't even know
that it was dented in that airplane if you didn't hear the noise of the
bird hitting it."
Capt. Padruig MacIntosh, No. 3 inner left wing,
said several new moves have been added this year, such as the Concord
Combo, which he said is a "roll followed by a loop."
"We're pretty excited to get that in the opener this year," said MacIntosh.
The Snowbirds will hold about 58 performances in 39 locations across Canada and the United States.
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