By Skies Magazine | April 27, 2015 Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 6 seconds.
Spring training is underway in Comox, where teams fine-tune new airshow routines in challenging terrain.
Once again, the skies, mountains and waters of Comox, B.C., have come alive with the rumble of jet noise. From April 10 to 30, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Snowbirds and CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Team are conducting annual spring training at 19 Wing Comox. Located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, the base offers the teams a challenging terrain over which to practice and fine-tune their new airshow routines for the upcoming season.
Situated between the beautiful coastal mountains to the West and depth-deceiving waters of the Georgia Strait to the East, the geography of 19 Wing offers a flying environment that differs from the Snowbirds’ and Hornet’s home bases of 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Sask., and 3 Wing Bagotville, Que., respectively.
The 2015 CF-18 Demo Hornet follows in formation behind a Snowbird CT-114 Tutor.
“The team is always excited for our annual spring training camp here in Comox,” said LCol Christopher England, Commanding Officer of the “Snowbirds” 431 Air Demonstration Squadron. “This is our home away from home, and we feel so welcomed and appreciated by the community year after year.”
For three weeks, the team’s formations become tighter and lower, approaching airshow minimum height of 300 feet. Comox is an ideal locale for spring training as it offers the team an operational airfield similar to an airshow environment. In the air and on the ground, the two demo teams test the deployment procedures they will utilize during the long airshow season from May to October.
During spring training, teams practice their formations lower and tighter. Training progresses to airshow minimum height.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the first conflict in history to be won by airpower alone, a turning point of World War II. The 2015 CF-18 Demo Team is commemorating the Battle of Britain and the courageous airmen that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill acknowledged by saying, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
The topside of this year’s Demo Hornet is painted in a tan and green scheme, similar to that of the RAF fighters from the conflict, the Spitfire and Hurricane. This year’s demo pilot is Capt Denis “Cheech” Beaulieu of 425 “Alouette” Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville.
This year’s CF-18 Hornet is painted to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
“I am really looking forward to taking the CF-18 all over Canada and the United States,” said Beaulieu. “This job gives me the opportunity to celebrate aviation with audiences all over, while flying the Hornet in a way that few pilots get to fly. Best of all, I get to do this all with a team of highly talented professionals who work together to put on a great show.”
The team will fly its official Acceptance Show at 19 Wing on April 28. Soon after, the teams will head south for the start of the airshow season. This year, they will perform all across the United States and Canada, entertaining thousands of spectators and sparking a love of aviation in children across North America. The CF-18 Demonstration Team has little rest as they head to Chino, Calif., for their first performance on May 1. The Snowbirds’ first show is the following week, on May 9 in Dallas, Ga.
New for the 2015 airshow season, the Snowbirds have unveiled their TankCam! Check out some of the spectacular footage here:
